Owning a Horse: Pros and Cons
Owning a horse can sound like a lot of fun. You can imagine yourself taking it out for a ride in the countryside, jumping streams and logs, or practicing your dressage moves in the school. But owning a horse it also a lot of very hard work. In fact, you just can’t horse around when it come to equines! So read on to find out about the most common mistake that people make when owning a horse, and what you can do to right them.
Don’t miscalculate the costs involved
One of the biggest problems that horse owners come across is that they don’t have a true idea of the huge costs involved in owning and caring for a horse.
It can be pretty deceptive too because you might look at some of the specialist adverts and see that the horse themselves aren’t so expensive as to be out of reach. But that really is only half the story, because you need to pay a monthly fee like this, for a place for them to be stabled. Plus their food costs, and the fees for being exercised if you can’t do it yourself. As well as any other medical costs that they can incur.
So, speak to someone that currently owns horses, that your trust, to get a realistic view of the long-term costs involved before you make the decision to become an owner.
Don’t forget that you will have to dedicate a lot of time to your horse
Of course, owning a horse is unlike owning any other animal. Not only will you have to spend time with them, but they will need mucking out daily. As well as grooming and feeding.
For many folks, this can mean visiting them before their working day starts, and after it’s finished. Which does not leave a lot of time for anything else in their lives. Like partners, other hobbies, or their kids.
That is why you have to ensure that you are aware of how much time owning a horse will take u. As well as being prepared to dedicate yourself to this in the long term, before you consider becoming an owner.
Don’t forget that you will have to make hard decisions
Another key mistake that horse owners can make is forgetting that they may be called upon from time to time to make very tough decisions.
One such decision could be naming their steed. Which is a whole lot harder than it first seems. Remember that this is the moniker by which they will be known for the rest of their lives, so Mr. Ed simply won’t do! Happily, you can read more horse names here: to get some suggestion if you are stuck.
Other, even more, difficult decisions that you may be called on to make are veterinary ones when your horse becomes ill, or is old.
Unfortunately, horses are very complicated creatures, and it’s not always possible to cure them. So sometimes the best thing is for them to be put out of their suffering. Which is an incredibly hard thing for an owner that has built a bond with their beast to do.