How to Keep A Horse During a Recession

Surviving a recession is difficult enough, but when you have ponies and horses which rely on you for food, a place to shelter and medicine, every little bit helps.

It’s tremendously sad that many horses and ponies are abandoned every single, as owners struggle financially with the economy as it is, because of this there are presently many horses for sale.

Sara Tuppen founder of the Horse Refuge in Kent, is well aware of looking after horses on a tight budget, and relies purely on donations to keep more than 40 rescued horses in good condition. According to her there are a few points which could help make owning a horse on a budget a little easier:

1. Many horses can live comfortably outside for the majority of the year, providing there’s food, water and shelter available. Providing this is an acceptable option for your horse, it could help reduce your stabling prices by a large amount.

2. Taking off shoes can be an easy way to keep costs down. If not ridden regularly, and not ridden on rough surfaces, a great deal of horses will not need shoes.

3. Sharing your horse is a great way to cut (even halve!) costs, and provides a cheaper introduction to horse ownership for another person.

4. Quite often you can receive free stabling and occasionally hay and bedding in return for chores. Mucking out, grooming the horses, maintenance etc. are all jobs which could reduce your outlay for a little hard work!

5. Visits to the vets are an unknown quantity but still have to be allowed for. If you’re budget is low, you may sometimes discover a lot of Vets will allow you to pay in instalments.

6. Many people can make lifestyle adaptations! It’s not just finding ways to keep your horse for less, see if you can do it for yourself!

7. If achievable, horse owners can often join forces to purchase feed and straw in bulk, reducing the entire cost and passing on savings to all.

8. As a last resort, you can look into getting your horse a foster home, even as a companion.

If you’re in a position to share, or even buy a horse or pony, there are still many horses for sale and ponies for sale available.