Inspired by the recent thread breaking down one’s yearly horse expenses, and this INSANE thread from Reddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/Frugal/comments/ev82qh/extreme_frugal_tips/) , what are some of your favorite ways to save money on this expensive hobby/passion/lifestyle we enjoy?
I board 4 horses on full care but I buy my own grain. My feed store offers rewards points based on purchases. Last year I save all my rewards points for a $150 off coupon and used it for their Black Friday Sale. Ended up getting a 24 bags of grain - which lasts my 4 about 4 months for I think around $87.
I make my own fly spray of the old school vinegar and aloe mix. Costs around $10 a gallon.
When buying new horses, try and buy same size… So they all wear the same blankets. I screwed the pooch this year though. Used to have 3 gelding that all wore the same size 78. Now I have 4… and two wear 75 and two wear 81. So new blankets all around … ugh.
I’m sure I will think of more…not finished with coffee yet.
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Don’t be suckered in by supplement advertising.
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Hah! I do this! more by luck/accident than actually trying, but I’ll be screwed if my next horse isn’t a 74!
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It’s also worth considering that not all horses really need to be blanketed. If you do blanket, I would not subscribe to the theory that a blanketed horse needs a full set of different weights of blankets.
If keeping horses at home, more turnout time can often be a significant cost savings, and more turnout is often beneficial for the horses.
Also consider whether or not the horse in question could appropriately go barefoot or with only front shoes (saving on farrier costs).
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Pick a sound healthy sturdy horse and keep it that way.
Do self board ( cheaper than keeping them at home here because land prices are insane).
Learn about nutrition, feed what your horse needs, feed a vitamin mineral supplement if you aren’t doing a fortified feed, but stay away from the expensive supplements for imaginary illnesses.
Keep your horse at a healthy weight and don’t waste hay.
Buy all your gear second hand. Don’t overbuy. Get good brands second hand rather than cheap stuff new.
Barefoot if you can. Learn to rasp between trims. Even pricey hoof boots are much cheaper than shoes over the course of a year.
Be your own groom at shows.
Keep a tally of your costs. You can’t plan or budget if you don’t know what you are paying.
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Buy as much as possible from the dollar store. I saw a “grooming accessory kit” on somewhere like Horseloverz yesterday and realized it was almost identical to a roll-up toiletries bag you could find at the dollar store for significant cost savings. So many items get marked up as soon as they are sold under an equestrian brand!
I try to stock up on items during big sales events like Black Friday, etc. Things like haynets, fly spray, etc that will definitely need replacing down the road.
I also try to buy as much tack, gear, clothes as possible second hand via Facebook groups or our local used tack shops. There is so much quality stuff out there that only gets light use before being “retired” for whatever reason, and I’d rather try and limit my product consumption by purchasing second hand.
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I do self care with one other person with one horse. Hers has to eat grass hay and we spent a lot of time sourcing a few bales at a time throughout the winter.
This year, we bought all the bales in a nearby field in the summer and did our own loading and stacking. I conscripted a strong male buddy to help! We recently bought another 50 bales from a nearby landowner who delivered and stacked. Not only is it cheaper, but we feel better about the quality.
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Agree. Everyone has a rainsheet, because here in SC it can be 40 and raining for 3 straight days and that’s just miserable for everyone. Husbands tank TWH only gets that, the 21 yr old has a medium turnout too bc she’s old, the 5 yr old TB has a medium because she just came off the track and is not acclimated to horse life yet, and my riding gelding has a full set but that’s because I intended to body clip him. Also everyone is barefoot except him too, I have trail boots for the TWH if we go anywhere.
For those keeping horses at home, buy the most land you can comfortably afford and resist the urge to collect. You hay and grain costs will plummet exponentially… (closing on 18 acres next week… my horse expenses just dropped 90%. )
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Absolutely buying hay by the ton or more and direct from the farmer or even a hay dealer is generally cheaper than buying by the bale from the feed store. You do need to do the math though and figure your cost per ton especially if the low cost bales are a bit light
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the feed store we use has a 20% off discount sale every end of December the sale is on everything but hay and cattle feeds… up until this year the limit was $400…so you could buy $500 of product for $400. The store’s pricing is in line with TSC or other large chains and many on-line stores.
You can buy feed but spread the pickup over the year if needed/desired.
This year they increased the dollar amount up to $1000 per account …
and check with therapeutic riding programs. They often are donated items they can not use… daughter just bought some very expensive harness from one who got the harnesses as donations.
