Quite a commitment and an investment?

[Mountain Man]

It's definitely a major commitment in time, work and money. If you've never owned a horse before, you may want to ease your way in by buying a horse and boarding it out. Then make a point of going every day to ride or at least brush him down. This will give you some idea of the level of commitment it will take, especially if you plan to have a horse at your own place.

[Lamebeaver]

Originally Posted by CozInCowtown

Horses are almost as deep a hole as a boat!

You don't need to muck out a boathouse every day.....

Horses are a major commitment, but hey, everyone needs a hobby. Otherwise, you live, work, die.

[CozInCowtown]

If you have the place horses are not that big a burden.
The last horse we brought home cost $550 plus we bought a pawnshop saddle for him for $150. Just an extra pony for the kids to ride and spoil rotten.
Our little farm has plenty of grazeing and we are so far below carring capacity that we just feed a cup or two of sweet feed each morning to keep them interested.
DC

[skybear]

Do you ride often now? I'm not sure how old you are (no offense) but if you're not used to it riding can take a lot out of you. If you're wanting to buy one I'm sure you're familiar with that but I think you should think long-term.

[oldsarge]

After seeing what my Niece and Brother in-law has to do to take of their horse, I'll have none of that. Way too much work for me. Horse are great and noble animals but I can't commit to that and it wouldn't be fair to the animal.

[dinosaur]

Originally Posted by CozInCowtown

If you have the place horses are not that big a burden.
The last horse we brought home cost $550 plus we bought a pawnshop saddle for him for $150. Just an extra pony for the kids to ride and spoil rotten.
Our little farm has plenty of grazeing and we are so far below carring capacity that we just feed a cup or two of sweet feed each morning to keep them interested.
DC

CoZinCowtown, you and I are alike. I have a 50 acre ranch with nine horses on it. I have a barn for the stallion since he has to be kept separate from the herd. He gets fed every day since his pen is only about two and a half acres. The rest of the herd is in a twenty six acre field. They pretty much take care of themselves. I have the vet come out once or twice a year. Same with the ferrier. In the winter, I feed a round bail about every ten days. Last year it cost about $2,500 to care for all of them. This year might end up being cheaper because the price of hay is down. Getting a horse is easy because people are giving them away. You can adopt one just like you can a dog or cat. And you don't have to ride them every day. If they have room to run, their happy. Also, my horses aren't shod. Their Arabians, drinkers of the wind.

I have a couple folks that come out and ride pretty regularly. In return, they do all the grooming whether or not the horses need it. Horses may be a pain but they sure are pretty to look at when I'm fishing my pond.

[Pathfinder1]

Hi...


Sister has owned a couple of riding horses for many years. During that time, she has spent a serious amount of money for their upkeep. But, to her, it is all well worth it.

On the other side of the coin, Granddaughter gets paid to ride horses...!! For the owners who are absent most of the time. What a great job...!!

And, in a couple of weeks, she will receive her Bachelor's degree in some kind of animal tech.

[ppine]

Coz,

Sounds like you have some great lawn (pasture) ornaments.

[dinosaur]

They're not ornaments. We ride them.

I love riding into town to the local watering hole, getting a little high and then jumping on my mount and let it drive home. It knows the way. It's my designated driver.

Once a cop pulled me over and said I was drunk and shouldn't be on the road. Before he could do anything, I took off through the woods and the horse got me home safe and sound.

I love my horses. They're not ornaments you twit!

[CozInCowtown]

Here is me and Sierra last year, they are money pits and not ornamates....