Young Horse Lover... HELP!

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For the Love of Horses

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Jan 4, 2017
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Hi I've been obsessed with since before i was even walking. im a teen and ive been trying to get a horse of my own for years. Its just me and my mom with our old dog and cat on a farm of 300 acres. we have the room and we both have the time to look after a horse. my mom said that i could get a horse a couple of months ago but soon changed her mind. i recently just took up a job feeding horses for the neighbors down the road but since they are always busy or away im unable to spend much time with the horses.

i have had a few riding lessons but nothing consistent since there arent barns or facilities around, just breeders. i know how to care for horses, ive been stocked up on horse and pony encyclopedias since i was 4. i know that i need an older horse to start with and most likely a gelding and right now im trying to convince my mom.

any extra advice PLEASE?! and thanks for all suggestions
 
Hello and welcome:D
I am sure you'll get lots of advice. It's probably best to keep two horses together rather than a gelding alone, they like and need company of their own kind. Even if you don't ride both, maybe a good idea to consider a rescue / charity companion? I am guessing you are in the US? There will be horse charities over there too. I have a wonderful companion mare who came from a charity, who keeps my ridden mare company.
You sound keen, and I hope you can follow your passion. What made your mum change her mind? Also, it might be an idea to try and get some more lessons, but maybe if you do become a horse owner and keep a horse at home you can get a freelance instructor out to give lessons. It is always good to have backup and advice with a first horse.
 
I agree with Trewsers about it not really being fair to only get one, horses are very social creatures. If you can't get two would it be possible to take in a DIY livery or two?

Remember that there are a lot of costs to having a horse, just because you have grazing (& is it suitable grazing?) doesn't mean it still won't cost a lot. Regular farrier visits, possible vets fees, vaccinations, supplementary feed if needed, hay in winter, insurance etc. Also there's a lot of difference between book learning & hands on experience. I cannot recommend strongly enough that you get some proper riding lessons & also some practical handling & stable management - mistakes with horses can all too often be costly & painful. Talk to your mum & see why she changed her mind, she may have very good reasons.

I'm not trying to spoil your dream, but I'm not sure that at this point it's practical.
 
Hi welcome :D Good advice above, Perhaps if you have plenty of space you could see if you mum would advertise for a livery/agistment so that someone could put their horses on your land and look after them themselves but that might give you the chance to help them out to get more experience, perhaps even one of the local studs might be interested in getting szome extra grazing for their mares/youngstock :)
 
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Thank you all for your advice. Yes i understand the costs and challenges of keeping a horse. I may not be able to get two but i have a dog and cat who both love company and horses. Hay in winter will not be a challenge as well as the cold winters as the weather doesnt get very cold here in Florida but there will be no problem getting hay for when it is needed. My mother has been thinking of using our land as a livery but there arent people around that would need land for their horses as people already have many acres dedicated to their horses. I may not have all of the experience that i need but my neighbors are always only a phone call away who have raised horses for most of their lives.
 
Personally I don't feel cats, dogs etc are a suitable substitute for another horse as company - how would you feel if you lived alone most of the time with very little interaction with the outside world & someone gave you a cat to be with for an hour or so a day? And it's even worse for a horse because they're more social animals who also take safety & security from their herd. If you did get a horse could you keep it with someone else's? That would also give you someone on site who had practical experience - your neighbours may only be a phone call away but would you know when to make that call?
 
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carthorse said:
Personally I don't feel cats, dogs etc are a suitable substitute for another horse as company - how would you feel if you lived alone most of the time with very little interaction with the outside world & someone gave you a cat to be with for an hour or so a day? And it's even worse for a horse because they're more social animals who also take safety & security from their herd. If you did get a horse could you keep it with someone else's? That would also give you someone on site who had practical experience - your neighbours may only be a phone call away but would you know when to make that call?
Click to expand...

This^^^^^
 
Agreed, definitely can't have one horse all by itself, some do ok with a donkey but cats and dogs are totally different species and not the same thing. Do your neighbours that have raised horses have any currently?
 
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