Anything For Animals

posted by admin on Jul 10

Welcome back for some more horse friendly tips for everyone - this time those that could keep money in your pocket!

Imagine what you could spend that saved cash on for your pony - especially if you manage to convince your stable friends who aren’t so waste-conscious to help you out - you could save even more!

So, lets get started - every penny counts these days!

1) Well, lets being with a simple one like regularly swapping over your stirrup leathers so that one doesn’t become over stretched with all that mounting and dismounting - more of a long-term saving but there are many others like it!

2) An old tea towel or a bunch of baler twine can be used as a sweat scraper instead of buying yourself the real thing - and another thing to remember where it is!

3) When washing your horses, it is cheaper to buy some bland human shampoo than a specific preparation.  And as human products may well come in larger sizes - and buying in bulk is always a money saver!

4) And from here, always consider buying bulk products with other people in the yard as larger containers and larger amounts seem to get lower prices.  If you all order your food or bedding in one go, you will save money everytime!

5) And talking of bedding - if you use a small cage to sieve your horses droppings - then most of the unsoiled bedding will fall right through - keeping your bedding thicker for longer!

6) Repaired rugs are cheaper than new rugs - so make sure that you keep your rugs clean so they last longer - but if you have to let one go, then keep all the bits that are worth saving, like the buckles and straps, and any large areas of material that could be used for patch repairs or cushions in the yard!

7) Surcingles are much cheaper than rollers - so improvise.  Find yourself a nice thick piece of sponge to stop the surcingle from rubbing on the spine and voila!

8.) Use 2 small boards for cleaning up piles of hay or straw instead of investing in extra brooms and shovels.  They work for picking up leaves in the garden - so why not use them in the yard.

9) Check what added ingredients and supplements are in your standard feed - as you could be adding supplements that your horses don’t actually need.  And, it may well be cheaper to find a food that does already contain them to save on buying them separately.

10) Get people from your yard to book routine vet treatments or farrier visits together to save on the call out charges made.  Instead of all paying the one-off call out fee - split it between you as often as possible.

I hope some of these have been useful, and make sure you pass some on to your friends to make the savings greater!