A horse can make an excellent companion, but it needs a lot of preparation, care, time, and money before and after the purchase. With so many different breeds, sizes, and personalities, there’s a lot more to caring for a horse than most people may think. This guide will highlight horse care and ownership basics to prepare you to take the ride.
Take Lessons
If you’re unfamiliar with horse riding, raising, and care, lessons are available to teach you the basics. The first step to raising a horse is knowing how to approach, ride, and pay attention to body language. There are easy mistakes to make with a horse, such as walking behind one, that can cause serious injury to both of you.
Research Horses
There are many different types of horses, each varying in personality, breed, size, coat length, and temperament. Before purchasing, familiarize yourself with the types of horses and their costs. Know what your ideal horse is in terms of size, temperament, energy level, and coat length.
Types of Horses
There are many different breeds of horses, including various sizes, such as miniature horses. You’ll want a size you can confidently work with. If you want to ride your horse, it must be big enough to carry an adult human. However, you’ll need the proper space to care for a larger horse. You can purchase a foal (a baby) or an adult, fully trained horse, but if it’s your first time, buying and training a foal can be very challenging; if you fail to train away a foal’s bad habits, you’ll be dealing with a large horse with bad manners that can injure you if an accident happened.
Typical Costs
Horses cost a lot of money, so you must be financially prepared. Horses themselves can cost thousands of dollars. You’ll need pounds and gallons of food and water daily, which can add up. Buying and constructing a barn can cost tens of thousands of dollars, depending on size. You will likely need a horse trailer for transportation as well. You’ll need to save up money and budget accordingly.
Prepare Your Property
Horses are large animals that require a lot of space and care. To provide adequate care and shelter for a horse, you will need a decent yard space, shelter, and an area to roam and exercise. You will often need to construct or purchase a barn or shelter if you haven’t yet.
Barn or Stable
One of the most essential features a horse needs is shelter to protect it from extreme weather, predators, and other threats. A barn or stable works perfectly for this purpose. When searching for a horse barn for sale, you want to be sure it is of adequate size to host your horse, with plenty of room to stand up, turn around, sleep, and lounge when it is sheltered. A stable is a valid choice instead of a barn; it is typically smaller with less versatility. Barns usually offer storage space, grooming stations, and even office space if desired; stables will only host horse pens. You’ll also want to consider everything you need out of a barn; you may want to opt for a larger size if you’d like room to store horse equipment and supplies.
Pasture
Pastures are an excellent way for a horse to get enrichment, eat, and exercise. A pasture is a large grass field for horses to graze, wander, and lounge. Pasture grass is a staple part of a horse’s diet, so you may consider adding a designated space to your yard for a horse to go to pasture.
Fencing
Horses tend to wander, so anywhere you’d like them to roam will require adequate fencing so they don’t get lost or leave your property. Fences should be tall, as horses are large and can jump over obstacles quickly.
Buy and Store Food
Horses can eat many pounds of food and drink gallons of water daily, so you’ll need a place to store and provide food and water for your horse. Water troughs are great options to provide water and can be placed inside a barn or pasture. Horses also eat hay, oats, and grass. Pasture grass is the best option for horse grazing, and can eat their entire daily diet with grass alone. Barns can hold a horse’s hay when they are sheltered and unable to eat their daily diet in pasture grass. Oats and other grains are also good options if they do not get their daily diet from grass or hay. Pay attention to how much a horse eats, as they can grow overweight quickly, putting stress on their legs and joints.
Grooming
Horses need regular grooming, especially if you’re planning on competing. You’ll need adequate space to clean your horse’s hooves, coat, mane, and tail. Brushing a horse is also essential for coat health. Grooming increases the bond with your horse, prevents skin conditions, and can lower their stress levels. A designated space to wash, brush, and groom your horse is ideal. Many barns have grooming stations separate from their stable for adequate drying.
Exercise
Horses require a lot of exercise, and their size will require space to do so. A pasture can be an exercise option, but a designated area for a horse to run is ideal. You’ll also need space to ride your horse when necessary. Be sure the area is fenced in. There are also horse exercises that encourage movement, but they can take up a lot of space and cost a lot of money.
Training
Horses don’t come equipped with the ability to follow commands and host a human on its back by default. You’ll have to train them, especially if you buy a foal. You can purchase trained horses, probably the best option for your first time. However, your horse will also need to know how to pay attention to you specifically, so you’ll likely need items like a training clicker, treat rewards, reins, and more. You’ll also need to desensitize and socialize them to anything they will regularly be exposed to, such as other animals, grooming, saddles, and more. You can hire a horse trainer to help you or attend classes to help you better understand horse training. There is also a wide variety of online articles and videos on master training.
Healthcare
You’ll need to locate a veterinarian familiar with equestrian illnesses and health. The veterinarian can visit your horse on the farm, or you can transport the horse to a facility. You’ll ideally have a preventative care plan and an action plan if illness or injury occurs.
