# Horses on a budget



## Suec04 (24 January 2014)

As some of you will know i am horsehunting for my daughter and myself in the spring and I have started to collect bits like a grooming kit, buckets etc etc. I was wondering if you guys use everyday household objects which will be cheaper than 'horsey ones' for feedbuckets, shampoos etc etc?

I would just like to point out that i am not willing to compromise on tack or anything which will affect the horses general wellbeing  just things that i can use on a day to day basis.

thank you


----------



## Tayto (24 January 2014)

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?136717-Money-saving-tips!you might find this thread useful


----------



## maximoo (24 January 2014)

If you look  around for bargains try ebay and preloaded surprised what you might find when our wheelbarrow rotted on the top bit we bought one that had a faulty base and swapped them over saved a fortune instead of buying a new one my even my old haynets when string breaks at top bought some twine from b&q and 
Retheaded surprising how much you can save when try.


----------



## hnmisty (24 January 2014)

Supermarket basics shampoo (also used baby shampoo). I'd also suggest looking for buckets etc in with livestock stuff. "Horse" is a magic word- mention it and the price goes up!  It's an obvio. us one, but get your feed bins from a hardware shop. Someone assured me the local feed shop would have cheap bins- spotted them for half the price in the local hardware shop! Grrrr. You could get a toolkit box instead of a grooming kit box- probably cheaper. 

I've got various haynets that have had the string you tie it up with. I just plait some baler twine together and use that. 

There are so many household/non-horse alternatives I've used over the years, just can't think of them now! lol.


----------



## Suec04 (24 January 2014)

Tayto said:



http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?136717-Money-saving-tips!you might find this thread useful 

Click to expand...

Brilliant, thank you


----------



## Suec04 (24 January 2014)

hnmisty said:



			Supermarket basics shampoo (also used baby shampoo). I'd also suggest looking for buckets etc in with livestock stuff. "Horse" is a magic word- mention it and the price goes up!  It's an obvio. us one, but get your feed bins from a hardware shop. Someone assured me the local feed shop would have cheap bins- spotted them for half the price in the local hardware shop! Grrrr. You could get a toolkit box instead of a grooming kit box- probably cheaper. 

I've got various haynets that have had the string you tie it up with. I just plait some baler twine together and use that. 

There are so many household/non-horse alternatives I've used over the years, just can't think of them now! lol.
		
Click to expand...

I was shocked at the price of a regular dustbin to keep feed in so 'borrowed' one from my sisters garden as it was just gathering dust - just need to find another  . I also though of baby shampoo but wasn't sure......so thanks . Let me know if you can think of any more!


----------



## skully (24 January 2014)

My best tip for any horse owner is that fairy liquid is the best shampoo I've ever found! My horse is a grey who loves to roll so that's saying a lot! It removes stains really well and leaves the coat so shiny. I also use sudocrem for day to day scratches and saddle/rug sores as the specialised equine creams aren't half as good and don't promote hair regrowth like sudocrem does. Vaseline is great for hooves in the winter when it snows as they stop snowballs forming. Sunblock can be bought from any supermarket and it's useful if you have a light-coloured horse as burns can be really painful and specialist treatment creams can be ridiculously expensive. Looking towards the future, buy winter feed early and try to find friends that you can club together with for group vet/dentist/farrier visits. It's always cheaper to share! Keep your horse on grass or working livery if possible and convenient for you. Everything is cheaper to buy in bulk (feed, bedding etc) so if you can make some likeminded friends on your yard you'll probably save a lot of money. Go barefoot if it's a possibility as shoes are a nightmare to pay for, especially when they keep coming loose! Always buy the best tack and rugs you can afford because it's much cheaper than buying rubbish ones that only last a year. Found that out the hard way! Keep a look out for sales and stuff on clearance on Robinsons and equestrianclearance, especially on the own brand items as you can get some everyday horsey stuff very cheap if you time it right. Most importantly mark everything stupidly clearly with your name if you're on a bigger yard, especially when you don't know anybody. Usually it's pretty innocent - people borrow things and forget to put them back - but with your name scrawled over it the chance they're going to 'forget' is pretty minimal! Hmm that's all I can think of at the moment, good luck!


