You can use these right away today!
Lets be honest we all want to take the best care we can for our horses. However that can get very expensive. So any at home alternative that can be just about as effective as the expensive stuff is worth it. Also you never know when you might want to at least use an alternative until you can get the vet to come out or get to the store or maybe you are waiting on an order to get to house. There could be an emergency where you get snowed in and can’t get to the vet or store and one of these may come in handy as well. I like to be a DIY person when I can be as long as that doesn’t interfere with a horses quality of life. I will admit I wouldn’t do all of these lol.
When it comes to DIY horse care I’m all for putting in a little blood, sweat (and usually tears) to help save a few bucks. After all horse care is rarely cheap, or easy. Luckily, I’ve put together 10 great ideas that are the exception to the rule! These tips are so simple it makes me wonder why I didn’t think of it myself. I hope you find these useful:
Homemade Ice Packs
Pour Palmolive Dish Soap into a heavy duty resealable plastic bag and freeze. Palmolive brand will not freeze solid (some other brands do, so you can experiment). After a few hours you’ll have a low cost, nontoxic, reusable and fully flexible cold pack. If the bags leaks, just wash it off. Genius!
Recycle Old Socks
Cut the bottom out of your used socks for easy leg protection. These are perfect for keeping wounds covered and bugs at bay. You can even apply fly spray (try my Easy Homemade Fly Spray) or essential oils. Just make sure the socks fit securely before leaving your horse unattended.
Jugs in the Water Trough
Freeze gallon jugs of water to help keep your trough cool in the summer. Alternatively you can use hot water to help prevent freezing in the winter. Horses seem to love playing with them too.
Reuse Dewormer Tubes
Don’t throw out those used syringes. Give them a thorough washing and fill with apple sauce as a treat for your horse. Soon they’ll be eager and open their mouth willingly. No more battles with the dewormer! (from thinklikeahorse.org)
Pool Noodle Boot Trees
Keep your boots in perfect form with these inexpensive pool noodles. They’re great for drying and makes for a tidier boot room.
Remove Scratches in Leather
Put olive oil on a soft cloth and rub into the leather in a circular motion until the scratch disappears. Wipe off any extra oil and you’re done!
Clean in the Dishwasher
Use your dishwasher to clean any non-leather horse tack. So far I’ve tried bits, stirrups, halters, girths and lead ropes. Instead of dish washing detergent I use a baking soda to avoid any potential skin irritation. Works like a charm. (from oughtonlimited.com)
Protect Power Cords
Drill two small holes in a overturned bucket to protect your power cord connections from rain and snow. This also makes it easier to find after a big snow fall. (from doityourselfrv.com)
Monitor Trailer Temperature
Get an inexpensive indoor/outdoor thermometer to keep tabs on the temperature inside your trailer (without pulling over every 10 min!). Put the outdoor portion in the trailer and keep the reader inside the cab of the truck. Great for piece of mind while travelling, especially during extreme weather.
Keep Buckets Covered
Use mosquito netting to cover feed buckets if they’ll be sitting out before feeding time. This is great for keeping flies out in the summer and mice out in the winter, while still allowing air flow. I do this year round when soaking beet pulp.
