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  Twin Sister to Queen Boobie
Posts: 13315
   
Location: East Tennessee but who knows?! | Interesting input!
Has anyone's spending habits changed with the number of horses you have? Do you feel like how many you own impacts how picky you are on certain things? |
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Expert
Posts: 1695
 
Location: Willows, CA | I always buy the best hay I can find, and as much of it as I can store when I do. This is number one for me since roughage should be the base of all equine nutrition. I never scrimp on management things like teeth floating, or vaccine. I don't cut corners on tack because I am 6' 7" and my saddles have always been custom made (Pedro Pedrini). Bill Black bosals and Blind Bob mecates. When it comes to horses, it costs just a much to start and train a dink as it does a great one. I try to be a savvy buyer when it comes to colts. |
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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
Location: North Dakota | I don't skimp on anything for my horse's safety and well being. Of course, I am a college student on a major budget, but I do the absolute best I can for him. I don't get my hair/nails done, I don't buy clothes often and when I do I they're from the clearance rack at Old Navy. He's going to get the best saddle and pad I can afford. Cinches, headstalls, etc. I don't worry about quite so much as long as they're safe.
I give him the best diet, vet, and farrier care I can afford. I also will invest in preventitives like wraps, therapy products, etc. I do try and find deals, sometimes buying used. |
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Location: Midwest | To me, less is more.
Instead of having 20 so-so saddle pads I have 6 5-stars
I buy quality. I could go on and on about what I skimp on and such. You get what you pay for. |
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 I Chore in Chucks
Posts: 2882
Location: MD | Fairweather - 2015-01-30 1:50 PM
Interesting input!
Has anyone's spending habits changed with the number of horses you have? Do you feel like how many you own impacts how picky you are on certain things?
Totally impacts me! I start turning into a penny pincher. That's why I only have two horses! |
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The Resident Destroyer of Liberal Logic
Location: PNW | Fairweather - 2015-01-30 12:50 PM
Interesting input!
Has anyone's spending habits changed with the number of horses you have? Do you feel like how many you own impacts how picky you are on certain things?
I've sure changed my spending since adding children to the mix. I didn't use to skimp on anything for the horses OR myself... Now I don't skimp on the horses, but I skimp on myself. My kids have what they need, but I do NOT plan on spoiling them (much to my mother-in-law's irritation). Kid necessities are expensive though; so my checkbook goes: kids, horses, myself. And my husband is on his own. Lol |
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The Resident Destroyer of Liberal Logic
Location: PNW | Wanted to add: I 100% believe in quality over quantity. I have fewer, nicer things for the horses. A few nice pads, not 15. A Caldwell, instead of 5 cheap saddles. I look at horses and their accessories as investments and would rather get 10-15 years out of an expensive piece rather than replace $100 pieces every year or two. |
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 Oh excuse me!
Posts: 2473
Location: S. California Beach | I budget where I can - and need to. I dont have excessive equipment (well when I slowly filter it in and realize I am stock piling it I sell it), one or two pads/boots/etc. I do all the vet work that I can (shots/etc), my horses are very easy keepers so they just get simple pellets with god alfalfa/grass hay. I buy meds (pentosan, etc) on sale. |
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 Reaching for the stars....
Posts: 12708
| I won't skimp on almost anything. Quality costs. It also does its job, no matter what that particular job is.
I DO shop for price, and have gotten downright thrifty when it comes to bang-for-buck over the past two years. A year of unemployment made me relearn how to research for the best deals.
I also won't pay for just a name. Sometimes a big name product isn't any better than a lesser known name. Marketing costs a ton, and any products with slick adds in magazines passes those costs on to their products. Research your products!
Skimping to me means I'll do without until I can afford the right thing. I sold 9 horses in the past two years to make sure I could provide the best for the rest.
My latest change was swapping out the $800/ton Montana alfalfa supplemental hay (each horse was getting 5-6 lbs per day instead of grain) for a very nice 50/50 organic alfalfa/orchard mix at $325/ton (delivered). If this swap out works, I will save $200 per month on feed bill. I will know in another month or so if it works. If I have to increase their feed rate over 25# per day each, then it would be a wash. Hoping to stay around the 20# rate.
