HI.. God Bless!! I'll give you some of my opinions (always have lots of those, LOL), and some of my experiences.
The most important thing, I think, is the type or breed of animal you choose. A lot like dogs. You really, really, need one that fits your plans for it, because you cant train them to have a different personality or personal preferences. In most good horsemanship, it's the human that does the adapting and flexing, in order to teach the horse what you want it to know.
I know nothing about mules, except that I have heard they can be a lot harder in some ways to 'partner' with... since donkeys are solitary animals but horses are herd animals (they want company). On the other hand, it can be really hard on a horse to be the only horse, especially if you want to pick and choose when to interact with them (like not sitting babysitter all day) but I think mules can have that problem too... it just depends on the animal. While some horses dont get along with any other horses very well due to bad early socialization in a horse stable enviroment, they still get reassurance and security from the nearby presence of other horses, including in other fields.
In my mind, when I picture a solitary equine pet, with regular but not extensive human interaction, the first thing that comes to mind is a pony. Some ponies are just naturally more independent, yet they still understand it is to their benefit to work with a herd (you) when one is available.
If you are interested in driving a cart rather than riding, this is my best advice to you... the pony option is definitely your best bet for living without another equine, for a usually calmer demeanor depending on the breed and individual pony... for occasional but enjoyable exercise... and a plus, low feed costs.
It sounds funny, but even with show horses and performance horses like my horse is.. for people that love horses, grooming is one of the funnest activities. It's so soothing.
If you are set on actually riding this horse... you will need to look hard for an individual that will adapt well to solitary life. Try to look for this horse among horse professionals, as they will *most of the time* be the most honest with you.... and can tell you from their experienced judgement if a particular horse will be well suited to that kind of life. Some would LOVE to be a pampered only pet, no competition to worry about, but like I have been saying, that is not common.
There are calmer breeds of horses that will enjoy getting only the occasional exercise.... you dont want to end up with a hot or even med hot breed, or some calm breeds even... that would require daily exercise to be their happiest..... unless you want to exercise them daily that is.
Every day I spend 3 -4 hours with my horse. About an hour or two sitting with him in my lawn chair while he eats his afternoon feed and hay, an hour to an hour and a half working him in various exercises, another hour performing some grooming tasks, refreshing his water trough (I dont like all the algae build up that happens if you dont), picking up and spreading manure in his pasture, ect.
He pretty much IS my afternoon, every day. He is a hotter breed, a Paso Fino... but his personality is the reason I spend so much time with him... he is very very sweet, and would like nothing better than my company, makes sad faces or whinnies at me when I leave ... so I give him as much time as I can stand to be out in the hot sun, pouring rain, or freezing wind (it was cold this winter) LOL! (You might have noticed we dont havea barn, but he has shelter). He is not in the same pasture as other horses at this farm where others board (we rent a house here too), simply because he loves to play so much, he is not rough but just "playplayplay" and other horses get PO'd at him and bite him... last time I tried him with a "nice" gelding, he got bitten up pretty bad. He does have horses in adjoining pastures that he can say hi to over the fence, and that he can sleep near and really relax enough to lay down and get REM sleep (horses have to lay down to get REM, but they only need about 20 minutes, they usually do this in the middle of the day when they feel safest to lay down for so long)... even if I spent the entire day with him, his personality is such that he really needs to have other horses around so that he can relax and be happy....
this is really common in horses, since God made them to live in and rely on a herd, as a matter of survival... and for some, can lead to stress causing stomach ulcers, nervous behaviours like cribbing, pacing, chewing.... lack of proper food intake, ect... and some need the "herd" even more than others
BUT... there ARE horses that could do well without a herd... so my advice is that you not give up, but be diligent that you find the right match for this situation, which would make one solitary horse very happy to have a lifelong human of their own, to be sure
God sent my beautiful boy Bear to me when I wasn't even looking for a horse (but praying for one!) and He set me up with the most perfect match possible... so definitely rely on HIM and His wisdom when it comes to finding the right one.
The big, HUGE, difference between horses and dogs is that horses are prey animals, and one needs to really understand that and their different reasons for WHY they do things,in order to work well with them.
Your experience in training dogs will help you in two areas.... 1 - Patience... but you will need extra on top of that for an equine.... 2 - Positive reinforcement practice... understand you will need to also know pressure/release training for horses... but positive reinforcement is always the note to end with after each good result... by positive reinforcement, that is not treats, although they can be used mildly... that is just praise and a pet on the neck. You can use treats for some things but with a limit... for instance, I taught my horse "carrot stretches" to flex to his shoulder, hip, bowing, ect.. to help his flexibility with carrots... but you cant make them part of regular lessons or the horse will be very distracted and not learn what you want them to learn.. and especially not stand still for you. You can use a treat at the end of regular lessons as a "thanks for a good try/job" ... but you cannot use a treat at the bigninng as a "hello" because they will spend the whole lesson thinking about how to get more treats from you, rather than focusing on learning and respecting your requests.
