Monday, February 27, 2012

Things To Consider Before Owning A Horse

By Heather Toms


It's all exceedingly fine wanting your own horse, but have you given the matter the kind of consideration it calls for? Or have you been taking a look at only one side of the coin? The side that reflects the benefits and pleasures of having a horse of your own?

To make a final decision based mostly on full consideration of all applicable practical issues, of course, you need to have a look at both sides of the coin. These are some of the difficulties that have to be resolved.

Horses need to eat and they need to drink. Unless they're wild horses or tame horses in enormous pastures with everything thrown in, they cannot feed and prepare water for themselves. They have to be housed in stalls or paddocks that really must be cleaned every day of the year. This can create difficulties when you need to go out of town on work, or are organizing a holiday. You'll have 2 choices: you can either get somebody on a short term hire to look after your horse at your place, or you put up your pony at somebody else's place. That some other person may be a good buddy or relative who also happens to have horses, or more likely it will be a professional pony boarding service.

There's no end of work related to horse rearing. It includes housing, feeding, watering, grooming and exercising your horses. It covers any medical care that could be necessary. It includes daily cleaning of the horse's accommodation. It includes upkeep of the environment including the stable and barn, the fences and the pasture if any. All these jobs range in appeal from the OK to the unpleasant to the outright foul. Irrespective of how well organized you are all these jobs aren't going to be done in a few moments.

Then you have other things to consider. Will all the odours linked with your horse rearing cause friction with your neighbors? If you're in an area with a large amount of neighbors not so far away, will youngsters from the vicinity who may be continually after your horses, wanting to feed them, pet them and ride them? This is a unpredictable situation if you happen to have any horses that are prone to biting or kicking. The most gentle of horses can kick out if frightened, and can tromp on youngsters without planning to. This suggests that you make very sure that your horses are not easily accessible. You install extremely high fences and gates that can't be opened by children.

It could be a smart idea to reconsider your options, and if you are still determined on your own horse, it may be an even better idea to get a bit of insurance.




About the Author:



No comments: