First, a couple of notes:
1 Ton = ~2200lbs
Bridget is the definition of easy keeper and needs no more than 10lbs per day.
Bridget has had issues with COPD(?) in the past, also is your typical round pony, so I'm fussy about hay quality and sugar content.
Option 1:
Full board. I pay $275 for co-op board, and am billed an additional $275 per month for hay. Doing this math, $275 x 12 months = $3300 per year to feed the pony.
 |
| B doing her best to eat $275 worth of hay. |
Option 2:
Board elsewhere, buy my own hay from feed store as needed. Feed store timothy is $24.95 per 65-70 lb bale. 1 bale lasts 1 week, so $24.95 × 52 weeks in a year = $1297.40
Option 3:
Board elsewhere, order ninja hay delivery. $610 a ton ÷ 2200lbs = $0.2772 per lb. Multiply by 70lbs per week = $19.41 a week. Multiply by 52 weeks in a year = $1009.27
Option 4, of course, is to find a nice local farmer this coming spring and order from them, saving trucking fees. Honestly, if I had a horse needing a lot of hay to keep weight on, I'd be all over this to save money. But since B eats so little, and I have concerns about her health, I think we'll stick with the super high quality, tested hay. Option 3 is currently the cheapest, and the best quality. The math works out to $84/mo. Our cat costs about that, lol.
 |
| One of our cat's favorite pastimes - hiding in the cupboards and sleeping on/guarding his stash of $$$$$ cat food. Added bonus of scaring the crap out of me every time I open a door and he jumps out at me. It's a good thing we like him :) |
Thank you for doing the math. :)
ReplyDeleteBut I thought a ton was 2000 pounds?
DeleteSo...I double checked my invoice, you're right! The farmer I used to buy from sold by the imperial tonne and I just assumed all hay dealers did,but yep this one is metric, so my hay math is off a little. Will have to recalculate!
Deletei think this is what i hate the most about horses. all the prices see astronomic at face value - sticker shock is like, a way of life with horses. but then when we break it out, it's easy to find where the 'bargains' are and find areas for economy and efficiency. which helps us feel like we're getting a pretty good deal. but... the prices are STILL astronomic. ugh. horses. i wouldn't have it any other way tho lol.....
ReplyDeleteYeah, last time I bought a tonne of hay it was $420 i think and we were like "wow so expensive!!" As Teresa noticed, this was a short ton of hay, so not even quite so much and was $610. At the end of the day though, thankfully it's still pretty cheap to feed the pony.
DeleteGreat breakdown!
ReplyDelete:)
Deleteagain B is so worth it and having her close to home (Wins again) :) It is only money right? :)
ReplyDeleteI always try to break done purchases like this so they are easier to swallow. (like when I break down the yearly cost of my saddle lol)
ReplyDeleteYup - I do the breakdown of costs too lol.
ReplyDeleteI'm jealous a bale lasts you a week tho, ahha. But at the same time, we pay a fraction of the price for hay