Other than that, everything will be different with a horse as opposed to a dog. Dogs are predators, and we humans are predators, so alot of the body language we use with a dog is mroe natural for us, we can use a sharp tone of voice as a reprimand... they are closer to us emotionally than a horse. A dog will be naturally confident almost all of the time, and if they are not confident, it is usually because someone, a human or another dog, has caused them to loose confidence.
An equine, on the other hand, is naturally fearful... and its up to the trainer to instill them with confidence. That means the human has to be a leader for the horse, as they absorb security from that, knowing someone else is carrying the burden of "herd safety"... but you also have to be understanding and comapssionate of their fearful nature.. In many ways, really good natural training for horses it like therapy, teaching them to be less fearful in a gentle manner, which improves their life.
Body language needs to be non-agressive at all times.You need to not seem like a predator... BUT, you also need to seem like you are confident and sure about everything you ask. This is what all the horse/human trainers get paid for, teaching the difference, LOL.
When I work with my horse (although Im not an expert by any means!) I have a slower, gentle manner manner about me... and when I come in the door back to my dogs (which I am no kind of trainer of, but I do love and keep them from eating my food or sitting on my chair, LOL) and human family, I have an entirely different manner to interact with them... still being kind, but I can wave my arms and have it not mean much, gesture while I talk, walk very quickly somewhere... Im loosing track, but I can act more like a socializing human.... not to say you cant do all of those things around horses, but you need to work up to those things... and not think it odd if your horse spooks if you wave your arms, or gets scared of the same tree thats been in the same spot since they first saw it... you have to be like a counselor to them, and help them through this "natural phobia" they were born with.
Saying all of that... which is very true... it is not always readily apparent. For instance, many horses can compete at shows with roaring
crowds and big semi trucks blaring past, kids screaming,. perform complicated manuevers involving challenging objects, ect... yet come home and spook at a plastic bag blowing around.... they are confident up to the level that you have helped them be confident, and you cant expect more of them than that.
Have you watched the movie "Bick"? His training is like alot of natural horse training, and thats the avenue to pursue if you want a confident, happy, horse.
Finding the right indivual horse is necessary first, and then build on that by helping them overcome fear.. then you will have a companion who truly wants to be with you without it being because you have carrots in your pocket
This is long.. but, I'll answer the feeding question really quick.. or sort of quick... maybe slightly slowly... anyway...
My horse, a 14.2 hand, 850 pound Paso Fino show gelding with a history of some stomach issues... .He gets 480 pounds of hay a month... that comes to $144. for hay each month. He gets 17 punds of hay a day from that... which is the recomended feeding amount of 1% to 2% of horse body weight in hay each day.
How much hay you feed depends on grass availability... you can lessen hay amount with a good pasture, but you cannot eliminate it all together or it is not good for your horse.
My horse does not get grain, fillers, ect, as I dont believeits healthy for the way God made equines to eat... instead he gets pelleted horse vitamins each day (about an ounce worth) along with a source of healthy fats, flax seed, chia seed, and fish oil.....plus a specific supplement for his gut issues, ect... and he does very very well on this diet. If you have a lot of grass your horse may not need any fat in their diet, BUT they do need some kind of vitamin supplement to stay healthy... since most of the land is not as rich as it was, they get less natural vitamins because of it.
The vitamin itself comes to $18 each month (from smartpak).
Too many people feed their horses way too much "fillers' and junk in their food, and they have to call the vet out way more as a result of various health issues... most issues can be avoided with a healthy natural diet IMHO.
Then the farrier comes once a month to trim his feet... he is barefoot so no cost for shoes, ect... and thats about $40 here in my area, different in different areas...
And I worm him every 6 - 8 weeks with a rotational wormer system... most of the time I use equimax (the most $ but best one also IMHO) at $14 a tube.
All of these costs can be less for a smaller horse, especially if you have ample pasture... but you should have some money set aside for surprise vet bills before you ever get your horse... and things like grooming supplies, tack, "must have" items that we dont really need, LOL.. they can add up... I found it was good to get that stuff BEFORE I was paying to feed a horse every month... a good idea, if you want a someday horse.. is to get many of those supplies while you wait and think about them! Plus its fun, helps you keep faith in finding the right one.
A Pony can be very inexpensive in the way of feed, as some with a good grass pasdture may not need hay except in the winter... an all the time vitamin is a good idea tho... but even on grass some ponies can get to fat for their health, so you have to be careful.... an equine that is too fat is a lot worse than a human or dog... equines can foiunder ( a serious hoof condition) and have joint issues, severe metabolic issues, ect, if they get too fat for too long. Ponies that get fat generally need to have a too lush pasture kept down through mowing or another method... be fed no grain or other sweet items.. and you should always be careful when using treat.
I DO give my horse carrots, but I never give him a whole carrot. I give him a couple small slices for an exercise OR a few baby carrots... always god to be careful and moderate with treats..
Anyway, I think that is some answers to what you asked.. let me know if you have more or want some pointing to resources.. IF you can stand to read another installment to this book.. LOL
God Bless you in the name of Jesus Christ
Rebecca
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