experienced horse owners, please give me any tips on caring for a horse, i would like to adopt one! :-)?
pet_lova asked:
i am 17 (almost 18), and i am really wanting to adopt a horse!!! i have loved horses ever since i can remember (and tho i have never ridden one, i am going to start taking lessons soon). i am going to be taking on an extra job to help get money to take care of the horse. can anyone give me any information on caring for a horse?? or any good websites!! please help as i would like to know as much as i can so i can give a horse the best possible life!!
(i don’t live on a farm, but there is a stable within 10 minutes of my house, and i have already looked into the pricing). on average, per month, how much does it cost to care for a horse? the boarding would be 465/m, other than that, how much does it cost?
thank you in advance to any one who can help!! 
When you take lessons, you often can ride different horses over the course of the lessons. This gives you more experience in choosing a horse, if you eventually buy one. It is better to be riding a little while, so that you actually know what type of horse you really want. When you take lessons, you often have the advantage of possibly being able to enter shows, because the horses have been “around the block” a few times and may have been in shows, if you are in a barn with other people taking lessons and a barn offering barn shows. If you have not ridden, hardly at all, then you will definitely need experience. You will need a truly experienced horse person to help you choose a horse. Also, I would say that if the barn owner wants you to immediately buy a horse, before let’s say at least 6 months or more of riding experience, they are in it for the money and are not interested in your safety or in helping you spend about $2000 wisely. First-time riders need a horse that is easy-going, experienced, and of course safe. You want to know the horse does not kick, buck or have any other bad habits. Horses inherantly increase any bad habits they may already have, if you do not know how to work with them – you could get a really nice horse, but if you do not have someone who will regularly work with you on your own riding habits, you may think the horse is not very good, anymore. This is where a good trainer comes in, and that is an added cost. Get lots of books, and you will learn how to care for a horse. You will learn what things to look out for as far as health issues, and what you need to know for training. If you look on used booksites, you can probably find loads of horse books relatively cheap. Look at the bookstore, and then see if you can find the ones you like online, used. Read a lot, and listen to the trainer you are using. Always listen to safety tips which are first and foremost for a person beginning with horses.
Costs:
Horse hoof trimming varies, but begins around $25-35, every six weeks as long as the horse is not wearing shoes (mine has no shoes). Worming may be $8.00-$15.00 every six weeks. Spring shots and check-up may be $100 and up. Other health issues would not be able to be calculated if the horse suffered some sort of problem. Training might be a concern if you buy a horse before you are experienced, yourself. One training session will be at least the cost of a lesson, perhaps $25-$50. Many of these costs depend upon where you live, so you would have to check out local prices, on your own.
Tack: Oh, boy, this can be expensive. Even used saddles are expensive. Plan on spending a very minimum of $200 and that is a synthetic saddle, probably on sale. Bridles are about $50.00. You will also need: a saddle pad, a girth, brushes, simple first aid medications, a halter, a lead rope, and most likely a lunge line, etc. Go to a tack store and ask what the beginning horse owner needs to buy, and then write down the prices.
Never, ever buy a horse without getting a vet check before giving the owner anything but a small deposit (specify in writing, that it be refundable if the horse does not pass the vet check). Try to find a vet that the owner is not using, and if the owner discourages a vet check, saying the horse is in good health and don’t bother, don’t give them a cent. If the vet does not recommend purchasing the horse, then don’t, as medical costs can be really expensive.
What is really great is that the stable is only 10 minutes from your house. Maybe you can work at the stable to pay for lessons and then learn more about horses. Take at least 6 months of lessons, but more would be even better for you, before buying a horse. Besides, by the time 6 months are up, the prices of horses are down because of the winter months. Always vet check, ALWAYS!!!
my best advice: Don’t adopt one.
find somebody that will let you ride their horse and agree to split the cost of feed and whatnot,
learn how to care for it before you even think about buying or adopting
Seeing that you like horses a lot, I can see where you are coming from in wanting to ‘adopt’ a horse. Well, its a bit harder than that. First of all, you need to find a friendly horse that you have a connection with, and then you need to actually buy it. The price of a good horse ranges from $5000 to… high. Very high it seems now-a-days. ^-^ The boarding fee of that price sounds good enough. But, before buying a horse, I highly recommend that you visit the farm close to you and see if they offer lessons with school horses. You should learn first, see how you like it, and what type of riding you would want to get into. That way, you know what type of horse you would like to buy. Anyway, good luck with your new horse!!
ok im ridin outa hear be back to help you on this, in Jesus amazing grace, David– for now if you open up a yahoo 360 we have a number of horse clubs you can join in there- look me up -I am David Israel, or e mail me
ok I learned about your pets for a back ground-you will make a good horse owner-yet with all the pets it will require alot of work, and if you have it boarded -you still have to do grooming depending on how much they do at the stable-costs vary—from place to place- $200 -600 a month depending on location and if its more than just stabeling the horse. its got to be shod and other stuff too. It is a biggie I would suggest you act the princess get your prince and get married and then get the horse together-half the work and someone reliable to join this adventure. You can visit the boarding place and make friends with people there-and be paid or offer to help-with the horses just to get a feel for it.
happy ridding princess, David and love your animals-but withold love even kisses from any guy till you know he is the prince for your life!