How to Keep A Horse On A Budget

Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 11:36 pm

Living through the credit crunch is difficult enough, but when you have ponies and horses who completely rely on you for food, shelter and medical attention, every little bit saved helps.

It's a sad fact that dozens of horses and ponies are given up every single, as owners struggle financially with the economy as it is, as a result there are currently many horses for sale.

Sara Tuppen from the Horse Refuge in Wittersham Kent, knows all about looking after horses on a tight budget, and relies solely on donations to keep more than 40 rescued horses in good health. She believes there are many ways which could help make keeping a horses during a recession a little easier:

1. A lot of horses can live quite happily outside for most of the year, providing there's nurishment, water and shelter available. If this is a suitable option for your horse, it could reduce the cost of stabling by a large amount.

2. Taking off shoes is an easy way to keep costs down. If not ridden regularly, and not ridden on rocky ground, many horses will be happy without shoes.

3. Sharing your horse is a great way to severely reduce costs, and helps to provide a cheaper introduction to horse ownership for someone else.

4. In many cases you can get free stabling and perhaps even hay and straw in return for chores. Helping to muck out, grooming, yard and paddock maintenance etc. are all ways which could reduce your outlay for a little hard work!

5. Vets bills are an unknown quantity but still have to be considered. If you're budget is low, you may sometimes discover a lot of Vets will allow you to pay in instalments.

6. Many people can make lifestyle adaptations! It's not just finding ways to keep your horse more cheaply, you can do it too!

7. If achievable, horse owners can often join forces to buy feed and straw in bigger numbers, reducing the entire cost and helping everyone save a little.

8. As a last resort, you can look into getting your horse a foster home, even as a companion.

If you're fortunate enough to be in a position to share, or even purchase a horse or pony, there are still many horses for sale and ponies for sale available.

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