OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Victory Riding Academy has seen hay prices go from $6.50 to $9.75 over its 13 years in operation. That increase worries Tony Barnes, who wants to make sure his horses stay happy and healthy.
- Operating as a nonprofit, the center relies mostly on donations from neighbors and grant money.
- According to the USDA hay report for this week, the average price for a small square of hay in Nebraska is $8. But different farmers charge different rates
- Video shows horses feeding on hay.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
This is Tardee, and she eats around one-third of a bale of hay a day. Between her and her 14 other horse brothers and sisters at Victory Riding Academy, they go through about 250 bales a month. That’s a lot of hay — and with rising costs, it’s becoming a challenge for the nonprofit.
When Victory Riding Academy opened in 2012 to provide equine therapy services to veterans and first responders, Executive Director Tony Barnes says at the time they were paying $6.50 for a single bale of hay.
While that price has slowly increased over the years, for the last two, it’s risen to nearly $10 a bale.
“It’s very difficult. Hay is our biggest expense,” said Barnes.
Operating as a nonprofit, the center relies mostly on donations from neighbors and grant money.
“We charge for our sessions, and so you know that does help us out some, but if we don’t raise the money needed, then it really has to come out of the general budget, which is not really a lot, you know,” said Barnes.
That general budget serves as a savings and emergency account — in order to provide care for the horses if they get sick or are injured.
According to the USDA hay report for this week, the average price for a small square of hay in Nebraska is $8.
But different farmers charge different rates. And with several factors — like the type of hay, fuel, and equipment costs — going into it, Barnes says he understands why it’s higher, but it doesn’t make it easy.
At the end of the day, Barnes says he just wants to be able to keep his horses healthy so they can keep helping veterans heal.
“It makes a big impact on them. They rely on the horses just as much as we rely on the horses,” he said.
If you want to help them out, visit the Victory Riding Academy website here.