----------



## Suec04 (25 January 2014)

Thanks Skully, There are some brilliant tips in there....I would never have thought of washing up liquid as a shampoo!  I am also overly protective of 'my stuff' so that will annoy me big time if someone borrows it without asking or forgets to put it back so my name will be sprawled all over everything


----------



## dodgers89 (25 January 2014)

Use furniture polish instead of tail detangle/conditioner stuff. It leaves the tails lovely and soft and smells pretty good!


----------



## pheonix (25 January 2014)

I wouldn't advise using fairy liquid as shampoo. If you don't wash it out completley,horses can have severe reactions- I've seen huge swollen legs and ulcers .


----------



## Pearlsasinger (25 January 2014)

pheonix said:



			I wouldn't advise using fairy liquid as shampoo. If you don't wash it out completley,horses can have severe reactions- I've seen huge swollen legs and ulcers .
		
Click to expand...

Neither would I!  Nor furniture polish that's just asking for trouble in my book.  Better to buy cheap supermarket own brand shampoo and conditioner.


----------



## Suec04 (26 January 2014)

pheonix said:



			I wouldn't advise using fairy liquid as shampoo. If you don't wash it out completley,horses can have severe reactions- I've seen huge swollen legs and ulcers .
		
Click to expand...

:/ oh no.....ok, may rethink that one then. I was thinking baby shampoo because its gentle on babies so probably ok on horses?


----------



## Turtlebay69 (7 March 2014)

Wilkos for buckets and tack boxes, I also buy my 'squirters' from there to fill with conditioning spray for manes and tails and one for sheath cleaning for the boys. Pound shops do great supplies too such as scissors leather punchers, buckets, tubs, trays, bins ect.


----------



## Elsiecat (7 March 2014)

My grooming box is from the B&Q value range. Was around 5 pounds. 
There's also a tray at the top, which I find handy for hoof picks and scissors etc. 
Also sturdy enough to stand on! Win Win!

Vegetable or Sunflower Oil (whichever is cheapest) from the supermarket is my shine supplement of choice.

Make your own fly spray in summer. I used 4 tea bags in about 1 litre boiling water and left to cool, added some washing up liquid (I went with mint flavour), a few drops of lavender (chemist), a good dose of citronella oil (chemist) and about 300ml malt vinegar. I used an old spray bottle. All in all cost me about £12 pounds and I had enough for 2 batches. Lasted all summer for 4 horses. Although I think you'd get away without the lavender!  I'm sure other people will have their own recipes.

I also bought one of those microfibre duster things from Morrisons for a pound or two.. Great for buffing the horse up and much much cheaper than the horse version. Similar to this http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jml-V1357-Microfibre-Super-Mitt/dp/B000L3PYT8

Baby wipes. Whatever is cheapest. And plenty of them. 

Find a yard with good turnout and you'll save a fortune in hay.


----------



## Suec04 (8 March 2014)

Elsiecat said:



			My grooming box is from the B&Q value range. Was around 5 pounds. 
There's also a tray at the top, which I find handy for hoof picks and scissors etc. 
Also sturdy enough to stand on! Win Win!

Vegetable or Sunflower Oil (whichever is cheapest) from the supermarket is my shine supplement of choice.

Make your own fly spray in summer. I used 4 tea bags in about 1 litre boiling water and left to cool, added some washing up liquid (I went with mint flavour), a few drops of lavender (chemist), a good dose of citronella oil (chemist) and about 300ml malt vinegar. I used an old spray bottle. All in all cost me about £12 pounds and I had enough for 2 batches. Lasted all summer for 4 horses. Although I think you'd get away without the lavender!  I'm sure other people will have their own recipes.

I also bought one of those microfibre duster things from Morrisons for a pound or two.. Great for buffing the horse up and much much cheaper than the horse version. Similar to this http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jml-V1357-Microfibre-Super-Mitt/dp/B000L3PYT8

Baby wipes. Whatever is cheapest. And plenty of them. 

Find a yard with good turnout and you'll save a fortune in hay.
		
Click to expand...

I have one of those microfibre thingies! got it the in 99p shop! 

baby wipes....not thought of those - what do you use them for if you don't mind me asking?


----------



## meesha (8 March 2014)

Aldi sensitive baby wipes are fab, use them to... Clean hands, horse noses, but best of all I use them to give tack and boots a quick wipe over after I ride, gets dirt off and doesn't dry tack, also cleans bits well.  I even use them in lorry to wipe down surfaces.


----------

