Certainly no one should consider unless they have the necessary facilities and have first mastered the rudiments of horse care.
These include knowledge of feeding, grooming, general stable management and basic first aids.
All horses and ponies need safe accommodation and daily attention. They cannot be set aside on a Sunday afternoon and forgotten about until the following weekend.
Unlike small domestic animals, who share their owners home, they need large facilities of heir own, maintenance of which take time and money.
Depending on the work required of them and their breed or type, horses can either be kept on grass or stabled or a combination of the two.
The owner will therefore need access to grazing, a stable, weatherproof storage area for feed, bedding and tools and somewhere secure to keep tack and other equipment.
Judith Draper
So many people go into keeping horses and ponies without first weighing up the cost.
You may have to pay rent to keep your horse on grazing and you might have to pay an additional charge for the use of a stable.
Try and get the stable in with the cost of grazing if the use of the stable is for emergencies only.
Some yards will not allow your horse to graze 24/7 as they do not have enough grazing and will have to use a stable at nights or a small area through the winter months which can rise the cost.
Injections
You also have to pay for the tetanus and flu injections yearly or if you chose to have only the tetanus, then once the vet starts the tetanus the booster is usually a 2 year interval for the next tetanus.
You might also need to have them injected for mites, which my horses have yearly injections of Dectomax.
Wormers.
You will be worming your horse/pony every six/eight weeks unless you send a sample away to be tested. Some owner do not use wormers and use a worm egg count instead.
The farrier.
He visits every 6 weeks. If you're not riding then they will still need to have trims. If riding on roads, the farrier will do a trim and then apply shoes.
Dentist.
Your horse will need to have their teeth checked! My horse have the dentist every six months!
Feed.
You can buy a virility of feed and most horses do not need it. Many feed thinking their horse needs feeding! But finding out, what, when and how to feed your horse is a must. Feeding hay or haylage in the winter months when the grass stops growing or for when your horse is in the stable.
Rugs.
If your horse needs a rug, the cost can be verify immensely. I have bought rugs from the horse markets when, Paris, was ill and they lasted and did the job. They will get ripped and dirty and you can send them off to be repaired and washed. I used to sew, Paris's, rugs myself and wash them. Many horse shops do repairs and washes!
Vet.
Then there is the vet cost. They can be enormous! You can take insurance out for horses for treatment, riding and tack. It is best to check which will be the best for you and make sure you check the reviews as there are many takes months to pay out and a few that do pay out straight away with no problems at all.
If you horse forums, ask questions. You will get honest answers and find the insurance companies to avoid!
Fencing.
You might be responsible for the fencing. If the horse/pony escape from the field, then it is your responsibility!
Be careful with barb wire. I have it in my field and cannot remove it. I have used plastic post and electric fencing to keep the horses away from it. I know in some cases the owners will not allow you to remove it, so putting another line of fencing in front of the barb wire will do the trick and you can also take it with you if you move yards/fields.
Time.
Do you have time for your horse? Making sure you check your horse or there is someone there to do that for you every day. At yards they will take your horse out into the field and put the horse back into the stable, water and feed your horse if you cannot attend, but that all comes with a cost! Make sure you ask the right questions, what the charges are if you need someone to look after your horse in case of emergencies, taking out of the stable, water and feeding the horse and if the horse needs a vet when you’re not there. There will be a day/night something will pop up and you cannot get to your horse. So make a list of questions you need to ask and get the prices and write it all down.
Tack and Grooming
If you're starting to ride, then price up all the tack, sables and not forgetting the grooming kit!
Once you have done your research and got all the cost together, you will know if you can afford the upkeep of horse or pony. If it is too much and you cannot afford it, then look for a horse or a pony on loan!
Loaning
is a pretty good way of knowing if a horse/pony is really for you and if you can give the horse the best care it deserves.
I have seen many children/adults buy a horse/pony, only to see them going to the market to sell them on as they have lost interest or cannot keep the cost of the upkeep going.
Many do go to the meat man as they cannot sell the horse/pony on and that is heart breaking.
Horsecaring5