More than 1,100 readers of TheHorse.com responded to a poll asking, “What are you doing to save money on the farm this year?”

• Going to fewer shows or trail riding local routes: 52.03% (577)
  
• Repairing/reusing rather than buying new: 49.41% (548)
  
• Reducing energy and gas usage: 49.05% (544)
  
• Downsizing the herd/breeding fewer horses: 38.41% (426)
  
• Other: 16.95% (188)

Readers were asked to share their money-saving tips. All comments submitted by readers are posted below.

Results of weekly polls from TheHorse.com are published in The Horse Health E-Newsletter. Published every week, this e-newsletter offers news on diseases, veterinary research, health events, and in-depth articles on common equine health conditions and what you can do to recognize, avoid, or treat them. Sign up for our e-newsletters using the form above or on our e-newsletter page.  

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• Helping others find affordable hay by buying in quantities to cut travel
  
• Keeping horses outside as much as possible to cut down on shavings – almost $5 a bag here!
  
• Nothing horse related. They are what keep us sane I’d rather quit taking my meds!
  
• All of the above!
  
• Using to less expensive stallions and participating in a regional market vs. national
  
• Trying to buy hay that is less than $18.00 a bale
  
• Will cut our pasture for hay
  
• Downsizing to a smaller property
  
• Losing the hired help and doing more ourselves. Very physically taxing but saves $300.00 a month
  
• Fencing in more pasture that we had not been using in previous yrs
  
• Cold starts use more fuel than when your car is warm. Try to limit trips to town with just 1trip.
  
• I’m not years of good practice and care has paid off. Staying on top of repairs is worth it!
  
• Optimizing pasture management so I can start feeding hay later in the season
  
• Shop 4 best prices online; feed whole food/natural diet, no commercial feeds.
  
• Not taking lessons – competing just for fun this year
  
• We are not changing anything! Our animals get their needs met before our WANTS are met!
  
• Voting bush out
  
• Selling tack that doesn’t fit or isn’t being used.
  
• Leasing winter pasture instead of buying hay
  
• Supplementing diet with grass pasture in spring to cut hay use.
  
• Using homemade covered hay bins & putting out only what will be consumed between feedings.
  
• Don’t take on more months than you can feed!
  
• Doing my own vaccinating, hoof care & rationing the hay.
  
• Buy all my hay when it is cut and baled. Don’t wait to buy in the spring!
  
• Saving rainwater
  
• Nothing new – I’m always frugal with money without impairing my horses’ care.
  
• Being very frugal with shavings use, leaving horses turned out longer
  
• We are saving the rainwater off the roof of the barn by gutters emptying into the stock tanks
  
• I have done the opposite…bought another horse and started showing!
  
• Looking at alternative feeds
  
• Not investing in re-breedings
  
• I never let my horses go with less
  
• We use recycled newspaper for our bedding.
  
• The cost of diesel has really impacted our traveling it isn’t cost effective to anywhere short time
  
• Only spending $ on absolute necessities.
  
• Leaving shoes on for a week longer
  
• We are planting 5 acres of alfalfa. First time in 12 years we will raise our own.
  
• Breaks my heart but I don’t see it getting better
  
• Mowing less and we did not fertilize this year.
  
• I’ve put off my plans to start a new horse’s career as a trail horse & riding locally instead
  
• Offering lease options on my lesson horses
  
• Leasing mare!
  
• Using a forage extender with hay and feeding 3 times a day, so using less feed overall.
  
• Finding creative ways to earn money with equine skills in alignment with today’s economic condition.
  
• More turnout (on good pasture); less hay
  
• Renewing pastures for better forage
  
• I’m going without myself, so my horses don’t have to.
  
• Using a hay stretcher to extend the life of my oh so expensive hay
  
• Re-fencing for maximum pasture usage (electric)
  
• Old chest style freezers make great grain bins…just add a latch
  
• Planted a small clover patch and let them in there a few hours a day. This saves on hay costs.
  
• Business as usual
  
• Increasing the acreage in hay so we buy less and can sell excess
  
• I am on a fixed income, and theses horses our my hobby’s
  
• Grain is cheaper to feed than hay
  
• I took on a retired field boarder in a field I wasn’t using and it pays for all of my feed and hay!
  
• Shopping around for good hay prices
  
• We have 3 pleasure horses, so no real “cutbacks” to make. Will pay whatever needed to keep healthy!
  
• Buying hay, bedding, etc in bulk and early
  
• Won’t be reseeding the pastures this year, or hauling horses as often due to gas prices.
  
• Buying supplies at outlets, auctions
  
• We have a shortage of shavings so we are researching different types of bedding.
  
• Nothing
  
• Less travel, more work!
  
• Keeping up on reduced items in the store for care of animals
  
• Using more round bales of hay than square; more cost effective.
  
• PRAYING
  
• don’t show, trailer only when nec., buy hay from field
  
• Comparison shopping for EVERYTHING, driving less, feeding efficiently
  
• All the above & got permission to graze a neighor’s acreage helps her – saves her gas $
  
• Once two often its been found that whats on the label is not in the tub. so cutting back on supplime
  
• Planting more pasture to reduce hay purchasing
  
• NDot buying fly-predators.
  
• less veggies given to horse now
  
• feeding beet pulp for better nutrients
  
• including forage hay to supplement baled hay
  
• getting people together and buying in bulk for better pricing
  
• reseeding pasture and improving irrigation to improve grass yield
  
• Keeping track of amount of hay used season to season. Buying it in bulk before prices go up mid wint
  
• try to get slaughter plants back in the US
  
• Nothing – I love spending money!
  
