Just for fun…Best equine money saving tip(s)?
Posted April 2, 2010 – 4:44 pm in: Green Cleaning TipsEveryone is trying to save money (who wouldn’t?), and for many of us horses are part of the “monthly bills”, just like our car payments and mortgages. So, I thought it would both fun and beneficial to ask what others in the equine community are doing to save money with their horses? I use old shower curtains as covers for my show tack. Just staple gun the old curtain to the wall over your saddle rack(s), then pull over the saddles, tuck around tack and viola! My friends at the barn and I have also had a very successful “tack swap meet”. We gathered together all of the equipment we no longer used, cleaned it up, and pooled our resources! It saved us all a bunch of money, organized our tack room(s), was fun, and we even got to swap training tips, so it was educational too! Plus it’s green to re-use! I also own my own grooming company and have found that there are some great ways to save grooming dollars. Corn starch is inexpensive and is great for keeping white markings white after a bath, before a show. Just sprinkle on, and brush off with a dandy brush before you go in the ring. Use a bounce sheet to reduce static cling (my experience is that it must be bounce…the other brands I tried didn’t work). Gently glide the sheet in the direction of hair growth along static prone parts like manes, tails and legs. This also helps to smooth down the hair follicle and give a bit of shine. I also do this to me, my dogs, and my horses when we go camping because it seems to help deter the biting black flies. Keep in mind that this not a replacement for fly spray/repellents as they also deter other pests/parasites. Men’s tube socks are awesome tail bags in the summer. The cotton helps to absorb the sweat from the coat and avoid stains, they are totally washable, and inexpensive. Need bands to give your horse’s mane a neat look? Get them from Sally’s beauty supply. They have a myriad of color choices (including the standard horse colors they have at tack shops), come in bulk if needed, are made to not tangle in the hair, and are a fraction of the price. Many human grooming products are safe for animals (but not all), so you may just have everything you need to give your horse a bath and tame his mane/tail in your bathroom cabinet. Most shampoos are the same as ours since shampoo is just detergent, H2O and emollients, so yours may work just fine. Steer clear of anything heavy in waxes (like pantene, fructise, or sunsilk) as they will build up on the coat and can cause skin irritation and even saddle slip. Excessive/inexpensive fragrances are also not recommended as they can cause irritation. If it says “hypoallergenic” or “fragrance free” it’s probably ok. You can also condition their coat with your conditioner too, but the same rules apply as the shampoos. You can make a great de-tangler by taking an inexpensive spray bottle, and diluting conditioner with lots of H2O. When banding or plaiting manes and tails often have flyways. A little pomade or wax you use every day can smooth and protect the delicate hairs, add some sheen, and give a great polished look. Remember that when ever you use human products on horses that they often have more sensitive skin than you, and their sense of smell is stronger than yours. When in doubt call your vet and ask if the product is appropriate. They will usually give you the yay or nay over the phone.
Hey Rob…why answer questions just to get points? I am truly interested in this question, and thought I has some advise to add to others. Knowledge makes the world go round.
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6 Comments
what the hell would possess you to write such a long, drawn out rant on horses?? you’re suppose to ask simple questions. not post your ramblings.
well all of us are in a pinch with the economy and im 14 adn basically have no idea how bad it is … but anyways to save money for my board i clean 4 days a weak and pay half the board i would normally pay just by helping clean and i love it just being around the horses is great i also just had a tack swap at my barn it was really fun and the stuff no one wanted we sold and put the money in a bucket so we could by new tack it was great and every one got some money to get new stuff lol so we all went out that day to horse and kennel and bought are horses a few things it was great…. we do this every year around march or april right before spring and it also helps to keep are tack room clean and we now everytihing in it we use
hope i helped
I have tried all these ideas in the past and they work great !
Another thing you can also do is make your own coolers (I’ve never done this but my friend did) but buying a bunch of fleece or cotton and simply measuring your horse then sow it all together. Another thing is a farm I ride at makes their own saddle pads by getting quilted material and cutting and sowing them together then buying some small strips of strong material for the girth slot and the the girth runner on teh saddle pad.
Eventhough I am only 16, my family has felt the economy for sure. A few money saving tips are…
eatin in, not out. not only is it better for you but you save money and the environment.
Buy what you need, not what you want. So many horse people can be proned to this. I have now become so frugal that if it can be taped together with ducted tape it’s good for another few uses (ie my half chaps, theu have holes and I cant afford to buy new ones so i just put duct tape around my leg and voila!)
Sell off what you don’t need. I have a bunch of useless junk that I don’t need so i just threw it on ebay =]
Use ivory to get white parts sparkling clean. It’s way cheaper then whitening shampoos and it makes your horse look just as great.
Thats all i can think of right now =]
I object. I use Sunsilk conditioner on my horse’s tail and it works great.
I use avon skin so soft…spray or rub it on after a bath (well anytime really but i always like to give my horses a bath before I use it) It makes your horse really really shiney, makes them smell awsome, makes their coat really soft and silkie and even acts as a fly repellent.