Pasture horse questions!

Thanks everyone for your input! I can definitely get a refresher course from my friend! I am going to talk with her soon about maybe helping out at her barn in exchange for lessons! :) She currently has 10 horses, most of which are Quarter Horses. She pole bends and barrel races, was actually World Champion of pole bending a few years back! I would love to get her input and have her shop for a horse with me when we are ready, I am just worried she would be looking more to fit her needs than mine. I just want a laid back small horse. Our land will be flat, a few trees. Will be a little over 9 acres that we are splitting with a close friend, so each 4.5 acres to live on, and will be able to trail ride throughout the entire area. There are maybe 5 houses in the vicinity, the rest cattle pasture. We will most likely be using wood for the fence. Does a companion HAVE to be another horse? I am a stay at home mom, so plan on spending plenty time with our horse. Wouldn't be against a goat or something....


A goat being a companion all depends on the horse. Some horses don't mind goats at all, others despise them. As you can imagine, it is quite easy for a miffed horse to kill a goat with a well placed kick. A large breed like a boer or a sanaan would be better suited for a horse companion.

That said, I personally know two people who have goats mixed in with their horses. My aunt rescued a horse that came with a very strongly bonded goat. They were inseparable (I say were because the goat a cancerous mass, sadly. she was 15 years old according to her ear tattoo).

I also sold two kids to a friend who built a goat pen. But when she let the goats loose to free range, they would always pop under her horses' electric fence. The horses paid the goats no mind at all and have never shown a hint of aggression to them. In fact, there was once a mass breakout of horses and goats (I think one led to the other, nobody was home so the details aren't clear) and they all went on a joyous escapade together in the nearby fields!
 
Our horse just had trouble keeping up with our 7-9 year old GAITED horses. If you have ever ridden a well trained gated horse (or even a GAITED horse at all), you would know how fast they can move out. Before going on long trails we have our horses checked by a licensed vet, when they get there new coggins. Our horse was well taken care of, I know what I am talking about. I was raised around horses and don't need you to tell me what is wrong with them. Who are well taken care for and happy. And like I said 15+ years old.
 
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I think you are on the right track to find an older horse/pony as your first horse. *Most* older horses have a "been there - done that" type attitude that is great for beginners. Having an experienced horse person help you "horse shop" is priceless - they should be able to weed out the bad apples. You definitely DO NOT want a young untrained/un-broke (aka green) horse as a first horse. And do not assume that just because a horse is "not young" that is IS broke - I have a 9 yr old recently gelded Arab stud that is not broke to ride at all - yet a beginner might look at his age and his impeccable ground manners and assume he is broke to ride. I agree with the other posters that 15 IS NOT old for a horse, in fact, I would recommend you look for a horse that is 15 or OLDER. Heck, I have a 38 year old horse right now that would be perfect for your needs!

As for size - that is completely personal preference. Some kids are more comfortable around smaller horses, while others don't seem intimidated by size. My daughter's first horse, from daughter's birth, was a 17H TB.... But *I* actually got more enjoyment watching her interact and care for our 9H mini - he was small enough she could brush him top to bottom, clean his feet, saddle/harness him, etc. Being able to mount the horse from the ground is a BIG plus, but not necessarily a deal breaker for a young person. An option for you is to have a large pony/small horse of around 14H and have a mini, too, for companionship and for the kids to play with.

Pasture size depends a lot on your climate, growing conditions and grass types. One acre may be enough if you rotate it properly, or it may not be enough. Thankfully, it sounds like you have enough acreage that you can expand the pasture if needed.

As for fencing, I would NOT use wood. Wood fencing is notoriously the most expensive to install, has the shortest life span, and the most upkeep, especially in a humid climate like LA. I would consider using field fencing with T-posts as line posts and 8" braced round posts as corner posts. An additional benefit to field fencing is that it can contain sheep/goats in addition to horses if you ever decide to have some. Wood fencing WILL NOT contain sheep or goats, unless it has electric wire along with the wood planks.
 
