By: Matthew M. Brendal
Managing costs of horse ownership on a tight budget I am a simple person when it comes to buying things. It’s simple I simply don’t buy much stuff. When I need something I’ll spend the money with no regrets. I’ve always been kind of tight with my cash. I’m sure Suzy Orman would have a fun day examining what I spend my money on. I guess I could also call myself frugal to make it sound better. Today the economy is in a shambles and nobody really knows when things are going to get better. Horse care can easily eat an entire money tree in one setting. Just the monthly feed bill a lone for some horse owners could bankrupt a small country. We are all getting economic lessons just watch our politicians tell us what’s the best way to spend our money. I think the economy being bad is good for at least one reason. Most of us are all being forced to learn how to do more with less. I think being frugal teaches us to be better horsemen and horsewomen. It means you could be forced to learn more about the feeds you buy. It could mean you have to learn to do tasks that you had paid someone to do in the past. It means we have to learn to be more self reliant. It’s that what being a good horseman or horsewoman all about anyway, being independently full of self worth? Do you know how to give a vaccination shot to your horse? How about learning to trim your horse’s feet? I mean do you really need that new halter that you used once and is now hanging on a tack hook for the last 8 months? You can make rope halters using instructions from the internet online. They are a fraction cheaper than buying from a nationally known trainer. The internet bidding sites also have great deals. Have you thought about maybe not buying horse treats and maybe making your own? You could even sell them and make a little money. You could make it rich and then you wouldn’t have to worry about a budget anymore. You could also tray cheaper more natural treats like carrots or apples that you grow in your yard. Have a group tack sale to get rid of some of your old or things you haven’t used in a long time. There are always opportunities for good ideas. Maybe you could discuss at your local horse association meetings different ideas to save money. It may break the stale meeting stuff that it always talked about. Buying in bulk usually saves some money. Perhaps you go in with a group of friends and buy a large volume of hay at one time and possibly save some cash. Buying feed straight from a producer may also save money. Perhaps too you can examine if your horse really needs a concentrate feed. I think most horses do just fine on hay and grass. Treats and concentrate feed may be adding pounds to an already overweight horse. More health problems are associated with overweight than underweight. Sometimes you can get cheaper products that are designed for humans that cross over to horse uses. Hygiene products crossover well. You could invent or produce a product that is cheaper and works better than what is already on the market. Hard times causes you to use your imagination and wits. Both of which most horse people have a lot of. Don’t think of being on a tight budget for your horse as a bad thing. Look at it as a great opportunity to find great opportunities. If you really want to spend something on your horse then spend more time with him. Use the bad economy and as a good chance to spend more quality time doing the fun stuff, which of course is horse stuff. Give your horse some TLC, Trust, Leadership & Communication it costs nothings but your time.