• Switched horse grain to compatable feed, save $20 a month now
  
• Rope halers can be hackamores, saddle pads can also be bareback pads, everything can be used!
  
• hauling with others to split the cost of fuel
  
• Washing/repairing own blankets, look for spring tack sales
  
• I buy my hay, so I am going to help hay so I can reduce the out of pocket cost.
  
• No more hired help-will be doing it all myself now.
  
• Keep track of what you spend and where.
  
• D: All of the above, until they open up slaughter houses, get a grip on the unnecessary fuel costs
  
• Also buying feed in bulk to reduce overall costs.
  
• I have moved my horses to a stable closer to home and ave more access to nearby trails!
  
• Shopping around more for supplement and supply prices
  
• useing less bedding since the horses sleep otside most of the time anyway
  
• going barefoot the natural trim
  
• Fertilizing Pastures so to spent less on hay.
  
• hay prices doubled, cutting the herd by half.
  
• giving horses away due toi hay and feed prices
  
• Put it this way, our horses get shoes before we do!
  
• pick up equipment @ swap meets close out sales online sales & auctions.
  
• doing more ranch teaching clinics for boarders and not trailering out. Buy larger truck and trailer
  
• I use shredded paper from our office and local offices for bedding. No dust, free, biodegradable.
  
• Everyone should be breeding fewer horses!!!
  
• We have reduced to two horses
  
• We are selling mares that don’t have commercially viable pedigree for racing.
  
• cut back on non-horse expenses i.e.: Starbucks, also froogle.com for horse supply shopping
  
• Found another place to keep them over summer w/ more grass, won’t have to feed hay year-round.
  
• Grain and Hay costs going up as are the other services, get out of business?
  
• Bale my owen hay&mow fresh grass for my horses.The rest I plan to pay lots for;horses are worth it.
  
• Buying from Horse Catalogs which offer FREE shipping, comparing prices from different catalogs.
  
• every expense will be questioned
  
• eliminated blood tests in spring vaccination session. delayed shoeing
  
• Beetpulp,turning out more-save shavings, buying online only causes stores to raise prices,shop sales
  
• bale our own hay, make the most of shows & trailriding
  
• turn horses out 24/7, no bedding, no cleaning labor, rotate pastures, feed no grain,.
  
• Shoot horses, and eat them.
  
• REsisting sales pitches to buy tack/supplements/gadgets I don’t really need.
  
• Reducing grains and increasing forage and limiting vaccinations to core only
  
• Of course we’ve done al this for yars–don’r kow how much tighter we can squeeze
  
• Doing our own hay
  
• NOT participating in 2 horsemanship clinics I had planned to attend before gas prices went crazy!
  
• nothing–I am going the other way-trying to build the business
  
• we got on the waiting list for this year’s first hay cutting so we are guarenteed to get some
  
• And put in my order for hay ASAP!!
  
• Bought an existing building, disassembled it then modified & reassembled it to use for our barn.
  
• Buying in bulk to save money.
  
• changing the feeding program, not using the ‘name brand’ feeds, researching more of what I can feed
  
• I clallenge myself to reuse things we already have sitting around b4 buying new. It works!
  
• Buying semi-compressed high quality hay which is more economical to ship and requires less space
  
• Going to lower tillage for crop input, doing more custom work if possible, find 2 more boarders
  
• using beet pulp to supplement hay
  
• We are also feeding less grain and more hay
  
• Pulled horses shoes for the winter. They were fine.
  
• I am buying hay in bulk at a cheaper price, and storing it.
  
• trimming my own horses, doing more work myself, praying for well horses, taking in fewer rescues
  
• installed automatic waters
  
• Not stocking up on supplies only buying what is needed now and in near future.
  
• buying vaccines & giving them myself
  
• Just getting by with the basics
  
• Selling a third horse. Wonder what hay will cost with diesel over $4 this summer?
  
• buying directly from feed mill, Extending hay with grass seed pellets. Sharing hauling expenses
  
• Trading services: farrier wanted to breed her mare-traded stud fee for shoeing and trims.
  
• Savings pennies wherever we can because they will add up to dollars.
  
• Breeding here has stopped; it just seems irresponsible with the surplus of horses today.
  
• Selling old tack and getting the best price on hay in bulk at the best time of the year to save $$
  
• buying online with free shipping for supplements
  
• also putting horses with good grass pasture on a cheaper “allstock” pellet to carry them to spring.
  
• Worming on a more rigid schedule. Worming is cheaper than feeding.
  
• Weighing all feed
  
• selling unused equipment and if needing different equipment, trying to buy used
  
• Stop feeding grain for the late spring, summer, and early fall months.
  
• Doing without, shopping for sales, taking the time to find the best deal.
  
• Save money? You’re kidding, right? With the price of hay and grain going through the roof?
  
• beet pulp is hay in a bucjet for people without pasture and no extra hay in a drought
  
• Receiving more volunteer help from boarders and students, rather than raising rates.
  
• Can’t afford med for arthritis or any supplements.
  
• Going to local shows instead of traveling
  
• being more careful in tha amount of feed they are given
  
• still breeding, but selling the non reiners, to focus on just reining
  
• Using “combination” supplements rather than individual ones.
  
• Taking in more boarders.
  
• We will do fewer hunter jumper shows this year.
  
• getting rid o’ them horseies
  
• already sold the farm and all the horses except one, who I now board.
  
• Moving to closer boarding barn
  
• Group riding sharing trailers to events

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