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

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
This cracked me up because of something my boyfriend said to me the other day... I just bought my new competition horse and he, knowing nothing about horses, asked me "Soooo.... Like.... When is this investment going to pay itself off?

"

I about fell on the floor laughing and told him don't worry, our finances are and will always be seperate and I will never ask you for money for the horses as long as you never ask me or give me crap about how much they cost (which I just figured out is currently $9600 a year in board alone, no vet/farrier/lessons/shows included

).

LOL... or when you buy a horse sight unseen off the internet and hire a shipper again off the internet and wait for 30 days for it all to either come together or to find out if everyone ran away with your money. Then Harness doesnt fit so have to buy a new one. 500-1000 for a cheepo one. Cart doesnt fit and the Two Wheeled Road cart I was drooling over would cost more than the horse.... Heck NOTHING fits becaus I went from Arabs to Percherons. Horse isnt trained yet and the trainer is 500 bucks a month on top of board.... Or in my infinite wisdom decide to do it myself and get dragged by the foot over bandini mountain (maneur pile) among all the other mistakes in harness training. (said horse was finally trained by a wonderful trainer who did it in exchange for the Meadowbrook cart that didnt fit)

Was it is it worth it You bet... 43 years now of horse companionship. Neck nuzzles, Whickers for peppermints, toof clicks for sckritchies..... Miles of country riding or driving. Thats just the personal stuff.

 

[jettgirl24]

Ok, so I've read through this entire thread now and I have to second the advice of a few other people on here. I think an awesome thing for you to do that would prepare you for horse ownership without a long term financial commitment would be to find a great horse to lease. Lease for a year and if at the end of that year you are still passionate about horses and feel confident that you have the time and financial ability to care for a horse go out and buy one.... Or maybe you'll be fortunate enough to get to buy your lease horse should you want to do that.

Also, find a reputable trainer that you can learn from. If you learned nothing in two years as a beginning rider your trainer straight up sucked, if I may be blunt. I have been riding for 25 years and I learn something new every single time I ride. I learn about 1000 new things every time I ride in a lesson with my unbelievably awesome trainer. I guarantee that the top riders in the world in any discipline will also tell you that they learn something every time they go out to the barn so if your instructor can't teach you anything it's definitely time to get a new instructor.

The advice given here may be a bit harsh but it's all right on. Horse ownership is serious business but totally doable once you've got a little experience under your belt. Don't be pushed away from horses, just take it slow and consume every ounce of information you can from experienced people and professionals. The more you know, the more fun you can have with them. It's a lot of responsibility but it's also by far the most rewarding part of my life. Wouldn't trade the past 25 years with my horses for all the money I have spent on them... And MAN would I be rich if I did

 

[mom2jedi]

Alright, I haven't posted till now and I did read the entire thread. I currently do not have a horse, that being said I did have one for a number of years as a teenager only giving him up because I got married. I was the typical little girl obsessed with horses and fortunately my dad and stepmom lived on a property where horses were allowed. I was given lessons starting when I was 11 (I think) and used my instructors *bomb proof* lesson horse. I even did a show with him before deciding competition was not for me. After a couple years my parents made the financial jump and got me my own horse. I think I was 13. Even before I had my horse, there were horses on the property so I'd pretty much grown up around them. I was horse savvy I guess you could say even before I owned one. That's not to say I wasn't over the moon when I got Bentley. He was a gorgeous blood bay Thoroughbred that had done some competitive show jumping and his previous owner needed a horse that would be able to advance with her. He was perfect for me. To this day I regret having to give him up, but that's life. I just didn't have time after I got married and it wasn't fair to him.

On to my advice for you. Horses are big, clumsy, stupid, and scare easily. They are also brilliant, majestic, and can make you feel loved in a way you've never felt before. If there is something that could possibly injure your horse, they will find it. Case in point, one of my cousin's horses caught the soft part of his nostril on a metal ring (somehow it got damaged and was no longer a closed loop) and ripped his nose a good three inches. It took several stitches and an expensive vet bill when all was said and done. Are they worth the effort though? ABSOLUTELY. I would give just about anything to have a horse again but I know I do not have the finances to support owning a horse. I think it was Pat that said she has 18 months of expenses saved for each of her horses on top of emergency vet bill costs. This is an excellent plan and I encourage anyone who has a horse to follow this advice.

