Posts Tagged ‘saving money’

Living through the financial crisis is difficult enough, but add horses and ponies which depend on you for food, protection and medical care, every little bit helps.

It’s a shame that many horses and ponies are abandoned or given up every week, as horse lovers fight to cope with the current economic climate.

This is exceptionally thorny for horse charities and Sara Tuppen from the Horse Refuge in Wittersham Kent is an expert about looking after horses when money is limited, living off on donations to keep over 40 saved horses in good health. 

She lists below a few points which could help make owning a pony on a tight budget more manageable:

 1.      Many horses can exist quite happily outside for most of the year, as long as there’s food, water and protection to harsh elements available. Could this be an option for your horse, it could reduce the cost of stabling considerably.

2.      Removing shoes is an easy way to keep costs down. If not ridden regularly, or on rocky ground, most horses will not need shoes.

3.      Sharing your horse is a great way to reduce (even divide in two!) costs, and provides a cheaper introduction to horse ownership for someone else.

4.      Frequently you can get free stabling and sometimes hay and bedding in return for doing jobs. Mucking out, grooming, maintenance etc. are all tasks which could save you cash for a  little hard work!

5.      Vets bills are an unknown factor but must be considered. If money’s a little difficult, you may find a lot of Vets will consider spreading the costs, and pay in instalments.

6.      Most people can make lifestyle changes! It’s not all about finding ways to keep your horse more cheaply, see if you can do it for yourself!

7. What about your other pets, you may have put animals in boarding, what about a pet sitter? The pet may prefer it and the pet sitters often do other things.

8.      Is it possible that you can club together to buy feed and bedding in bulk, reducing the total price and passing on savings to all.

9.      I hope it does not come to it, you can look into getting your horse a foster home, even as a companion.

  If you’re in a position to loan, or even buy a horse or pony, there are many horses and ponies that are for sale, try a good directory such as the Horse and Pony Directory.