I think you are on the right track to find an older horse/pony as your first horse. *Most* older horses have a "been there - done that" type attitude that is great for beginners. Having an experienced horse person help you "horse shop" is priceless - they should be able to weed out the bad apples. You definitely DO NOT want a young untrained/un-broke (aka green) horse as a first horse. And do not assume that just because a horse is "not young" that is IS broke - I have a 9 yr old recently gelded Arab stud that is not broke to ride at all - yet a beginner might look at his age and his impeccable ground manners and assume he is broke to ride. I agree with the other posters that 15 IS NOT old for a horse, in fact, I would recommend you look for a horse that is 15 or OLDER. Heck, I have a 38 year old horse right now that would be perfect for your needs!

As for size - that is completely personal preference. Some kids are more comfortable around smaller horses, while others don't seem intimidated by size. My daughter's first horse, from daughter's birth, was a 17H TB.... But *I* actually got more enjoyment watching her interact and care for our 9H mini - he was small enough she could brush him top to bottom, clean his feet, saddle/harness him, etc. Being able to mount the horse from the ground is a BIG plus, but not necessarily a deal breaker for a young person. An option for you is to have a large pony/small horse of around 14H and have a mini, too, for companionship and for the kids to play with.

Pasture size depends a lot on your climate, growing conditions and grass types. One acre may be enough if you rotate it properly, or it may not be enough. Thankfully, it sounds like you have enough acreage that you can expand the pasture if needed.

As for fencing, I would NOT use wood. Wood fencing is notoriously the most expensive to install, has the shortest life span, and the most upkeep, especially in a humid climate like LA. I would consider using field fencing with T-posts as line posts and 8" braced round posts as corner posts. An additional benefit to field fencing is that it can contain sheep/goats in addition to horses if you ever decide to have some. Wood fencing WILL NOT contain sheep or goats, unless it has electric wire along with the wood planks.
Res, your post was very informative! Thank you! I, myself would be more comfortable with a smaller horse. My friend always had (and still does) very large horses, and I rode them... but was always more comfortable on a smaller horse.

Something around 14H is what I am looking for... I think I would be comfortable and my daughter could grow up riding. But now, I am thinking about getting a mini first... to get our feet wet since we will be first time horse owners. Then once we get used to the routine and see what we can handle and what we cant, what we can afford, the pasture situation... and go from there. If she stays interested, or I decide I absolutely want to get into riding again, we can shop for that older, a/b 14H, gentle horse. :)

I love the look of a wood fence, but now I completely agree about the field fencing and T-posts.
 
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Res, your post was very informative! Thank you! I, myself would be more comfortable with a smaller horse. My friend always had (and still does) very large horses, and I rode them... but was always more comfortable on a smaller horse.

Something around 14H is what I am looking for... I think I would be comfortable and my daughter could grow up riding. But now, I am thinking about getting a mini first... to get our feet wet since we will be first time horse owners. Then once we get used to the routine and see what we can handle and what we cant, what we can afford, the pasture situation... and go from there. If she stays interested, or I decide I absolutely want to get into riding again, we can shop for that older, a/b 14H, gentle horse. :)

I love the look of a wood fence, but now I completely agree about the field fencing and T-posts.

Gosh I wish you were closer - I am fairly certain I'll be looking for a new owner for my little mare. Now that my DD is off to college I just don't see me having the time or inclination to deal with keeping two horses in work - and I have promised to keep her mare for her until she either decides to sell her or is in a position to take Aero with her, so if I want to cut our numbers my little one is the one to go. She's a nice little 14 hh mare, about 15 years old - but, then again, maybe not a good beginner horse as she can be a major butt.

I always loved the big horses when I was younger, but when I decided to find myself a horse this time around I was drawn to the smaller ones because it's closer to the ground and I am very aware of how much less tolerant my body is of falling from high places at this age. DD's horse is just shy of 17 hh and I have been struck by the difference in my general comfort level from one to the other when I have ridden her.

On fencing - we have wood plank fencing across the front of the pasture (where it faces the house) for the looks - as well as where we cross fenced for the paddock off the front of the barn -- then we did poly coated wire (horse-cote/hot-cote) on the other sides. I did hot top, middle and bottom strand (the hot-cote) and plain for the other two strands (horse-cote). We used wood posts all around. Honestly, if I had it to do again I'd skip the plank all together.
 

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