Question for horse owners:

[Rusty Hills Farm]

Yeah, your questions ARE good. What you do as a career really won't stop you unless you let it stop you. I was a career Marine. I served all over the globe AND I've always had horses. It's more about how badly you want them and what sacrifices you are willing to make to have what you want. And when it is REALLY what you want, they don't even feel like sacrifices. You just always find a way. I did make some conscious choices, though. There were times when I took lesser posts because it was better for the horses or there were important show circuits available at one post but not another. I lived on base a bunch because it was cheaper, even tho the housing was lousy. I figured I was never home, so what difference did it make, y'know? I didn't party or hang out much because I always needed that money for my next show.

The thing to remember is that we really cannot have it all. We have to pick and choose. Horses are what I chose. I never regretted my choice.


Rusty

 

[michickenwrangler]

I used to be a teacher and having a summer off certainly helps, but teaching takes up most of your energy and resources during the year as things like professional development, final exams, extracurricular activities, continuing ed classes and parent-teacher conferences tend to get in the way. I am able to afford horses by mainly not having very many other hobbies as I don't have time or money for it. I got a buddy saddle so my daughter could ride behind me. I don't get my nails done and my husband trims my hair. I get my wardrobe at K-Mart and Vincent de Paul. I get a lot of my tack used or make do with what I have. We don't go out to eat much

A good well-fitting saddle is worth the money you will spend on it, however. If taken care of, it will last your lifetime. My treeless Bob Marshall saddle is 10 years old and still in excellent condition (with the exception of the scratch on the pommel when the barn cat was sleeping on it and didn't want to get up when I wanted to ride one winter day).

Costs depend on where you live. My property taxes are relatively inexpensive. Hay is still $1.50-$5.00 a bale here in the rainy Midwest.

 

[Ariel301]

Indeed, horses are expensive. I invested thousands in the 9 years I had my $300 mare, between board, feed, farrier, vet bills, equipment...it's never ending. I ended up losing my horse because I could not afford surgery to repair a twisted gut after she colicked a few months ago. It cost $500 just for the vet to come out and have a look at her, give her one shot of pain killer, and tell me she'd die without surgery. So you need to be prepared for the expense of keeping them.

So, if you just want a couple of nice horses to ride on for fun, you can get them cheaply. In this economy, probably even free. Our local craigslist is packed with free horses because their owners just cannot afford to feed them anymore.

Hay here runs $8-13 for a 100 pound bale, and your average horse will eat about 15 pounds of hay a day if that's all it can eat, like here, where there is no grass. It adds up quick.

Boarding, at least in my experience, costs way more than if you can keep your horses at home. When I was in college, I paid about $250 a month to board my horse. I had to have a job on top of full time classes just to keep the horse!

So, if you are frugal and don't spend a lot of money on luxuries, you could probably make it happen.

Getting into a horse career (at least away from the east coast) is difficult too. There's not many openings and it is very competitive. I went to Colorado State University and majored in equine science, got excellent grades, and could not get into vet school like I wanted. So I looked at working for breeding/training farms. None of them would hire unless I had 10+ years experience working in the field! So I pretty much wasted five years and thousands of dollars...now I'm going back to school to be a nurse instead.

They're great animals, though, and I wish I could afford to keep another. Horse keeping is very rewarding. I miss my 'Spirit' so much.

 

[fushalilly]

Wow, thank you all for the great responses! I have learned so much just from reading what you all have to say.

-What I got from this was that I would be able to afford a horse (1 to start)
-Have a simple job that I love and LOTS of sacrafices. (Which if I had a horse, wouldn't be sacrafices at all

-The horse will have to be well trained as it may have to be in a pasutre some days when I work too long to be able to ride daily.
-And that for college, I should major in something general and go into a field that is in demand so that I get hired somewhere.
-I should gain experiance working with horses while I am young, and if this is followed, I should be off to a good start.

