2 August 2023
DERBY, Kan. (KSNW) — Horse owners in Kansas are feeling the impact of this year’s drought.
The owner of Wichita Riding Academy, Cheryl Manahan, told us that a large bale of hay that cost her $125 is now costing her $200. Additionally, their smaller bales cost $14, and normally they are able to get them for $10.
Lessening the number of horses on their property is one solution they are looking into as we move closer to the winter season.
“We’ll probably lease some of our lesson horses out, so we don’t have as many horses in our lesson program that we’re going to be feeding,” said Manahan.
The average price to maintain a horse can reach $3,500 a month.
Established in 2005, the Hope in the Valley Equine Rescue says they are seeing an increase in people giving up their horses.
“We receive phone calls daily from people in need of giving up their horse,” said Peggy Johnson, a care teacher at Hope in the Valley Equine Rescue.
They normally look to stay around 55 horses in total on the property. However, right now, they are over capacity at 62.
One alternative some owners are using to lower expenses is mixing grain into their diet. Although this can help with pricing, horses still need a strong presence of hay as the roughage helps their digestive system.
Hope in the Valley Equine Rescue is a non-profit and plans to begin raising funds for its next hay purchase soon. You can find their page here.