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!