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With the Christmas season approaching many of us might be considering giving pets as gifts. I’ve always been clear on my stance: don’t give any animal as a surprise present. Make sure the giftee knows what he or she is receiving and is ready and willing for the responsibilities which come with that particular animal.
Maybe some of you are actually thinking about purchasing a particular pet that was always my special holidays dream: a horse. Sure I wanted a dog, but I always thought that might be within the realm of possibility. A horse is what I always wanted but never thought I could have.
Fast forward about twenty years, and I’m lucky enough to have Holly Stello, Professional Hunt Seat Horse Trainer, as a friend. She’s always said to me that anyone truly dedicated to owning a horse can do so. I asked her to elucidate, and the result is a mega-column on what to consider when getting a horse. I’ve quoted Holly directly in some places, but all of the information I present comes from her.
Holly kindly sat down with me to lend me her equestrian expertise. Those of you who might be thinking about getting horses should stay tuned over the next week or so; even just covering the basics our interview encompassed so much information that I’m breaking up this column into multiple parts.
Like when getting any other pet, before purchasing a horse you should make yourself aware of the requirements of the animal and see if your lifestyle is suited to meeting them. As always, different breeds of horses have different needs, so check with your vet and other professionals for the specifics.
Holly outlined to me the basics of horse care, giving me averages of the cost for each along the way: medical, food, water, exercise, and hooves. Make sure you have a good vet for your horse and you take it for annual checkups.
Your horse’s feed and hay needs are quite specific to the breed, so educate yourself on the type of horse you’re purchasing and double check the diet with your vet.
Water gets its own category under horse care because it’s not quite as simple as leaving out a dish on the floor like with dogs and cats. Horses will drink around 8 to 12 gallons of water a day, so about two full buckets. Obviously, they’ll drink less water in the winter but a hot summer will see them consume more than 10 gallons of water a day. You’ll need to check on your horse a couple times a day to make sure it has all the water it needs.
As Holly says, horses “are by nature herding animals.” That means they’ll need to spend at least 8 hours a day outside. If you’re keeping the horse yourself rather than boarding, you’ll need at least 3/4 of an acre, ideally 1 or more, for it. To save some money you can keep a horse outside all of the time, but make sure you build at least a shed for it to retreat into during harsh weather.
Just make sure that if you keep your horse outside, in colder weather you place a blanket on it to keep it warm. On mornings that start off frigid and warm up to the 40s, give the horse the blanket in the morning, and then remove it as the temperature improves.
On Friday I will resume my article on horse care, picking up with one of the most important parts of horse maintenance: the hooves.
Related Articles:
Intro from a Lifelong Animal Lover
Learning about Horses and Ponies
What to Consider When Getting a Bird
*(This image by Monkey [20after4] is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.)