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 Veteran
Posts: 288
| I things I skimp on:
Generic wormer
Tack (not saddle)
I buy used name brand leg boots. Usually like new but people don't like the color or something
Winter blankets. If they are gonna shred them anyways, they don't need to shred a $150 one
I do not skimp on:
HAY!! I feed awesome barley hay and do not even have to grain my 22 yr old ottb! They all look amazing :) |
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 Total Germophobe
Posts: 6443
Location: Montana | For me, I don't skimp on the hay, as bad hay can cause way more problems and money spent than anything, IMO. I don't like to skimp on training, but I also realize there is a lot I can do myself, so I do it instead of hiring someone else to. If I can't do it myself, I hire someone.
I buy used when I can and you can buy a lot of good stuff used. That is one way where I save. I have one "fancy" tack set and the rest is plain. I may eventually buy another since I have 2 horses now, but I have enough tack for 2 so I probably won't for a while. With the exception of saddles, I don't ride brand name tack. The reason I ride brand name saddles is because they are better than cheap ones. I don't spend a lot of money on frivolous stuff and I don't have every color boot out there, and I won't buy a certain color if another color is on sale (unless it is purple, I don't care for purple). I save where and when I can, and keep a list of my expenditures to see what I can cut, and where I need to improve. It is terrible having to budget, but that is life...at least until I win the lottery, LOL.
Edited by mtcanchazer 2015-01-31 11:18 AM
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 Expert
Posts: 1482
Location: on my horse | Things I skimp on:
winter blankets on sale
make my own polos
buy bedding in bulk
wear my shoes until they hurt my arthritic joints or have holes that I can't tape up
household items
clothing (thrift store!)
I craigslist or bargain shop for ALL of my tack. I have been able to find barely used or clearance marked high end saddle pads including 5 star for less 100 bucks. They are usually ugly (think red and blue stars on a white background air ride pad) but nothing a navajo blanket won't cover.
Things I refuse to skimp on:
my own food (i do coupon though)
bits
horse boots
place I board at
amount of shavings
hay and other feed products
gas to and from the barn caring for my horse
*funny you should ask about splint boots... I experimented and bought a pair of the tough 1 splints last spring and they have held up surprisingly well, I would buy them again because I think the quality difference is fairly minimal. while they aren't as thick as professionals choice I don't get much dirt down them and I feel like i can get them on a little bit more snug.
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 331
Location: Loma Linda, CA | I think skimping can mean a lot of different things to some people.
I have a more inexpensive saddle - $500 corriente brand new and also my 'colt' saddle which is super comfy, broken in, that I bought for $100 on CL from someone getting out of horses.
My boots vary - I have a pair I got for $20 that still hold up well to my horses that I got when I was 13 or 14 with my allowance money. But I also have Classic Equine and Tough 1 boots.
My pad is a southwestern. I can't afford a 5 star, but I think SW go for the same price and I've never had any problems.
Vet care I do myself, but Im a tech so vaccines and drawing blood and stuff are things I do on a daily basis. I will have a real vet do X-rays and I do my yearly exam, coggins etc with them. And of course my babies get X-rays before I start them to make sure their knees are closed.
Bits vary from buying from various people over the internet, to statelinetack or other websites, same thing with tack sets. Most of my tack sets are $100. And I interchange them often. And I also have my plain tack sets for lessons, training etc that I don't care about if they get ruined.
I can't afford $2000 saddles, $300 pads or $500 tack sets.
My truck I bought used, but its dependable and has trailer brakes, my trailer is older, but completely redone with LED lights, new floor etc.
I'm a bargain shopper. I have much for little.
However, I don't skimp out on the food or grains or joint stuff or anything. I spend way too much on horse feed and supplements :P
Quality hay, yucca powder/devils claw, plus joint fluid with chondroitin, MSM, glucosamine & HA, grain is either senior feed for the old man or triple crown complete for my others, electrolytes, psyllium, F1 noni, etc.
Edited by Phxbarrel 2015-01-31 2:02 PM
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