Having owned a small riding establishment for almost 10 years now, I've come across so many ways that could have helped me save time and money. Following these tips could have saved me enough time to start on chores for the following day, and saved me enough money to contribute to taking my eventer on.
Save Loose Hay!
Saving loose hay is easy and can cut hay osts right down. Invest in a wheelie bin to store the hay, and wheel round the yard to dish it all out. You can also soak several hay nets in a wheelie bin, or use it to store a bale in over the winter so you don't have to keep dragging them out to the field in the winter! Stock Up on Haynets!
This can save a lot of time, especially in the winter when you want to keep moving and keep warm. Buy lots of haynets and fill all of them for the week so you can just dish them out, or chuck them into soak without freezing to death in the week. Invest in Rubber Matting!
This can save time and money, as bedding is no longer needed and instead of mucking out, a quick poop scoop and hose down can keep it clean and comfy for your horse. Save on Fly Repellent!
Buy bottles of citronella from our local chemist and mix with water to make an effective and in-expensive fly repellent. You can also make it in very large quantities to save time later on. Need More Warmth?
Take an old rectangular sleeping beck, pull of the zip and open up. Cut a hole in the front, stitch binding around the fraying edges and add a Velcro fastening at the front. Voila, you have a cosy under rug! Squeaky Clean!
Use baby wipes to remove any last minuet stains from your horse. They are cheaper than stain remover, and can even work on the tail! Flapping About!
Invest in girth guards to stop the buckles on your girth rubbing holes in your saddle flaps! Cheap as Chips!
Instead of buying expensive vet dressings to put under bandages, buy a pack of cheap disposable nappies and wrap around before bandaging. The absorbent nappies will draw any discharge from the wound and are cheaper than gamgee. Has It Gone Walkies?
As we all know, hoof picks have a habit of going walkies. To prevent this, tie the hoof pick to a bucket with a heavy pebble in the bottom, and you can pick the hoof into the bucket to stop the mess and stop the hoof pick wandering off. Frozen?
Float tennis balls in your water troughs in the winter so you don't have to do a round every morning and break all the ice.
