A good truck and trailer are “musts” for the horse owner that does his or her own hauling and horse care. Weigh all the pros and cons of investing in a powerful tow vehicle or new trailer, however, before taking the plunge. How often would you use it? Can you trailer share with a friend or neighbor? Will owning and maintaining a truck or trailer outweigh your yearly shipping and hauling costs?...
I’ll be honest, the topic of tractors and farm equipment is not one I’m particularly versed in. One resource I found quite educational, however, was Cherry Hill’s book Equipping Your Horse Farm. Hill grouped tractors into four categories according to size and purpose: Lawn and garden, compact, utility, and farm....
Shopping for a new vehicle last year I had to decide whether it would be more practical to buy or lease based on my budget. The same case can be made for farm equipment – from tractors to all-purpose vehicles to trucks and trailers. You can find significant savings in either buying or leasing depending on your needs and objectives. First determine those needs and objectives, factor in maintenance cost, and then compare the affordability of lease payments versus purchase price....
If you own your own small farm with a few horses, chances are you do much of the gruntwork yourself. But when is it necessary to hire out for labor, and under what circumstances could you be saving money by doing chores and maintenance yourself? Not all of us are handy enough to make fence repairs or equipped to hay pastures, but we can certainly clean some stalls and turn out some horses....
If you own your own property, you know maintenance and upkeep expenses never disappear. But whether or not you own a barn or board your horse at someone else’s, there are some steps you can take to help ease the pain of general upkeep costs:...
