There are several ways to shrink the feed bill–reduce waste, buy more wisely, and extend your pasture. | Photo: Photos.com

Here are a few ways to spend less on horsekeeping.

In this shaky economy, horse owners are finding ways to trim costs. David Freeman, PhD, of the Department of Animal Science, Oklahoma State University, says he gets a lot of calls from people wondering what they can do.

“Most people don’t want to hear my first words of advice. The easiest way to reduce costs is reduce your number of horses,” he says. Horse owners don’t want to look at that option, but if keeping horses has a serious impact on your budget, that might be what you have to do.

Most of us prefer to look at other ways to address the challenges. The place to start is to figure out where the money is being spent, looking at areas of waste, duplication, unnecessary purchases, etc. There are numerous ways to save money, but you have to first know where it’s going