Should I or am I Out of My Mind -to get a horse-

[Bunnylady]

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Some of us are just gluttons for punishment. But then, the same things can be said about kids, and an awful lot of us are parents!

 

[turney31]

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Some of us are just gluttons for punishment. But then, the same things can be said about kids, and an awful lot of us are parents!

Love! Love of horses.

 

[welsummerchicks]

This was not "Im getting a horse" I am just thinking about it.

--Then why are you reacting to the advice as you are, unless you're in a huge hurry and determined to do it immediately?

--If you are the only horse person in your family, who is going to take care of the horse when you are away on a vacation or outing with friends? When you are sick? Busy with school or work?

--If your heart's desire is to ride with rope reins and bareback, I'd suggest you get a crash helmet, some sensible riding boots, and plan to have some pretty serious accidents. I will be clear - I have a very, very poor view of a person with as little experience as yourself, riding bareback ou on trails, with halter ropes for reins.

--You really need to get some riding lessons and learn how to ride first. At NONE of the barns I've ever been at, is someone with that little experience allowed to go down trails.

--Trail riding isn't really so easy. People make a BIG mistake when they think trail riders are not very skilled and trained.

--Trail riding simply isn't how it used to be. Everywhere is built up and congested. Trail riders face hazards - unstable ground, bog holes, motorcycles, all terrain vehicles, loose dogs, broken beer bottles, other people riding like idiots, even robbery - you need to be a VERY good rider to trail ride safely, and you need to be VERY careful, and I would highly recommend you do it with both a saddle, and a bridle AND a helmet and that you be very, very secure in the saddle and know horse control back and forward. No one recommends anyone go out trail riding alone any more, either. If you're the only one in your family that is interested in riding, you need a buddy to go trail riding with. A group of 3 is better.

--AND - you need to buy a very, very old horse. AND even then you need to be extremely careful, because there are very, very few horses that can do what you want. MOST horses cannot act like that.

So tell me, If they cost so much, need so much time, can and will get hurt if the pen they are in is not perfect, why keep them?

--Depends on which day you ask me. 1.) I am completely bereft of my senses, 2.) I love horses.

--Why do people get them? Because they love horses and riding.

--AND they are willing to give up other things - both money wise, and time wise, to have them. And so are their families. You often hear them say, 'Sorry, I can't, I have to take care of my horse' or 'I have to get home to feed'. I've done that for many, many years. And it's affected my job, my family and even my family's recreation. Even my family makes sacrifices. Who takes care of the horse when I'm sick? Got a broken leg? Have to stay late at work? And who gives up their fishing trip, and their going to the movie, for me? A real, real devoted special person.

--Or because they like having a 'status symbol', a horse makes their feudal estate look authentic, they think they're 'pretty', they have romantic, sentimental ideas from watching 'My Friend Flicka' and 'The Black Stallion', because they want to be a cowboy, a Marlboro man.

--In general, people succeed at owning horses because they go into it, already experienced in riding and handling and caring for horses. They spend years, taking lessons, working in barns. And no, 'updown' lessons, the kind most people get, don't really teach them horse control or the skills they need to actually keep their own horse from turning into a dangerous brat.


I can see why so many horses need homes, you make sound as if no one could keep a horse without tons of money, and no job, so you can be there with the horse 24/7 to exersize it and keep it from falling into a hole.

--You are willfully twisting what was said to make it sound untrue. No one said you have to be with the horse 24/7. BUT - they DO need exercise every day, they do need to be fed 3 times a day (some will get by with 2x a day), and you can't just feed them four hours late when you feel like staying late at the mall, either - they get sick.

Money is not realy a problem for me unless somthing went wrong with a job. That could happen to anyone.

--No, actually, people DON'T do that. They put money aside for emergencies, they don't just go 'Oh, dang, I lost my job, guess I can't pay for horse feed'. For example, I have enough money set aside, for feed, bedding, hay, vaccinations and shoeing - for 18 months, as well as an additional three thousand dollars for colic surgery - for EACH horse I own. So if I DO lose my job, I don't have to get rid of them, and they don't have to starve. Hopefully I'd get another job within 18 months.

A good friend on mine had a horse with her alpacas in a smaller pen then I did.

--Well well, isn't that horse the lucky one! Not only does he not have enough room to move around, there aren't even any other horses around.

The horse seemed happy to me,

--You don't know much about horses if you think that.

but I dont know how to tell, realy. If my chickens liked being held, brushed and played with, you could bet I would be out there now insted of on the comp. - even though is FREEZING today-

--Sorry, but 'brushing, holding and playing' is not what horses are about. Horses are not dogs or chickens. They are a big animal, a working animal with very special feed needs.