I try to buy my riding tops (for schooling) at non-equestrian stores. TJ Max, Ross, etc. Golf tops are essentially the same as riding tops. You can find those at discount stores, but you can’t find equestrian wear and the big discount stores. Or buy quality used items. I often sift through my local Goodwill to look at what they have. I specifically look for items that look new and not worn. It’s amazing what folks donate. (And I also donate things I don’t use…hmm…I wonder, does that make me amazing? Haha.)
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I am still trying to figure out where one buys meat that is edible for less than $1/pound.
My big horse cost savings is we bale our own small square bales. (We buy our large bales.) Though I suppose that only counts if you do not count the cost of the equipment and labor. Our equipment is older than we are, but was still not cheap (not $1/pound meat cheap) and we have had to put some money into it to keep it working.
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If you’re someone like me who tends to lease/borrow/catch ride or otherwise rotate through horses… keep everything. That crazy specific bit one horse 3 years ago needed, the white pants you haven’t worn since the last jumper you leased four horses ago, the ice boot for the horse with a knee injury, the weird sized blanket. Keep them. If you sell it, you will end up with a horse who needs that exact item within the year. Then you will have to go track it down and buy it at full price.
Alternatively, if you are someone who does not rotate through horses very often or at all… sell it all!
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We get our grain from the elevator. It is mixed to our recipe, no molasses. We are basically paying the daily per bushel market price for the various grains in our mix. No added costs for expenses of brand names. Horses look great, work hard, fed minimal amounts because they do not need much grain. We do buy horses their mineral and selenium additives at the elevator, cheaper than TSC. We find this method gives us a good product for our horses. Sharing our grain recipe, other users say it cost them much less to buy. They feed much less so it lasts longer, for the same good look, work load, the horses perform under.
Our horses are very similarly sized, pretty much everything that fits one horse, will fit all the others. Two are smaller than the other 7, but match each other, so their harness, blankets, are interchangeable. I try to buy things in quantity, ask about discounts. Sometimes yes, sometimes no, but well worth asking about! I got 6 small hole hay nets, 8 halters, 6 buckets, all at reduced prices, just asking for the quantity discount. I only use Valhoma nylon halters, so I buy all I can when I find them in the right sizes and low prices.
Only the one older horse actually wears a covering in winter, mostly the rainsheet this year. But we have enough 84" rainsheets from being at the Trainers, to cover everyone. The other 6 big horses do all wear his 84" size if we should need covers sometime. The little horses have their own size 80" rainsheets and blankets because the trainer keeps them covered spring and fall, when they go visit to get broke out. Saves grooming time for her. I got the very heavy, seldom used here, 84" waterproof blankets at various tack sales, used. They were in great shape, the right sizes, and very good buys at used prices. We have them if needed, some years they get used a lot. Warmer years like this winter, heavy blankets are still packed away, not cold enough here. Those are my zero and below, for long, cold days, blankets. No one here is clipped, all covers come off at night in the barn. Horses here are Driving horses first, so we buy or breed, to have them similarly built and sized, letting the same harness and vehicles fit them all. The two smaller ones just stopped growing! A surprise to us, breeding is same as others here. But both are nice, do match each other as a Pair. With some more work, they will be lots of fun! All are Bay horses.
Another thing is to just take reasonable care of your things, they will last better. Resell items not needed anymore. I have done quite well moving things on at tack sales, because they were in excellent condition, obviously well cared for. People are willing to pay for good stuff that is cheaper than new! We don’t have any “destroyers” that wreck stuff for fun. Plenty of turnout, room to run, group settings, keep them like “natural” horses live, brains are well screwed down! They usually get worked often, might be weather dependent, they have real jobs to perform.
I do spend as needed on fertilizer, good grass seed to keep pastures an excellent food source. Tractors and farm equipment (old to VERY elderly) is all used, as are the trailers (elderly), but in good working condition.
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Goodwill for schooling tops.
As a matter of fact, all my show jackets - ADS Pleasure Driving shows - were $5 specials from Goodwill.
For riding, why pay more than that for a sweatshirt, t-shirt or fleece that is going to have horse goobers on it?
Dollar Tree for mane & tail brushes.
I like the ones with hard plastic bristles with rounded tips spaced in rows.
Same for shampoo & conditioner (me & horses), Icy Hot, mouthwash for an antiseptic brace, Wintergreen alcohol, Epsom salts & hair gel I use to braid mini’s mane (running braid).