Horses are expensive. Period. There is always something that needs to be done with them. Yearly vet checks are a must for things like vaccines, checking their teeth and floating them if needed (floating is grinding the teeth if they have sharp points), and a general physical. Monthly food costs vary depending on where you live and what exactly you are doing with your horse. I only ever fed my horse hay simply because he was a leisure horse and was not competing or asked to do anything strenuous. That is not to say your horse wouldn't need supplemental food/grain along with the hay. Our hay bill was roughly $80 a month but that was nearly 20 years ago. He was fed twice a day and we tossed a flake over the fence instead of using a feeder. There is also worming you have to do, if I remember correctly every two months and rotating wormers between three different types each time. Regular hoof trimming is a necessity. This is not something you can put off because it doesn't *look* like it needs to be done. Every 6-8 weeks depending on what your farrier recommends. My horse wore shoes (partly due to being a thoroughbred) but if your horse is barefoot, they may not ever need them. There is a movement in the horse community away from shoes and getting horses back to having bare feet. It's just starting but you may encounter differing opinions regarding shoes because of it so thought I would mention it just in case.

As for keeping a lone horse? They are a herd animal and really do need companionship. Some horses will be fine with other animals while others need equine company. There were always at least two horses around when I was growing up and occasionally three. Being in San Diego, land here is scarce and they had between 1/4 acre and 1/2 acre with an attached barn just for them. That doesn't seem like much but you have to consider the fact that we had an exercise ring as well as trails to use and there really is no such thing as "pasture" for your horses here unless you are raising them. It's possible but grass doesn't grow here without watering a lot so most people have dirt runs.

I agree that some of the post have seemed a bit tough, but most horse people that know what they're talking about have seen newbies get bad advice and jump into ownership without a clue as to what they are getting into. All of the advice so far has been sound and if you are not able to take the advice you asked for (tough or not), you might not be ready for it. Working in a barn as a groom in exchange for lessons is the best way to work around horses. There really isn't a better way to learn what you need to without getting overwhelmed or ending up in a bad/not ideal situation like what happened to Arabianequine.

As you can tell by most of the responses, horse people have a lot to say when it comes to introducing someone to their world. From the outside, horses are glamorous and bring to mind images of the Marlboro man and every movie that ever had a horse in it. From the inside, horses are tons of blood, sweat, and tears but in the end most wouldn't trade it for anything. They are so rewarding. All it takes is that one moment when you and your horse make a connection and move together as one to be hooked for life. I'm sure all the horse people here would agree there is nothing like that moment and you'll know it when it happens.

Good luck and if you really want to get a horse please follow the advice you asked for and learn a lot for a long while before you do. Oh, and Craigslist really isn't the place for a beginner horse. You will need an experienced horse in its later teens preferably an ex-lesson horse. The ones on Craigslist really are for people with tons of experience that are looking for a project horse (usually).

 

[mom2jedi]

perchie.girl :

LOL... or when you buy a horse sight unseen off the internet and hire a shipper again off the internet and wait for 30 days for it all to either come together or to find out if everyone ran away with your money. Then Harness doesnt fit so have to buy a new one. 500-1000 for a cheepo one. Cart doesnt fit and the Two Wheeled Road cart I was drooling over would cost more than the horse.... Heck NOTHING fits becaus I went from Arabs to Percherons. Horse isnt trained yet and the trainer is 500 bucks a month on top of board.... Or in my infinite wisdom decide to do it myself and get dragged by the foot over bandini mountain (maneur pile) among all the other mistakes in harness training. (said horse was finally trained by a wonderful trainer who did it in exchange for the Meadowbrook cart that didnt fit)

Was it is it worth it You bet... 43 years now of horse companionship. Neck nuzzles, Whickers for peppermints, toof clicks for sckritchies..... Miles of country riding or driving. Thats just the personal stuff.

You poor thing! Where are you in SD? Down in South Bay/Imperial Beach somewhere? Oh and you have a Percheron?