--You have an extremely urealistic idea of what horse ownership is about. You need to learn a lot before getting a horse.

 

[turney31]

Way to support and nuture the future horsemen and women of the world!

 

[patandchickens]

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Because we're nuts. Seriously. YOu have to like them a lot for it to be worthwhile

I can see why so many horses need homes, you make sound as if no one could keep a horse without tons of money, and no job, so you can be there with the horse 24/7 to exersize it and keep it from falling into a hole.

No, that's not it at all... although honestly very few people keep horses without being willing to put "reasonable" quantities of money into it, like even if you are keeping the horse in your backyard with totally-preexisting horse-safe facilities you are still usually talking about at least $1000-ish per year if you are doing the bookkeeping honestly, and a single emergency (cut leg, colic, laminitis) can instantly double or quintuple that amount.

The thing is, if you keep horses in suitable facilities (which has NOTHING to do with fancy-ness at all, I am talking about suitability in terms of horse-safe-ness and ability to keep the horse sane and happy) and handle/manage them knowledgeably, they are not that high maintenance. I would say a healthy totally-pasture-kept horse is on par with a dog in terms of daily workload, possibly even less in some circumstances. HOWEVER IT IS EXTREMELY COMMON for novices to NOT have horse-safe suitable facilities, and to NOT handle/manage them knowledgeably, and this tends to get very hard on the horse and sometimes have expensive consequences and not-infrequently end badly for one or both parties.

I don't see any reason not to keep a couple of horses if you want -- there are some horses in the world who are happy enough alone, but they are in the minority. HOWEVER YOU NEED EXPERIENCE FIRST. I would suggest a few years of riding lessons. Also once you have taken riding lessons for a while you may find yourself considered sufficiently-horse-experienced to muck stalls or even (concievably) do turnout, which will get you *more* horse experience.

It's just a matter of "first things first", you know?

I’m in the woods so there is no grass, how much hay would a horse eat? I have goats, so I am buying hay already.

It depends, but a typical 1000-lb horse will require somewhere between 15-30 lbs of hay per day, and that is hay that *goes into the horse* not "is wasted" so if you feed in a wasteful manner (e.g. roundbales) you may need considerably more than that total.

Vet care... how much would a hardy little trial pony REALY need?

Very little *regular* care, although you probably ought to do a yearly exam (since you are not a lifelong horse person) and in your neck of the woods I would say at LEAST a yearly tetanus, rabies and encephalitis booster shot. Depending on your area and your vet and whether you do any extra vaccines, you are looking at somewhere in the $100-200 range, or more if you add other vaccines. Teeth may need to be done yearly or just "very occasionally", depending on the horse; that tends to run in the $200-500 range.

However, unexpected problems are, well, un-expectable and can easy get real expensive. Just a simple during-office-hours suturing adventure can be in the hundreds of dollars; a simple colic one night can be closing in on $1000, and problems can get much more expensive than that.

Also bear in mind the horse will need his hooves done by a GOOD farrier or trimmer, every 6-8 weeks year round, yes even if he is barefoot. It can be kind fo tough to find a good farrier but is highly important as a crappy one (and there are lots of crappy ones out there!) can render a horse chronically lame, sometimes in ways that cannot really be fixed. The cost of a trim plus farm call for a single horse will vary wildly depending on your area and who you use (IME there is little correlation between price and whether the guy is good or crappy, btw) but you can anticipate somewhere between $30-60.

The kind of horse I want is one that you can hop on bareback with lead rope rains and go down the trials for an hour or so with a friend. There seems to be a ton of horses on CL that need a home. Anything I should stay away from?

Oh yes indeed. Stay away from: buying a horse for yourself. Seriously -- you need a good professional (or essentially-professional-in-their-diversified-experience amateur) helping you look and telling you what would be an ok buy and what to run screaming from. THE ODDS OF YOU PICKING AN APPROPRIATE HORSE FOR YOURSELF ARE QUITE LOW. (It happens, but not on a real regular basis).

BTW, have you ever *ridden* bareback for an hour or so? For most people on most horses, this is not really a very comfortable experience. (Often not for the horse either).

If you want that kind of 200%-bombproof very-well-trained horse, and want it to be reasonably sound, you are not too darn likely to find it bottom-feeding among the cheap Craigslist ads. (A few horses like that occasionally show up there, but they are grains of sand on the virtual beach of 'horses that are cheap for a reason that makes them inappopriate to your needs')

Take lessons. Then get your instructor (or someone they recommend) to help you find a horse to buy. You can expect to have to pay a bit for this professional service, but it is SERIOUSLY money well spent, as opposed to the (frankly) likelihood of ending up with a horse that is behaviorally or physically inappropriate and will get you into big problems. Which then also causes big problems for the HORSE.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat​

 

[welsummerchicks]

Absolutely. Most absolutely, and without a single doubt in my mind, this is exactly the way to support future horse owners.

