Considering horses

[Folly's place]

Lots of good advice here already!
I've had horses for 30+ years, mostly at home on pasture. Now we are down to four, two pasture pets, and two who should be being useful, but I'm done riding. They graze our fields, and loaf. It's a tough life...
Definitely more lessons, and lease if possible, work free at the barn, whatever you can do to get that experience! The horses that are suitable for a beginner, which you are for at least another year, may be the ones that you outgrow later. Or you decide to learn a different aspect of the sport, and need a different horse to go in that direction. I've also met 39 year old horses, so ownership is a long term commitment often.
Lots of toxic plants out there! We found out last year that we have poison hemlock here. Lots of poison hemlock. Ugh!
Mary

 

[WallyG74]

I’ll go ahead and get Negative Nellie out in the open. Unless you have a job for that horse to do that makes life easier, it will be a drain on finances to feed, house, etc. They’re big animals that need a lot of care. If we get hit with a EMP, everyone will want your horse.

 

[TJAnonymous]

I got my first horse when I was 13 so I know exactly where your daughter is at. Had her until I was 43.Got my second 10 months later. Granted I did not have the distractions kids have these days but there are tons of lessons they can teach you. Responsibility, assertiveness, body language, perseverance, budgeting (I had to pay for my second horse), independence... But that's not what you asked about.
Horses are herd animals and want to be with other horses. You don't necessarily need a companion animal if the neighbors have horses and some companion horses absolutely flip out when they are left at home. (Personal experience)
In sandy Ca, we never shod the horses and they were ridden hard. You should need minimal hoof care if the horse has nice hooves and is worked regularly.
In central Ca my pen was probably 60x60. When I moved to LA, it was 12x24. In Ga, she had a 12x12 stall. In Co, she had 40 acres. Horse keeping varies greatly across the country and for the most part they adjust just fine. Land prices and parcel size along with zoning will dictate how big your pen can be. Shade and airflow are more important in the south than size but I would never go smaller than 12x48. Enough room to move around in. Make it rectangular not square.
Hay (long stem forage) should always be the cornerstone of the equine diet. Hay provides multiple heath and mental benefits over a pelleted ration. Grains and concentrates should only fill in the nutritional gaps of the hay. Hay prices are regional but right now I am paying $275-300/ton. Normal summer hay prices are closer to $140/ton. Twice the norm. I'm scared to see what we will be paying in Feb.
I would do nothing more than a pipe corral with a shelter. Don't need a barn, don't need a stall. Drive around the neighborhood and see how they are housing the horses. Stop and talk with them. What works? What would they do different?
Manure disposal? Hay storage? Truck is a minimum for hauling hay and feed. Trailer? Lots of fun to trailer to the beach and all kids go through the show/gymkhana phase. You should consider a lease option to get your feet wet. If you have some local boarding facilities you might be able to find someone who is looking for some financial assistance by part leasing their horse out 2-3 days a week. Typically the arrangement is pay a set fee and you have exclusive use of the horse certain days. The owner pays board and vet bills. You might split farrier bill. I would insist on lessons (you pay). Around me a part lease runs $250+ a month. Cost will go up with better trained horses and nicer facilities.

The best part of owning horses at a young age for me was the one on one time that my dad and I spent together. He taught me how to use tools and build things amongst other things. Skills everyone needs. Horses can be very time consuming but as my dad always said he knew exactly where I was and what I was up to when he couldn't find me. Long before cell phones of course.

Leasing a horse is actually a really great suggestion. It will give you some experience on owning and caring for a horse without a long term commitment. In the lease agreements I've been party to, the legal owner was responsible for any major vet bills (such as colic surgery or yearly exams) but the leasee covered items such as feed, farrier, boarding, etc.

 

[Percheron chick]

Ocala is beautiful horse country. Can be expensive. It's a major winter training and competition destination for elite riders and race horses. Hay growers can command a premium price for these horses and that trickles down to recreational riders.
Manure management is key on small properties. How much land do you have? We had 3 horses on 1/4 acre in LA. Poop was a daily issue. An average horse produces 50# of poop a day. 50% moisture. If you bed the area, that can jump up to 75# a day. 2 horses can produce a wheelbarrow load each and every day. Can you stockpile it? (Property line setbacks...) Can you build enough compost bins? It will breakdown quickly but it's more than you can put on a garden. Do you have enough land to spread it? Do you have a grazing area?
Hauling off manure is how most have to deal with it when you are on less than 2 acres. You will find companies that will come haul it off for you. Some cities have composting facilities and will accept your donations. No good farmer will take it because the risk of introducing weeds is too high as they will spread directly. Put it in the trash as a last resort.

 

[Alagirl]

Really appreciate all the candid feedback! We are at least 2-3 years out from doing anything so that gives me time to further research all that was shared here.

Our neighbor two parcels down is a farrier and they’ve got horses, plus a friend of ours on the next road over who we are friendlier with. I could try to see what they’ve got going on as far as housing and setup and ask about current hay prices.

Our sandy soil is actually not bad as far as fertility but I would expect to bring in 100% of their hay as part of my estimations on cost and time (and logistics).

