Tips For Owning a Horse: 8 Ways to Save Money When You Own a Horse

8 ways you can save money on your horse necessities

Are you looking for helpful tips for owning a horse? Everyone knows how expensive it can be to care for a horse. The boarding, tack, feed, training, and vet trips all add up. Thankfully, there are a couple of sure-fire ways you can care for your horse and keep a couple of bucks in your pocket.

8 Tips for Owning a Horse

  1. Shop clearance sales
    Might be common sense, but still needs to be mentioned. Be a bargain hunter. There are a ton of online tack stores that have great deals. Constantly be on the lookout for deals and you will never have to pay full price again. Another idea? Be on the look out for end of the season sales, they’ll become your best friend.
  2. Buy used tack
    Stop trying to keep up with the Jones and buy used. Let’s face it, sometimes, tack is better if it is used because it is broken in. This especially true for really high quality tack. Take care of your tack. Whipping down and cleaning your tack after each use will keep it in great shape and make it last longer.
  3. Buy in bulk
    Gather a group of friends together and go in on a couple of round bales of hay for a bulk discount.Horse eating hey
  4. Find rough board
    Rough board is almost always cheaper than standard full board. Yes, you’ll be responsible for the care of your horse but isn’t that one of the reasons you bought a horse in the first place? Also, rough boarding saves you a lot of month.
  5. Don’t be in a rush, shop around
    Don’t be in a rush, looking for deals may take some time and patience. Before hitting checkout, check the shipping price. Shipping can often be forgotten about but can cost more than the purchase itself.
  6. Invest in a Waterer
    As we know time is money…No more cleaning the mud or bugs out of your horse’s water. Nelson Manufacturing’s Automatic Horse Waterer is never stagnant, so mosquitos won’t bother with it. The design also makes it a challenge for animals to get mud into the drinking supply. Save on your water bill, because you no longer have to fill water troughs weekly and dump dirty water. Your horse needs water, so it may as well be fresh.
  7. Automate supplement purchases
    Items like wormer, supplements and grooming supplies can be cheaper if you can commit to ordering them every few months. You’ll never forget to order again if it becomes a routine.Farmer feeding horse supplements
  8. Don’t be a brand snob.
    A lot of times less expensive brands still carry good quality products. Pick quality items that will last you a good amount of time and are a price that’s in your budget.

Bonus Money Saving Tip:

Bedding can be expensive, here are ways you can save:

  • Get outside
    When the weather is nice, maximize turnout. If you have a big enough pasture, consider leaving your horse outside during nice weather, the less your horse is in his stall the less bedding he will need.
  • Invest in a good manure fork
    Has your fork been bent or broken? If so, you are probably throwing out a lot of bedding with the manure. Buy a quality fork so you can get just the manure and not the clean bedding too.
  • Buy bedding in bulk
    Another option is to buy bedding in bulk because it’s a cheaper way to do it. Buying in bulk seems to be a huge way to save money, so find some horse buddies that you can split the cost of horse supplies with. Automating watering will also save you time and money because you won’t have as much wasted water and will no longer have to fill buckets or troughs as often.