Correct me if I am wrong, and thank you so much for all your input everyone!

 

[PaintedGemsRanch]

Wish you the best!

 

[L*A*G*]

fushalilly, me and you are a lot alike. all I ever wanted was a horse (and a few more chicken

) but i am not old enough to get a job. I don't know why the passoin for horses is in me but all I do is believe God put the passoin in me for owning my very own horse is for a reason.
I have a plenty of land but it is all wooded and i would have to clear 2 acres myself. here in GA it never snows so I would just have to plant rye in the fall and replant bermuta (spell?) wich is the best grass for horses, in the summer. and throw up a barn but....it's the money.
as a job i would like to be a chef but there is no fancy eating places out here

idk what I am gonna do.
I am not any help but I could'nt help not to share. I hope everything go well with your life! I am subscribed!

 

[L*A*G*]

oops i didn't check the box

 

[joletabey]

I used to say if my horse were human, I'd marry him - he has been my best friend through some really bad times. I smiled when I read your post- go after those dreams!!!
The biggest thing you can do NOW is learn to save money and live on a budget. You are young - work as many jobs as you can handle while you are in school, get the best grades you can, apply for all the scholarships and grants you can and be money savvy!!!! Pay cash whenever possible. If you are fairly solid in these areas, and can limit yourself to one or two horses, you can make it work without being rich.
Learn everything you can about horses NOW - research the breeds you are interested in, and the style of riding-
Depending on the breed you are interested in, sometimes big breeders will sell of weanlings or yearlings cheaply, or even give them away if they are not up to standard. This does not mean you would not get a good horse- excellent riding horses, endurance horses, sport horses, etc. get overlooked constantly by people breeding for halter or a certain color, etc. If you get some experience working with horses, you can do a lot of the ground work yourself with a young one, and then send it to a trainer to finish.
If you are planning on a small house and farm, learn about hay. . . having your own hay fields and putting up your own is a bit time consuming, but WAY less money overall, especially if you can rent or borrow equipment, or do a crop share with someone who has equipment.
I have three horses and some good pasture. I can take care of them for about $500.00 a month,plus wormers and farrier visits. But that is only if its a good year for hay. I can get it now for about 5.00 a bale, but last year had to pay 8 and know people who paid 12.00. HAVE A SAVINGS ACCOUNT for emergencies, like was posted before.
Also - make sure your significant other is into horses, too. It just works better that way. . . . .especially if you are obsessed!!! LOL
Whew - thats all I can think of right now - Good luck!!!

 

[fushalilly]

Joleta Bay

Thanks so much :]
Great information! And about the hay... How many acres of fields does it take to make a bail of hay? Because if I could do it myself, that would be AWESOME.

 

[patandchickens]

How many tons of hay you can get off how many acres depends TOTALLY on your particular growing conditions (soil type, condition, fertility, climate, weather, management, etc). No way to generalize at all.

Doing your own hay requires a considerable upfront investment in machinery (at a minimum, you need a decent tractor, a mower and a [probably small round-bale] baler), and is definitely not for everyone. Also of course you have to have the land and maintain it. You can winter horses on hayfields once the ground is frozen, but running them on hayfields the rest of the year will decrease the amount/quality of hay you get in future years, so you can't have lots of overlap between horse acreage and hay acreage.

The biggest problem with doing your own hay is that haymaking is an ART, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Knowing when the best time is to cut it, turn it, bale it, to get the best possible crop and no spoilage -- takes a lot of experience to make horse-quality hay. (It is very EASY of course to make mulch hay

-- rained-on, way overmature, moldy, etc) If you have a tractor and come across affordable haying implements, and have someone close by who can give you good advice that you will follow closely, it can be worthwhile (esp. if you have a lot of horses to feed) but if those things are NOT true, and esp. if you have only one or a few horses, you are really a lot better off buying hay. That way you can be ASSURED of its quality, and are spared the considerable upfront costs of the machinery.

Pat