Getting my first horse!

[patandchickens]

Ponies and minis are about equally founder-prone, so you would still want to have that same plan B.

By far the best companion for a horse is another member of its own species; but sheep or goats are certainly better than nothing. And horses differ in how much they need companionship of various sorts. And there is a lot of grey area between horse being fully happy and horse curling up and dying (which they generally do not do, well I mean not from loneliness )

An elderly Arab often makes a good cheap relatively-bombproof companion, if you were looking for that sort of thing. Many are very easy keepers and pretty healthy.

Pat

 

[freemotion]

Bear in mind that horses are expensive to keep and feed is only a small part of the bills. So a companion horse/pony will still need hoof care, vet care, dental care, grooming, etc.

That is why I got a couple of goats when I brought my mare home after years of boarding. I can do the hoof trims myself and the shots and such on a goat, and they eat very little hay when kept with a horse. Goats are normally wasteful, but the horse is not as fussy and will eat anything the goats drop. With goats, once it hits the ground, it is no longer edible.

You do need a place for the goats to get away from the horse if necessary. Mine eventually all lived together and it worked out great.

ETA: Oh, and with a horse with an equine companion, there is usually a lot of drama, hollering, and misbehavior when one is taken out to be ridden while the other is left behind. With my two goats, it wasn't much of an issue.

 

[Avalon1984]

Ponies and minis are about equally founder-prone, so you would still want to have that same plan B.

By far the best companion for a horse is another member of its own species; but sheep or goats are certainly better than nothing. And horses differ in how much they need companionship of various sorts. And there is a lot of grey area between horse being fully happy and horse curling up and dying (which they generally do not do, well I mean not from loneliness )

An elderly Arab often makes a good cheap relatively-bombproof companion, if you were looking for that sort of thing. Many are very easy keepers and pretty healthy.

Pat

I really need to give Pat credit here as she is bringing up some great points for new horse owners. If the OP is not willing to have a vet check done on a horse that she may or may not buy (although it certainly would make the purchase decision a little easier and may or may not allow a negotiation on the purchase price), did she consider other expenses as well? There is many different things to consider when owning a horse and the cost for a vet check would be the least of my worries. I am the type of person that takes 3-5 months to choose the horse I like and in the meantime that horse will be visited very often, being seen under saddle, I will ride it myself under saddle, do ground work and trailering. And then we'll have a vet check done as well. A seller that wants their horse to go to a good home will not have a problem with that at all. Cost of my vet check was $300 and well worth it. I would never buy a horse sight unseen. Pictures and videos are one thing but unless you interact with it, how do you know that the horses is well worth the asking price, or is it maybe overpriced, or is it a steal? Thank you for your great posts Pat. I always enjoy reading them

 

[hlf1996]

oh yes, I bought my 4 year old horse about a month ago.. and he was supposed to be a horse that hadnt been ridden in a couple "weeks" we went to see him and she said she didnt have a saddle that she could to at the moment (she has a couple other horses) and when we seen him he was SO calm. So we bought him. And I am glad we bought him. He is a great horse when somebody isnt trying to ride him. He allows the saddle and bridle to be on him and lets people sit on the saddle but he dosent understand the reining. We have/are having a trainer work with him. And he is doing ALOT better but he wasnt quite what they said. The lady was very nice also. And I love my horse but the training is costing a lot and just FYI horses are not cheap at all so be prepared for that. Good luck though

 

[Barefoot Pony]

Hi there, I'm a new horse owner, too, and I skipped the vet check on our first horse....

The seller was a friend of a friend, an established sale barn with a beautiful website, and a lot of talk about matching the right horse to the right person.

We knew the horse had a little arthritis -- she was a been-there-done-that middle aged girl who could still tear it up at gymkhana. Perfect for us! We had a lesson at the place, went back another time and rode the horse, loved her...

Skipped the vet check! Because it would have been too expensive!

We got her home... and she was very, very lame. Not just "a little stiff", as we'd been told. Unsound to the point of not being ride-able.

We tried to get the barn to take her back, and they refused, saying she wasn't like that when she left their place. "It must have happened in the trailer on the way over."

By this time we had tried everything (xrays, corrective shoeing, Bute, supplements), and we were so in love with the horse that we wouldn't have given her back even if they'd agreed to take her. (She is a real sweetheart, just has really bad arthritis.)

Moral of the story: cheap horse + no vet check = VERY expensive horse.

 

[theawesomefowl]

Beautiful horse! I always wanted a horse, but then I discovered I really wasn't an equine person. have fun with your new friend!