I’m about 30 minutes NW of Ocala, which is dubbed the horse capital of the world, so I think our conditions in the area are probably fine for keeping them, or certainly not worse than average. There is a huge equestrian complex that just went up and tons of feed stores, hay growers, etc. within a half hour drive in any direction.

One thing I didn’t ask about is manure management. Do you guys have a dedicated spot to put the poopy bedding and whatnot so it can age and then be used in your garden? I know about the issue with Grazon and would be sure to find out about that before buying hay.

Oh Lord, Ocala is the new and upcoming horse scene in Florida I have been told, fast outpacing Wellington for attractiveness.
That means the prices will only go up from here.
I think Percheron summarized it best. It is pricey to keep a horse.
Many people keep a goat as a companion for their horse, it has been a common trick on race tracks to keep horses calm. Just don't get an intact buck....donkeys are very loud, your neighbors might not like that.
There are tons of good books around to get more info. The ones in the library might be too broad. There was one I saw years back 'horse keeping on small acreage' that might be helpful, I need to look if I can remember the author. She has penned a lot of books.
Other than that, grab a pony club manual. Still the gold standard in horse care literature. Also, see what the lesson barn can offer in terms of info.

The purchase price is the cheapest part of ownership! Especially when you plan on keeping them at home!

ETA: Cherry Hill is the author
https://www.amazon.com/Horsekeeping...t=&hvlocphy=9012839&hvtargid=pla-449792533651

 

[TJAnonymous]

they often just strip the bark of trees just because.
Standing knee deep in grass and eating trees. Definitely something to watch out for.

Completely agree... I've had horses who do that!

At my previous house, we had 55 acres. Less than 5 of it was grass pasture. The rest was heavily wooded. I had a lot of trouble with my horses eating toxic plants and trees on that property because the grass was so poor and full of scrub. I had one horse, a large pony really, who ate a lot of wild persimmons. These aren't toxic themselves but eating a lot of them can cause bezoars in the stomach. He ended up dying from a bunch of tumors in his stomach. I had no idea... There are many different trees and plants that are very toxic to horses. They generally will NOT eat them unless it is all they have to eat. When you have less acreage, this can and does become a problem. My current house has 4.5 acres. We have a lot of giant oaks which provide critical shade. Of course, acorns are toxic to horses. We also have a couple of maples - also toxic to horses. I spend $500/yr on grass seed and pasture supplies to improve the 4 acres of actual grass I have to ensure my horses aren't tempted to eat any of the toxic stuff. It also helps keep down things like buttercup, red clover, and nightshade (all toxic) in the pasture.


I'm simply telling the OP to become familiar with the plants and trees on their property and know what may be toxic to horses. Know what the signs & symptoms of illness relating to them could be.

 

[Alagirl]

That’s good to know. Only part of that area is wooded (with mostly pines), and there is a big open space that is trying to grow grass (and weeds) now that we cleared out the half dead little oaks that were there. The pine needles in the wooded area snuff out most of anything else that would grow save for wild blackberry (yes, thorns) and muscadine vines that have never borne grapes as far as I can tell.

consider talking with the county extension office, or a local co-op person about pasture mixes for your area! animals have a different understanding than us about what is good forage. Horses in particular prefer short grasses and don't eat where they poop. So when we look and see lush green grass they might only see the bathroom. Pasture management becomes critical on a small lot. And unless you devote a lot of the lot to the horses, you won't have much grass for long. Horses are very destructive to their environment! But as mentioned many times above: You have some time yet to figure it out.

 

[Folly's place]

Our summer pastures cover about ten acres, about enough for our current four. In winter, we have about three acres next to the barn, with a heated hydrant for their water, essential in snow country.
They absolutely strip every green thing in those few acres over winter! And have chewed bark off trees, big trees. Once it's not muddy, they go back to their summer digs, and the winter acres recover, until the next winter.
Something you won't have happen the same way in Florida, but you will have other challenges...
Happy horses need space, and companions!
And the sweetest horse can kill you, getting scared and knock you down. Big prey animals, who have that flight instinct when startled.
Mary

 

[Alagirl]

Thanks for the resources.

You guys who have mentioned the higher prices due to proximity to Ocala have a good point, although I think we are probably far enough that it’s not an issue (different county and more of an ag community rather than the more uppity horsey community, no offense intended by that), but I will definitely have that on my radar now. Real estate is getting ridiculous as you gomore toward Ocala from here, that much I do know.

Neighbors have a donkey like four lots down, I’m guessing it’s maybe 1600ft down the road and he is noisy! I think we would just get two horses rather than try to have a different species of companion animal with its own learning curve. There are 7 of us living here so two horses would still get worked often enough.

well, it is not all bad to be near a horse oriented centrum: You will have access to more and better professionals: Vets, farriers, trainers, etc.....

 

[Alagirl]

and just one more thing:
getting a companion can be tricky as well. You might end up with 2 horses that can't stand each other. That happens frequently enough that owners and vets can sing a few stanzas on that!