How to build your track system on a budget

By Alexa Linton, BSc, DOMP, EST

 

This girl loves a deal and I have a feeling a bunch of you might as well! Must be my Scottish blood, but there’s not much I love more than a good bargain, buying second hand, trading, or re-purposing. After all, owning horses is expensive and many of us are really stretching ourselves financially to make it work, myself included. My mare Diva came into my life when I was 23 years old, graduating university, moving out on my own, and absolutely broke, But I knew we needed to be together and that has proved itself countless times over the last 20 years together, so I found a way. I’m forever grateful for my thrifty way of doing things, as it has allowed me to explore my love of horses and to welcome a third horse into my herd, something I’d never thought I would be able to do.

 

As I’ve never owned my own facility, I’ve had to get quite creative with the ways I create what I want, to make it impermanent, but also safe and supportive for the health of my herd. This has really helped me to explore how to create a track system on a fairly strict budget, pare things done to the essentials and ask the question “does it really matter if this looks good/fancy or can it just be functional and safe?” You’ll be surprised how many things you can find used, on sale, or repurposed if you really set your mind to it, and how many things you actually don’t need.

 

Here are some of my tricks for keeping the costs down while still creating a safe and supportive space for you and your horses:

 

    1. Think outside the box! There’s definitely a few reasons I decided on this name for the business and one is because I love to be creative and open to possibilities. This may look like building your obstacles from things you find and can re-purpose, like tires, pallets, logs, broken fence posts, rocks and more. Recently we discovered some 4×4 posts that a shop was getting rid of – absolutely perfect as obstacles! I’ve also started making my own hay nets out of repurposed fishing netting, which is durable and horse-approved, as well as about 1/6 of the cost of store bought nets (see my video on this in the forage section).
    2. Get clear on what you are needing. I find once you have clarity, the things you are needing seem to start showing up. This also allows you to get real about what you really do need, and what is extra (do I really need fancy blankets for my horses?) Sign up for alerts on FB Marketplace or other used sites for the things you are looking for, including fence posts, electric tape, panels, buckets, obstacles and more.
    3. Don’t worry about aesthetics. I try to strike a balance between practical and pretty, and remind myself regularly that my horses don’t care about how their space looks or what they are wearing. They care about choice and freedom and friends. By letting go of the need for fancy, we open ourselves up to more creative affordable options that work great.The real question I always ask myself is “is it safe” – as long as that box is checked I’m happy!
    4. Do it yourself! I have become quite self-sufficient over the years, and am grateful to my partner Patrick and generous friends with tools and tractors and great ideas. From building fences to constructing obstacles to spreading footing, it is possible to do a lot of the work yourself, and also feels great to learn new skills and grow your tool kit. What can you do yourself that you might generally hire out? Who can you ask for help?

    Hope this helps! Happy (affordable) track building! To get more specifics on how to build your own track system, my new online course: Build a Horse Track System (on the West Coast) (and it’s helpful no matter where you live!) is now open for self-study.