What to Consider Before Getting Yourself a Pet Horse
If you are among the many who always wanted a horse as a young kid, you should stop and find out more about owning and taking care of a horse. These majestic animals need a lot of special care to ensure that they not only survive but also thrive. Some useful considerations:
Cost
As its owner, you will not only be expected to bear the initial cost of acquiring the horse but for everything that is required to its welfare thereafter such as food, water, shelter, healthcare, and not to forget the various tools required for its proper upkeep. You will also need to plan on how and who will take care of it when you are out on a vacation of a business trip. Vet costs are also an important aspect of owning horses as they can be fairly substantial over the long-term.
Food
As surprising as it may seem, you will need to provide for far more than just grass for your horse’s feed because it cannot consume enough grass by itself for its proper sustenance. The quantity and type of feed you will need to provide will depend on factors such as the age, size, activity level, health as well as other factors like the breed, space, and weather. You will need to arrange for additional nutritional inputs like grains, protein, hay, salt, etc. because the modern horse has evolved substantially from their wild forefathers that were accustomed to living off nature.
Space
Horses require a fair amount of space for their proper growth. While your backyard may seem to be sufficiently large, most often, it will not be large enough for it to be able to move around freely, play, and exercise. According to experts, you should provide at least one acre of free space and have provision for shelter on hot days or from high winds. This is the reason why many owners actually keep their horses in facilities that are especially geared towards taking better care for horses. Explore TVG for details on the top facilities in your area.
Tools
As may be expected, horses need a lot of care and maintenance for which, you will require a variety of brushes and tools like hoof picks with which you can keep their feet clean and prevent rocks and stone splinters from hurting them. You also need to keep their feet clean of mud and manure to prevent bacterial infection. Warm and waterproof blankets are also necessary to keep your horse protected and comfortable during the winter.
Conclusion
Keeping a horse at home is not a task for the faint-hearted. Like for any household pet, you need to do everything that is necessary for its health and wellbeing, but for a large animal like a horse, the dimensions and the effort required are multiplied. Before you actually bring home a horse, consider working with a local stable to get a firsthand idea of what keeping horses entails and also read up everything you can find so that you know what you will be in for.