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
You poor thing! Where are you in SD? Down in South Bay/Imperial Beach somewhere? Oh and you have a Percheron?

Hi fellow San Diego'er um 'ite....

LOL once you go draft you never go back....

95 percent of my horse ownership was in Santee. since 1967. I bought my current house in 2003 during the cedar fires. Its in Jacumba which is 60 miles east in the high desert. Thats the place thats so remote. My horse is (will be) so alone out there the next place that has horses is about two miles away. Circumstance brought us back into town for the past 4 years, Work , family.... But we are packing for the move back up by the end of the month.

 

[arabianequine]

@ perchie.girl thank you! I have tried finding a mentor through the AHA and it did not work out. I am pretty rual.

It is not the horses fault. I can't get my money back that I have into her by any means and I really don't care anymore. I don't want to have to worry about her. I would not have it any other way. She really is a good horse and I do love her. We have been through a lot together already in 2 years.

 

[mom2jedi]

perchie.girl :

Hi fellow San Diego'er um 'ite....

LOL once you go draft you never go back....

95 percent of my horse ownership was in Santee. since 1967. I bought my current house in 2003 during the cedar fires. Its in Jacumba which is 60 miles east in the high desert. Thats the place thats so remote. My horse is (will be) so alone out there the next place that has horses is about two miles away. Circumstance brought us back into town for the past 4 years, Work , family.... But we are packing for the move back up by the end of the month.

LOL San Diegan! I'm not far from Santee, just east of it in fact right where El Cajon meets Santee and Lakeside. Ugh, cedar fires .... shudder.... that was scary wasn't it? I was on the coast for that but I'll never forget how bad the air was even that far west. Wow Jacumba, that is a little remote...

 

[dreamcatcherarabians]

ShadowRooster, I grew up around horses, don't remember not having horses and can't imagine life without them. That's the good part. The bad part is, no matter how much you actually know vs how much you think you know, there's always a horse who's going to 'learn you the hard way'. I've had horses for at least 45 years, probably more, and last summer I got injured so bad by one of my horses I almost lost a foot. Not the horse's fault in the least, but it left me in a world of poop! I have 10 of my own horses, 17 client horses, somewhere between 35 & 45 hens & roosters and around 20 barn cats, 3 dogs, 1 kid and a husband to look after, not to mention the house and ranch work. My husband is a flight nurse, so gone for 24-48 hrs at a time and so the majority of the farmwork and animal care falls on me.

At the time I got hurt I had 16 horses of my own. We'd just gotten back from a horse show up in NE, had a great time, cleaned up the ribbons yak yak yak. The next day, my friend who's a professional photographer wanted to take pics of my mare and her 1 month old foal. I was trying to get the foal a little bit away from mamma so the photog could get a good shot and momma was being a little difficult. I asked her to move without noticing that she couldn't go forward, so when she moved she moved back right onto my foot. This is a 16.2 or 3 mare, very large and heavy. She crushed my foot through my heavy work boot, and pivoted to move off of me. She tore my boot to shreds, I ended up with compartment syndrome in my foot and had several surgical procedures to try and save my foot. Obviously, I was laid up from the day of the injury, early May and I STILL have to have help around the barn. I'm still in physical therapy and still hoping my foot will finish healing well enough that I can come back to doing all the care for my animals again.


The point to this ramble is, no matter how well you try to prepare and plan life can still throw a curve ball at you. I ended up giving away 6 horses, so that my feed bill would decrease enough to pay for my barn help. The place is in a shambles because I'm not out there making sure everything is up to my standards and it's making me crazy. Life with horses is rewarding like no other, but to not let you know about all the hazards, to horse and to human, would not be fair of us who own these lovely creatures. Every one else has told you about the things required to keep a horse healthy and well, but most won't think to mention all the times you'll get stepped on or hit in the head with a horse's head because they reacted without thinking, or kicked or bitten. And 97% of the time, it's the HUMAN'S fault that this stuff happens. It happens when we are tired, over confident, distracted or just plain having a 'stupid in public' day.

I know you've got guts, you handle EMUS for cryin out loud, those can be some TOUGH birds to handle. If you can handle, raise, work with an Emu, you can handle a horse. They're just different and you have to be willing to learn to speak their language. If you're willing and can accept all the bumps, bruises and breaks that seem to be inevitable with a horse or horses then you'll be fine.

