5 Ways To Save Money On Your Feed Bill

When you own a horse, it seems that your feed bill may be one of the most expensive bills that you have. We have five ways that you can save money on your feed bill each month.

Put Your Horse on Pasture

One of the best ways to cut down on your feed bill is to put your horse on pasture. If you have access to quality pasture, your horse can get much of his nutrition from the grass. This means that you’ll have to feed less hay. Just be sure to gradually introduce your horse to the pasture so that his body can acclimate.

Buy Quality Feed

When you do have to buy feed, opt for quality feed, even though it may be more expensive. When you choose a quality feed, it is usually more comprehensive than cheaper feed alternatives. This means that you won’t have to supplement the feed as much, and often your horse needs less of a quality feed than he would need when fed a lower-quality feed.

Use a Feed Saving Feeder

If your horse is a messy eater, he may dribble half of his feed out on the floor of his stall. Use a wide, large feed pan to help reduce the amount of feed that your horse drops. Putting large rocks in the feed pan can also slow your horse’s eating, forcing him to take smaller bites so that he doesn’t drop as much feed.

Use a Hay Net

Is your horse the type that spreads his hay across his stall, nibbles on some, and grounds the rest into his bedding? This not only makes it difficult to clean the stall, but it’s also wasteful. Consider feeding your horse with a hay net. The net helps to keep the hay contained, and your horse has to pull it out bit by bit. This can help to reduce the amount of hay that your horse wastes, saving you money on your hay bill.

Store Feed Properly

Feed is expensive, so once you’ve bought it you’ll want to make sure that you store it properly. Invest in quality, rodent-proof grain bins so that your horse’s feed is protected. Only buy as much feed as your horse will use within a week or two’s time to prevent it from going bad while in your barn.

When you store hay, be sure to keep it in an area where it’s well-ventilated but also protected from moisture. It may cost a little more to build a shelter to protect the hay initially, but you’ll save lots of money in the hay that you don’t have to throw out because it went bad.