Horse ownership can be a costly endeavor. Understanding where you can reduce costs without compromising care is important when managing the financial side of horse ownership. Feed and supplement costs can add up quickly even with small changes. Choosing only essential products for your horse’s health can help reduce your feed bill without sacrificing quality.
Evaluating Your Horse’s Supplements
When evaluating your horse’s feed costs, be sure to look at the supplements. “Ask yourself: ‘Why did I start feeding this? Am I seeing the result I had hoped for?’” says Rachel Mottet, PhD, equine nutritionist and owner of Legacy Equine Nutrition, in Ocala, Florida. “Many times, our answer is no, and we can save ourselves hundreds of dollars per year by looking objectively at how our supplements are performing.”
Most horses need good-quality hay, free-choice salt, fresh water, and a ration-balancer feed to support optimal nutrient intake. In some cases additional supplements are unnecessary and can quickly inflate costs.
Considering the Cost of Hay for Horses
Equine nutritionists are clear on where costs should not be cut. “The thing to not cut costs on is hay,” says Mottet. “This is the pillar of any equine nutrition program. Even great feed can’t mask poor-quality hay and shouldn’t be expected to. While it may be tempting to find a lower– quality, low-cost hay, your hay does much of the heavy lifting in your horse’s nutrition program and supplies the gut with the fiber that your horse is designed to ferment.”
When your horse eats poor-quality hay, your feed costs often rise because you must feed more supplemental concentrates to make up for the forage lacking nutrients.
However, there are a few ways to trim hay costs without compromising your horse’s health. “A great way to save money in this area is to weigh hay prior to feeding,” says Mottet. “Obese horses are largely a result of too much of a good thing—that being an unlimited buffet of hay in many cases.”
Most horses maintain an ideal body condition when eating 1.5-2% of their weight in hay per day. “When we allow them to eat to their heart’s content, this intake can be upwards of 2.5% of their body weight per day, which can contribute to obesity,” she says. This practice will save you money on hay, help keep your horse in a healthy body condition, and lower his risk of metabolic disease. However, with an underweight horse, you should work with an equine nutritionist to develop an appropriate forage plan.
Reducing Hay Waste to Reduce Your Horse Feed Bill
Another overlooked area of management when feeding horses on a budget is hay waste. “Hay fed on the ground results in a great amount of waste,” says Mottet. “Thus, hay feeder systems can pay for themselves quickly and save you thousands a year.” Slow feeders also can be beneficial for enrichment and mimicking the continuous fiber intake on which horses thrive.
Take-Home Message
When feeding horses on a budget, critically evaluate your supplements and never compromise on hay quality. “Find ways to regulate intake and feed in an optimized way that keeps good hay from going to waste or ending up mixed in your horse’s bedding,” says Mottet.