I spend approximately $150/mo/horse on feed and upkeep. That includes the routine farrier/vet and preventative stuff. Emergencies and breeding are a whole 'nuther ball of wax that you don't want to get real into right now. Suffice it to say that a colic surgery for a horse is approx $10,000.00 and there are no guarantees. Euthanasia alone is between $200 & $700 depending on what part of the country you're in. If you can afford 2 horses, I'd really recommend it. Not so much because of the herd aspect, though there is that, but because I like being able to ride different horses. If I get the opportunity to go on a weekend trail ride for 25 miles on Sat and 45 on Sunday I like to ride 2 horses rather than wear 1 out. And if one is ill or injured, you have a spare. Or one for a friend to ride. It just seems to work out better.

Not trying to talk you out of it, or make you feel unworthy, but horses are a HUGE time commitment. My vacations are horse shows and I haven't been off the ranch for more than 10 days in YEARS and I've never been off of it for something like a cruise or non-horse vacation. They're expensive, and accident prone like you cannot believe. An old trainer of mine once put it this way. "You can wrap them in cotton batting to protect them from other horses. You can put them in a padded stall to protect them from injuries. And they will eat the padding, colic and die anyway." That's about the best summation of horse keeping I've ever heard. That and the rule that the expense of the horse and the incidence of injury are in inverse proportion. In other words, if my show horse ($$$$$$$) is out in the pasture with nothing, he'll still find a way to get a serious or disfiguring injury. The horse I bought on a whim from the auction ($) will never get injured even if left in a pasture full of old rusted out derelict cars, and rolls of loose barb wire fencing laying around.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
Wow Dremcatcher. I have seen your horses and they are to drool for.

My last horse was half Arab half Standardbred. The only horse I ever raised from a foal.

Your injury is similar to one my rommate/caretaker suffered up at my house in the desert. She is recovering. One more surgery to realign some ligaments and she should be done. Non horse accident but just one of those freak things. Hang in there you will get better and better.

My Riding ending injury was snapping my ACL ligament falling off the mounting block steps while trying to get on my 17.1 hand Percheron baby girl (she was actually 8 at the time). She was soo sweet though while I was writhing around on the ground under her feet cussing a blue streak she just planted her feet and looked at me.... "Whachat doin down there Ma?"

This is the same mare that had previously bolted with me and dragged me about twenty feet (rope wrapped around a foot All my fault) before the harness broke. At 55 now I stick to driving a little and puttering... never did show much Takes way too much of everything out of me.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
LOL San Diegan! I'm not far from Santee, just east of it in fact right where El Cajon meets Santee and Lakeside. Ugh, cedar fires .... shudder.... that was scary wasn't it? I was on the coast for that but I'll never forget how bad the air was even that far west. Wow Jacumba, that is a little remote...

Its eighteen acres of heaven.... There is a buffer zone of about two miles deep of BLM land between me and the border. Nearest neighbor is an ex cowboy/biker loves animals and knows the needs of horses I trust him to feed If I have to be away. A bale of Alfalfa hay right now runs about 15-16 dollars in San Diego county but if you pop down into Imperial county around Seely you can pick it up for around 10. Reference for those in other states California Hay is baled in three strand bales and runs approximately 135-150 lbs per bale.

Percherons dont eat as much as you might think. Draft horses have a different metabolism than light horses. And they do better on Grass hay. So I go down to Seely about once every two months or so and buy bermuda. For about six bucks a bale for 120-135 lb bales. I can get 22 bales on my truck. They load I unload. I used to take each bale off the truck and stack them individually. Till I learned how to tie the load off to the fence and drive out from underneath. After that all I have to do is stack it. Best I can do is 3 bales high. Thats six bales per pallet Three and a half pallets worth.... Hay has to be kept off the ground then it has to be covered so the dew doesnt rot it. The rabbits still get in underneath and destroy about 30 percent of the bottom bales.

People think I am nuts to go back to that. I walk with a cane and My arthritis makes anything do SLOW work. But Heck. All I have is time.