If you’re looking to save money on riding kit, there are number of things you can do to mitigate the rising costs because, just like everything else, we’ve seen most equestrian products rise in price recently. While there are ways to save money on your livery bill or find the most cost-effective competition membership, limiting our spend on kit can go a long way to making sure our overall horsey budget is met each month.
Ways to save money on your riding kit
1. Ask yourself, “Can I do without?”
It can be easy when a new saddle pad colourway or fun rug pattern is released to think “I need that!” But ask yourself, do you really need it or would it just be nice to have? If you really want it but can wait, it’s worth making a note of for when someone asks you what you’d like for your birthday or Christmas. Equally, could you get by with the rug you’ve got if you gave it a wash or sent it off for repair? Or wash rugs at home and have a go at repairing your rugs, too.
2. Buy second hand
Not only is this more eco-friendly, but there are some great finds to be had, especially on Facebook Marketplace. With the cost of living crisis forcing some horse owners to give up, there’s likely to be a lot available. You could consider having a tack room clear-out, too, and selling your unused or unwanted horsey kit online.
3. Seek out deals
Despite what you might think, there are deals to be had and we round up the best equestrian deals every week. It’s good to be sceptical, though, when searching deals yourself because not all deals are as good as they seem.
While a retailer might be advertising 10% off, if this is a 10% reduction from their usual selling price rather than the RRP, you might not be getting as good a deal as you might think. To find the correct RRP, check the manufacturer’s website – the price they list should be the RRP. If they don’t sell direct to the consumer and therefore don’t list an RRP, we might have asked them for it if the product is listed in one of our buying guides, so you could check there instead.
While it’s important to support local tack shops whenever possible, it’s worth checking online before you go to make sure you’re not paying more unnecessarily. Remember to factor in postage costs, though.
5. Look out for last season’s releases
Often when a new design is released – a fly rug, for example – you’ll be able to find the previous design at a discounted price. This does mean you’ll miss out on the latest features and design updates, but if that doesn’t worry you then it’s worth the saving. On the other hand, if you’re looking for the updated design with the same or very similar name, it’s good to double check the retailer isn’t selling the old one.
If you know you’ll need something new for next summer or winter, buy it out of season if you can. With less demand and new releases incoming, seasonal products are more likely to be discounted out of their season.
6. Compare prices using our buying guides
If you decide you need a new something – let’s say a new pair of riding tights – it would be handy to see all your options in one place, right? We round up all the best products on the market and put them in one place so that you can do just that. Find them in our buying guides section of the website or search “best [enter whatever you’re looking for] Horse & Hound” online and you’ll find our guide listed at the top if we’ve got one.
As well as the RRP and a bit of info about the product, we list the colour and size options, too. And for products like feed and supplements, we’ve also listed all the tub volume options and calculated the daily cost per feed, which makes it really easy to compare them.
If you’ve got your eye on something in particular, sign up to the manufacturer’s or retailer’s e-newsletter. They might give you a discount code just for signing up, but the newsletter will also alert you to any sales, promotions and member discounts that are running.
9. Split the costs with a friend
If you’re lucky enough to be in the position where you can share yard equipment with a friend or other liveries, this is worth considering, especially for big purchases. Good-to-share items might include wheelbarrows, a Pessoa or portable hot shower.
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Georgia is Horse & Hound’s deputy website editor and equestrian products expert. She curates content across the website with a particular focus on upcoming equestrian events horse care and buying advice. She also manages all the ecommerce opportunities that allow us to give you easy access to the best products at the lowest prices via our buying guides. Georgia has first-hand knowledge of all the equestrian brands and their ever-evolving product lines, having been working with them closely since she started in equestrian media in 2015.
