Keeping Your Horse On A Budget

Surviving a recession is never easy, but when you have horses and ponies who completely rely on you for nurishment, shelter and medicine, every small amount saved helps.

It’s a sad fact that too many horses and ponies are given up every week, as owners struggle to cope with the economy as it is, because of this there are currently many horses for sale.

Sara Tuppen from the Horse Refuge in Kent, is well aware of looking after horses when money is scarce, and relies solely on donations to help keep over 40 rescued horses in good condition. She believes there are many ways which could help make keeping a horses on a budget a little easier:

1. A lot of horses can live comfortably outside for most of the year, as long as there’s food, water and a place to shelter available. If this is a suitable option for your horse, it could reduce the cost of stabling by a large amount.

2. Removing shoes can be an easy way to keep costs down. If only ridden occasionally, and not ridden on rough surfaces, many horses will be happy without shoes.

3. Loaning your horse is a fantastic way to severely reduce costs, and provides a cheaper introduction to horse ownership for someone else.

4. Quite often you can get free stabling and perhaps even hay and straw in return for helping out around the yard. Helping to muck out, grooming, maintenance etc. are all jobs which could save you money for a little work!

5. Vets bills are an unknown quantity but still have to be allowed for. If money’s a little tight, you may discover a lot of Vets will allow you to spread the cost.

6. Many people can also make lifestyle changes! It’s not all about finding ways to keep your horse for less, you can do it too!

7. Wherever possible, horse owners can often join forces to buy feed and bedding in bulk, reducing the overall price and helping everyone save a little.

8. Finally, you can look into placing your horse in a foster home, even as a companion.

If you’re in a position to loan, or even purchase a horse or pony, there are still many horses for sale and ponies for sale available.