If she were in my area, and she asked me for help, I'd not only help her find a decent place to get riding lessons, I'd suggest a 'two year plan' for winding up a good horse owner, and I'd go with her to make sure she didn't get ripped off and get stuck with some crazy, sick or totally inappropriate horse. I'd take her to club meetings so she could get information about ownership, I'd find her a vet and farrier. I'd show her the difference between a 'good buy' and a cheap piece of equipment that would get her or her horses hurt, and I'd point out all the 'pinhookers' in the area and explain who is decent to deal with and who is not.

I'd lend her books, of course, and the dozens of clip books I have of good magazine articles.

What i would NOT do, is encourage her to get a horse if she didn't seem completely, 100% willing to step up to the plate.

And to me, 'my friend keeps her horse in a tiny pen with alpacas, why should I do any different', is NOT a good sign.

That worries me immensely that not only has this person already gotten off entirely on the wrong foot (thanks to some of the enablers I was afraid of, as well as the above sentiment), she's unlikely to get on the RIGHT foot, because she's got her mind set and won't change it.

Before taking on a responsibility for any pet, a person should be educated, prepared, and know exactly what the basic needs of the animal are, as well as what it means to provide for the animal's mental welfare as well.

And with horses, getting that information and skill requires personal effort as well as time.

I am VERY leery of people who come on a bulletin board and ask everyone to agree with her how easy and carefree it would be, or they get irritable. And with people who expect that information to, not only fall into their lap without their effort, but also to come from strangers on a bb, instead of a trainer, farrier, vet, or experienced friend.

Further, a dose of reality that helps make the HORSES better off, is absolutely and without a doubt in my mind, the way to support the welfare of the HORSES owned by the future owners of horses.

 

[Rusty Hills Farm]

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Yes, it is! If more people said what WC's did, maybe there wouldn't be nearly so many horses going under the gavel every day or being shipped off to slaughter. The economics sure aren't getting better, y'know!

When people ask me why I keep horses, I tend to quip that some people drink, some do drugs, some gamble. Me? I keep horses!

But seriously, the world isn't like it was 40 years ago. I would never have believed I would have to pay $15 a bag for Omolene 200 or that hay would run me $3000 a year for 4 horses!!! Heck, I used to keep a dozen for that, but not now. The price of oil isn't the only thing going up and up and up. Personally I think that since fewer and fewer of us are able to keep a horse, the companies are raising their prices to make up for the amount of business they are losing! The fact is that even though I am "retired" I cannot afford to quit working and still keep the horses that I already have. So I think it is important for newcomers to this "addiction" to realize just how much of a commitment keeping horses really is. Available open land is shrinking. Costs are rising. I cannot tell you how often it's a choice: "Do I really need a new ____ or can I make the old one work?" People who are not willing to make sacrifices need to know the real facts up front. Better to not start at all than to get in over your head and have to bail out later. Lots less heartbreak for the person and disaster for the horse.


JMO, as always.


Rusty

 

[welsummerchicks]

it's not just 'IMHO', it's something you say after years and years of experience. Good solid experience.

 

[Peaches Lee]

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My first suggestion would be to purchase a United States Pony Club book at the D level. This is a most excellent book in regards to your situation. I also highly recommend developing a relationship with a lesson barn. Here you will be given the chance to have hands on experience with horses in a more controlled enviroment. As your experience progresses you may be able to work out a feed the horses/clean the stalls for lessons. You could also become a working student. I would start on this path before you bring a horse home. For now, I would stay away from the horses on CL, a lot of them are being rehomed for being problem horses--poor health, difficult to keep weight on, or behavioral problems. By becoming a working student, you may have a chance to purchase a retired lesson horse. I commend you for seeking out information before making the leap into horse ownership. I strongly feel that a few years at a good lesson barn you will be well on your way to fulfilling your dream. Good luck!!

 

[ShadowRooster]

I had horse lessons for TWO YEARS. About three years ago. I dont remeber learning anything, I kicked the horse and said "walk" and the horse walked. I went for a bare-back ride for a half an hour, I was pretty sore after, but the second time it was not that bad. I had a fat large pony, though.My instucter was almost as bad as you guys, you say one wrong thing she would just about take the whip to you. My horse rolled once, luckly I got of before being crushed.

You know what, I think I will get an ostrich.

Horses can be unperdictable (not if trianed right). Ostriches are unperdictable, but then agian, no one has tried to trian them. So I will get an ostrich and be the first ostrich trianer. They can carry a light adut and run just as fast as a horse, you know.