Living through a recession is difficult enough, but when you have ponies and horses who completely rely on you for food, shelter and medical attention, every spare money left over helps.
It’s a sad fact 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 solely on donations to keep over 40 rescued horses in good health. She believes there are many ways which could help make owning a horse during a recession a little easier:
1. Many horses can live quite happily outside for most of the year, providing there’s food, water and shelter available. If this is a suitable option for your horse, it could help reduce your stabling prices by a large amount.
2. Removing shoes is an easy way to keep costs down. If only ridden occasionally, and not ridden on rocky ground, a great deal of horses will not need shoes.
3. Sharing your horse is a fantastic way to cut (even halve!) costs, and helps to provide a cheaper introduction to horse ownership for someone else.
4. In many cases it is possible to get free stabling and occasionally hay and bedding in return for helping out around the yard. Helping to muck out, grooming the horses, maintenance etc. are all jobs which could save you money for a little hard work!
5. Vets bills are an unknown factor but still have to be considered. If money’s a little tight, you may sometimes discover a lot of Vets will allow you to spread the cost.
6. Many people can also make lifestyle adaptations! It’s not all about finding ways to keep your horse more cheaply, you can do it too!
7. If achievable, horse owners can often club together to purchase feed and straw in bigger numbers, reducing the overall price and passing on savings to all.
8. Finally, you can look into getting your horse a foster home, even as a family friend.
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.
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