Last summer’s heat wave affected the Swedish horse industry hard. Still have not received a single dime in government aid package to the affected farmers. The reason is that horses do not count as food.
– They count as jordbruksdjur when it suits, and something else when it does not suit, says Panty ridskolas owner Disa Johnson little sour when we come to visit, to hear how they have tackled the increased cost of feed and how they are preparing for the summer.
today is the seven-year-old Uma Tommila and her friend Thea Nykvist, 6 years, here to ride on one of the ridskolans fastest ponies, elvaårige little man munching away on the pellets when we come to retrieve him from the box in the barn.
little big man, Uma and Thea. Photo: Jonas Lindkvist
with a hint of rain, and the girls pull hard on the halter to get the little man to tear himself away from the goodies in the box.
“It’s fun to ride, especially to trot,” says Uma, and adds that she does not like to gallop, which she thinks is too scary.
Read more: – Pressed farmers are offered loans at high rates of interest
Uma Tommila and Thea Nykvist come here to ride all year round. When it is the coldest ride in a riding arena. They had no idea that the horses had a sore on bait last summer because they had a fully up to swim and enjoy the heat.
tells the farmer that she buys hay of already at an early stage warned that it would be a tough summer with the lack of feed and the prices would go up.
– But because it was a decent second harvest in August so it was not really so bad as we had thought, ” says Disa Johannesson.
the Owner Disa Johnson had increased the cost of feed after the dry and hot weather last summer. Here with the pony Manders, Linda and Uma Tommila, and my friend Thea Nykvist, 6 years. Photo: Jonas Lindkvist
on average, went feed prices up by a third and the riding school received approximately an amount of sek 80,000 in increased feed costs. Finally felt Disa Johannesson had to take the drastic action to send an invoice of 500 sek to everyone who rides on the school.
that would pay. But it turned out to 168 of all of our 170 riding students did it.
As a mother, Linda Tommila, says that it tingled properly in your wallet because all three of the family rides. It means that their bill was of 1500 sek.
– But we want the horses to eat, and feel good, so it was only to pay, ” says Linda Tommila.
She thinks that it is wrong not to the horse industry may be part of the government’s crisis support.
– It is the animal it is about, and a great sport where the horses suffer if there is a lack of food. It should be enough as an argument.
Thea, and Uma inspects the little man. Photo: Jonas Lindkvist
Read more: Farmers are concerned for the feed shortage in the hot weather
some buffer then before, has been harder hit by last year’s drought, according to Eva Netterberg, chairman of the Ridskolornas association.
A part föreningsdrivna riding schools have received foderstödpengar of the municipality. But the private riding schools receive no grants because the municipalities are not prevented from supporting individual companies under the local government act.
“this means that The private riding schools often have ridavgifterna as the only source of revenue,” says Eva Netterberg.
Uma, little big man, Thea. Photo: Jonas Lindkvist
for the moment is solved but the Disa Johannesson worry for the future because it remains dry in the chips.
” We have passed the year with the help of invoices and people’s commitment. If it becomes yet another dry summer so we don’t really know how to do this.
Read more: Wild vetesläkting can solve future problems on the drought
