Simple Feed Budget

by Belinda Taylor

Although most horse owners are nervous at the prospect of creating a budget, a few quick calculations can give you the power to compare prices and alternatives that can reduce your horses’ feed costs, without impacting on their health and wellbeing.

With rising prices hitting our pockets at every turn, now is a great time to look at feed budgeting. A feed budget is an assessment of the type, amount and price of the feeds you are using to meet your horse’s nutritional requirements. Usually when I mention the word budget, most horse owners want to stick their fingers in their ears and sing “la la laaa”. But in today’s economic environment, it pays to know what you need and shop around to find the best prices.

The budget can be as technical or as simple as you like. On the technical side of things, you can work with an equine nutritionist, to get a fairly precise list of the number of kilograms of each feed component you need to feed per day. Multiply it by the number of days in the year and then divide it by the bag/roll/bale size and “Voila”! You have produced a list of the amount of feed you need annually to keep your horse in tip top condition. Using this list you can then price up each feed type and know what it is costing you per year.

On the simpler side, just jotting down how much basic feed you are buying each week/fortnight and working those numbers forward into an annual amount can give you a place to start from.

Sample Budget

Using two Warmbloods as a rough example the following budget shows options for saving potentially thousands over the year.

The two Warmbloods are being fed 1.2 metre (four foot) meadow hay rolls ad lib with a small hard feed each day. They are grazed during the day on pasture, based on ground cover and pasture availability.

H Ay

• 1 x 1.2 metre meadow roll per week over summer/autumn = 25

• 1 x 1.2 metre meadow roll per fortnight winter/spring = 12

TOTAL = 37

H ARD FEED

1 x 20kg bag of Maxisoy per week = 52 1 x 25kg of flaked lupins per week = 52

A quick budget based on current prices tells me my annual feed bill (give or take, as rainfall and pasture growth will determine how much grazing time they get and this will vary hay intake)

37 x1.2 metre meadow hay rolls

@$135/roll = $4995

52 bags of Maxisoy

@ $40/bag = $2080

52 bags of Flaked Lupins

@ $25/bag = $1300

TOTAL COST = $8375/year or an average of $161/week

Now THAT I HAv E A R o UGH co ST o F M y c URRENT FEED S ySTEM, I c AN START co MPARING PRI c ES AND ALTERNATI v ES.

If I was to swap to 1.2 metre oaten rolls @$100/roll, I will save myself $1295/year.

If I was to swap from Maxisoy to lupin fibre, I could save myself another $520/ year.

If I was to swap from flaked lupins to whole lupins and soak instead, I could save myself another $260/year.

So just through some basic substitution, I can save myself over $2000. If I was looking to further improve the bottom line, I could then look at what discounts may be available if I was to buy in bulk or direct from the farmer. If you have friends that all feed the same thing, you may find ordering by the pallet can offer you a discount.

Feed budgeting can sometimes be an eye opening exercise, when you work out just how much your horses can cost you to feed, but a few quick calculations can give you the power to understand all the options and alternatives that can save you money in the long run and help manage increasing cost pressures.

Belinda Taylor from Hoof Hearted Hoof Care, is a pasture guru and property planning consultant with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and is certified in Natural Hoof Care.