Friday funny: commuting by horse could ‘save you money’
Good news, horse owners, you are about to save money – and you might even make a bit back.
Racing website myracing.com has “crunched the numbers” and determined that it would be cheaper to “ditch the car” and commute on a horse instead.
The claims are made based on what it says are average costs (pictured).
So apart from the fact we want to find out where you get livery for £1,200 per year, saddle and bridle for £200 and a year’s worth of hay and bedding for £150, not to mention a horse for £1,000, we’re really struck by the £200 on “extras”. That’s less than £17 per month, people, for supplements, rugs, lessons, shows, the physio, competition registration, lorry/trailer costs… hmm.
But wait! “A typical 500kg horse will produce 12 tonnes of manure per year,” the number-crunchers state. “If you feed the horse the right diet and sell the manure for a very reasonable 25p per kilo, you’ll be in for £3,000 per year, covering the running costs of the horse and more!”
So there you go. Keeping a horse is not only cheap, it can make you money.
One area where we can agree with the researchers are the potential health benefits of riding, as opposed to sitting in a car.
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“It’s a whole body workout that strengthens our muscles and joints and counts towards the NHS’ physical activity guidelines,” they said. “Being an isometric exercise, It also stimulates nerve cells and has been found to improve posture and muscle strength and tone over time.”
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The researchers go on to say that being near animals has been found to increase levels of mood-enhancing hormone serotonin. Just remember that next time your horse escapes and is seen thundering across the garden, divots aplenty in its wake…
And of course, the number-crunchers add, the financial benefits “only make sense if you live relatively close to your place of work”. And your work provides free daytime stabling or turnout for you steed we assume? Nice try, but we really can’t see this one catching on.
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.