Tame your horse-owner budget

Like most Appaloosa owners these days, you’re keeping a close eye on your horse-hold budget, hoping to discover yet another way to trim expenses. Some budget cuts appear to provide instant savings, but actually cost you more in the long run. Here’s our list of seven “deadly” spending “sins!”

1. Procrastinating on purchases
Failing to keep cheaper-by-bulk items in stock (think hay by the ton) will force you to make a single-item purchase to “get you by.” For example, one 60-pound bale of alfalfa bought at feed store price of $17.50 pencils out to paying $583 per ton. Keep a calendar of what you buy and when, so you’ll know when you’re running low on feed, supplements and horse care products.

2. Skimping on farrier service
Thinking of stretching your horse’s regular farrier visit by a couple weeks? Don’t do it—your horse’s optimal reset (or trim) schedule is anywhere from six to eight weeks. Attempting to save money by letting your horse go longer can create costly problems. Overly-long hooves—whether shod or barefoot—can stress tendons and ligaments. You’re likely to end up paying for an expensive lameness exam instead of plumping your savings account!

3. Taking the first quote
If you’re in the market for a big-ticket purchase, you’ll save money by shopping your needs to multiple vendors, then negotiating your best deal. Other areas of your budget that may benefit from quote shopping include insurance (farm, liability, horse mortality), maintenance repairs (roof, fencing) and auto/trailer repairs.

4. Deferring needed maintenance
Are you thinking that you can get one more season out of your horse trailer before you have the bearings re-packed and brakes serviced? Don’t do it—deferring any maintenance needs that affect the health and safety of you or your horse must stay off the budget-cut table.

5. Taking cheap shots
For advertising, prepare your horse as you would for a show, even if his market is trail riding: bathe and clip him, band (or braid) his mane, and outfit him in your best clean tack. If you’re taking the photo yourself (as opposed to hiring a photographer), study magazine ads for poses that will show your horse at his best, or read “Sale-a-bration” in the February issue of Appaloosa Journal!

6. Stretching the vet budget
Keep current on maintenance such as worming and teeth floating. Trying to stretch a bi-monthly rotation worming to a quarterly basis, for example, can increase your horse’s intestinal parasite infestation, and possibly increase resistance in parasite populations.

7. Making organizational errors
Keep your horse-related records up to date for a tidy budget payoff. Costs for filing stallion reports, registration papers and show entries go up as time goes on. Use a calendar or computer reminder to stay up to date on deadlines.

By Patty Brumley

Printed version in the February 2010 issue of Appaloosa Journal.
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