Homemade scratches treatment recipe:
(all from Dollar Tree)
Equal parts athlete’s foot cream (lotrimin), triple antibiotic & diaper rash ointment.
And my horses LOFF Dollar Tree gingersnaps as a treat.
Beats the heck out of the German horse cookies @ $20/bag.
If you have the storage space, buy your year’s supply of hay from the cutting of your choice.
If you don’t, most hayguys will let you PIF, then store “your” hay until needed.
Beats paying inflated Winter prices.
I use bicycle hangers from Home Depot for my harness.
They would work for saddles & bridles too.
Some come padded with foam or covered in vinyl.
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I read that Reddit post and ended up rolling my eyes and leaving halfway through. I just can’t imagine recycling tea bags (and having it taste the same!?) or buying meat that is less than $1 a pound!
Then again… I am that person that spends $5 on a Starbucks latte. Sue me, I enjoy it, and I cut corners in other areas to subsidize. :winkgrin:
I’ve always been told I’m good at being frugal and good with money… just wish I had more of it :lol:
My tips are -
don’t buy whatever the New Thing is
don’t board where you’re required to do the above ^
take good care of your tack, blankets, horses, and they will last longer
repair, not replace, things like blankets, bridles, etc
if you show, braid/groom/clip yourself
buy in bulk (supplements, hay, etc)
roundbales, not square bales
full turnout / 24/7 turnout
The last two have significantly cut my costs. I can feed four horses on a roundbale for a year, for what it used to cost me to feed one on bales for half a year. The other thing is, with the roundbale we’ve significantly cut down on what we need to feed grain-wise… not a single one of our horses gets more than 4qts a day - and that was the big one in heavy work.
As far as other areas of my life… I drive an old (2003) car. Most of my wardrobe items are thrift finds. Occasionally I will get new pants through sales - Old Navy, etc. I generally don’t buy new things unless I need to. If I want something, I wait a month – if I still want it, I buy it. I cut my own hair, mend my own clothes, and if I don’t know how to do something, I learn how to do it (thanks YouTube!) - saves me money with minor routine stuff like oil changes, replacing brakes/calipers/rotors, etc. I cook my stuff ahead of time and freeze it… but if I want to go grab something on lunch break, I have the means to do that too. I cook simple/easy meals that freeze well (protein, rice, veggie) and keep forever.
If I need something horsey, I almost always find it via consignment. Last month picked up two Antares bridles for $80 total - I’m a good bargain hunter. :yes:
I also agree with the person that suggested Dollar Store finds… There are a lot of things out there that are similar, but cheaper, than the equestrian version. I buy castile soap, baby wipes, and loofahs through bargain stores and use them on everything from horse tack, cleaning/scrubbing blankets, to my own boots. Some things can’t be replaced by offbrand items (such as leather conditioning/oil products) but lots of human-grade shampoos and cleaners like Garnier, make better and cheaper shampoos than equine-centric ones.
Oh – and for treats –
generic gingersnaps, and miniwheats (the cereal). My guy’s favorite is strawberry :yes:
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the manger at the Aldi I often go noticed I was buying a lot of apples, when she asked what I was doing she said they have the ones they pull off the line that may have a damage one… she disappears comes back with twenty five pounds of apples that were going to thrown away.
I asked if they do a store party for the holidays , yes … i donated some cash for that… to date several hundred pounds of apples have been provided
Now only if she could provide free iced oatmeal cookies that the forty year old pony LOVEs
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Things that helped me stay frugal over more than 30 years of horse ownership:
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Anything marketed for “equestrians” will be much more expensive than regular stuff. Except for breeches, boots and 1/2 chaps, I use regular clothes and try to buy used if I can.
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Keep your tack clean and oiled and it will last a looooong time.
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My horse only needs 2 blankets: one rain sheet and one Medium weight turnout. I never wash them with detergent, I just brush the mud off them at the end of the season. Both my current blankets are about 10 years old and still waterproof and in great shape.
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I spend the most money now on board (but I clean my own stall to reduce cost), and supplements for my 22 yo Tb. I can tell when she doesn’t get them.
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Treats have always been plain old carrots or apples, nothing fancy
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We don’t show anymore - BIG savings right there! I still do take the occasional lesson or clinic - just for fun.
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Buy leggings to ride in instead of johdpurs or breeches.
If you put hoof oil on your horse’s hooves. Collect the fat from your cooking. Put it iin a tin in the fridge. You can use a used toothbrush to put it on the hooves. Warning dogs, rats & mice will take off with the tin.
