Top Tips

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Safety

• Ensure you always ride out in high visible kit, as the nights continue to become darker earlier each evening, it is easy to be caught out.

Rugs

• If you winter rugs have been languishing in the stable for the past 6 months, now is a good time to check they haven’t been inhabited by furry friends. It may not be necessary to buy new rugs, save money by having them professionally cleaned. The dirtiest rug can be spruced up and reproofing will make them as good as new for this winter.
• You may be able to make some repairs yourself, iron on patches are great for stable rugs and plaiting thread is ideal for stitching rips.
• Add reflective strips to your horse rugs to help you find him in the field on winter nights.
• Walker’s head lamps are brilliant for around the yard as they leave both hands free, ideal if you have to bring in more than one horse or there are unlit areas in the yard.

Equipment

• Old human hair brushes make great mane and tail combs.
• If you keep your horse at a shared yard, add identification to your items to help find them if they are “borrowed”.
• It’s useful to keep a dry pair of gloves, socks and coat at the stable, stable duties can be miserable if you are wet and cold.
• If you loose a glove and you replace the pair, keep the old one spare in case you loose another one!
• Shop around at discount stores or markets for your buckets, yard brushes and cleaning materials, they are often less expensive than specialist stores.
• Look out for and keep manufacturer’s coupons, but remember, it’s only a bargain if you needed it in the first place.
• If you need new equipment, shop around. If you know what you are looking for, you can easily compare prices online and mail order may be cheaper than the cost of visiting a store.
• Before you buy something new, consider clearing out your old equipment, boot sales, auction sites and local advertising are great places to not only sell your unwanted goods, but are also a good place to find a bargain.
• Bin out of date products and before you replace them consider which ones you really need and used.

Feed

• If you are feeding supplements, consider which ones you believe are necessary and benefiting your horse’s health.
• Hay is easily wasted in the field in the winter as it can become trampled and left uneaten. Consider using a large trough or hay net to reduce wastage.
• If you are unsure of what to feed your horse or pony, contact one of the nutrition helplines, they can help to ensure you get value for money by recommending appropriate feeding regimes for your horse.
• Consider buying in bulk, discounts are often offered. In addition, if a product you regularly use is available at an offer price, bulk buy to ultimately save money.
• If you have the storage space, start buying in hay and bedding now to help to spread the cost.

Energy

• Save energy and money by turning off lights when not in use and consider changing to energy saving light bulbs.

Time

• Keep your tack room tidy, it will help to reduce wasted time searching for “lost” items
• During the winter, feed can be prepared in advance on a free day, saving time and making it easier on working days.
• Skipping out and deep bedding may be an option during the week when you have less time and saving a full muck out for the weekend.
• Consider the use of stable matting, it can reduce the amount of bedding required and cut mucking out times.
• Does your horse need to be stabled in the winter? Horses will often prefer being outdoors and with sufficient shelter and good quality rugs, they can winter out successfully.
• If you keep your horse in a shared yard, consider arranging a rota to share the workload and reduce visits.

Water

• Make sure exposed pipes are lagged to reduce the risk of freezing. Fill up spare water buckets during cold spells and leave covered to ensure you have fresh water available even if the pipes have frozen.
• Save water and install water butts, they are a great water supply for general washing and rinsing feed buckets.
• Place a ball or apple in water troughs to help reduce the risk of freezing.

Hay

• Consider using big bales which are the equivalent of around 17-20 small balesand where you could save £s.
• If you are using haylage, share with others to ensure you use the bale fast enough.
• If your hay is dusty, soak it first or use a hay steamer.
• Feed hay little and often to prevent wastage through trampling, or use a haynet or rack.

Health

• The ground is softer in winter and the chances are you will have less time to ride, you may be able to change your usual shoeing care to suit, perhaps only shoeing front feet or if suitable going barefoot. Discuss options with your Farrier.
• Save a shoe in reasonable condition, it can act as a spare if you loose one at a show..
• Co-ordinate routine treatments such as vaccinations and teeth with others in the same yard to share call out costs.
• Get teeth checked regularly, no amount of quality feeding will overcome dental problems.
• Review your insurance cover. Ensure it is appropriate for your and your horse’s needs. Check your method of payment, charges can be applied, is it offering you the best value?
• Cheap nappies make great foot poultices

Grooming

• Soon it will be necessary to clip your horse, now is a good time to check your clippers are working and any repairs or sharpening is done before they are needed!
• Furniture polish makes a great cheap alternative to tail detangler and gets through the most matted winter tail.
• Rub soles with Vaseline to reduce balling up in the snow.
• Cheap rubber gloves are excellent for removing hair during shedding season
• Human shampoo for can be great for horse baths and are cheaper too!
• Wet wipes are great for cleaning hands and wiping muzzles and eyes, They are also good for removing the tack box horror, spilled stock holm tar.
• Shave rather than clip muzzles and apply baby oil afterwards to sooth and give a great sheen. Avoid on sunny days as it can lead to sunburn.

Transport

• Share transport with others if you are attending the same event, not only does it save fuel but also gives you moral support and companionship.
• Arrange car shares to livery to reduce fuel costs or depending on distance consider walking or cycling.

Lessons

• Arrange group lessons to share instructor costs or club together with friends to hire indoor arenas for extra schooling

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