Do I see a horse in my future?

[slleipnir]

Maybe! My dad has finally agreed to let me get a horse (as I'm 19 and will be paying for it on my own) so he really doesn't have a choice lol. I'm still thinking about it. I'm not too sure how much horses cost other then A LOT. I only have 2200 right now but hope to earn atleast 2k more this summer.

I'd be looking for an older horse thats very calm and gentle. I AM nervous to ride, but I was thinking with my own horse I could ride and my own pace and just love being around -my own- horse. Yeah, I'd be more excited about walking it around or grooming it or that sort of thing then riding..o_o

My only problem is monthly board. 275 a MONTH. Wow that's a lot. Plus I bet vet bills owuld cost a whole lot too T-T I'm thinking I'd need to save like 10k before considering a horse. That way I'd have enough for vet bills and board until I have a set job. By that time though I'm sure I would.

I need to go talk to my old riding instructor to see what he thinks. I've always wanted a horse. I think they are beautiful animals and the thought of getting to bond with one is just awesome. (I've never got the chance to get really close to a horse. Ever. I've only taken lessons on school horses which I got switched around a lot to learn how to control diff horses.

Oh well that sounds silly. I know there are a bunch of horse people. How much generally would you say it would cost for an older horse? Maybe 8? Would an older one be better? Also, how much generally, would it cost for vet and farrier (a month? year?)

Thanks for any info

I may not get one anytime soon, but I know for sure I'll get one ;)

[Desert Arabian]

Oh, awesome! What great news! I am going thorough the same thing too, mommy said yes to a horse a while ago. Boarding by me is not an issue at all, thank God. There are three boarding stables within a one mile radius of my house! And they are all under $200 a month. My friend boards her horse at a stable (brainfart, can't remeber name :rolleyes: ) and it is $475 a month :eek:!!!!!

$10K is a good amount to start with! As long as you have a good monthly income, you should be ok. Just pray that nothing major were to ever pop up needing surgery! That's what I am extremely worried about!

As far as what I am looking for- I want a gelding- between the ages of 6 and 20, I honestly don't care what breed they all give the same amount of love, but I am leaning towards Appendix Quarter Horse or Arabian. :D

*Excited* I can't wait to hear progress/updates I really hope you can get a horsey!!!!! :D :D

[slleipnir]

I'm not so worried about something major happening and suddenly needing money. I'm pretty sure my dad would lend me money. I'd just need to pay him back for the rest of my life lmao XD

I don't care about breed either. I just want a horse. I've always wanted a jet black Thoroughbred though..perferably 16 + hands. Either that or an Arabian of some sort. Buuut, if something good comes up I really don't care what it is (as long as it's big enough to ride haha)

Aw, you're lucky you have good stables near! I wouldn't be able to afford 475 though EVER. I duno even about 275 lmao. I think I can let him use my horse as a school horse and it would take 100 off but I'd only use that as a last resort. Don't really want people ruining my 'perfect' baby lol

And thanks, I hope I can get one too. But with university right now (just starting real courses in sept) I don't really want to work to much so I duno how I'll do it o_O Good luck with your horsey too :D

[QueenChyna]

all i have to say is one thing right now, well last september i bought myself a pony cross horse, well well well, did i know what i was getting myself into, lets just say only hlf of me knew! the tricks that people can pull when they are selling a horse! omg i never knew, well for one thing, Dixie( thats her name) kinda wants to bite but i wont let her, but when i went to go and see her, inspect, see if i wanted to buy her, they had the right rein wrapped around the horn(horn is on a western saddle) so that she could not reach her head over and bite me, so when i got her home, about a day or 2 after so she could settle in, i tried to get up on her and ride her, well well well, she tried to bite my butt! i am serious! but after a little training from me, no more butt bitting for this big girl!

well all i have to say is watch out for these little tricks that sellers can pull!

But i think in a way i saved Dixie because when we got her, they owners before had cut her whole mane off because they thought it looked funny! i think kinda need their manes to survive and she had these big scabs on her! i asked the owners before about it and the said the the other horses had beaten her up abit and i really think that Dixie was hurt when she was younger from previous owners, it seems that Dixie wanted to love but knowone loved her back, so i think Dixie has partially given up to try and bond or love her owners anymore.

but i still think there is hope for her, last summer she would buck a lot but this year so far, she hasn't even atempted to buck so i really think that she is starting to trust and bond with me. but when other people come, she sometimes gets very scared and wants to back out and away from whatever is going on but she seems calmer if i am there. she trusts that i might kinda save her.

But now she is alot better than she was before, her mane has grown out nicely, my neibor learned to be a farrier so he comes over to my house to look at her hooves and he does it for free, he is really nice. and i live on a farm so i don't have to worry about the cost of bording my dixie. i know she is safe at my house!

anyways, good luck on getting one and really sometimes its better to think about getting a horse for a few days, know what ur taking on.

[Kfamr]

As I don't know anything about horses, or have any info to share.. all I have to say is there better be tons of pictures of it if indeed you do get one. :p

[Sweet Sixy]

I owned a horse for 11 years, unfortunatly I had to put her to sleep in February. I agree that you need to watch for the things that sellers try to pull. Be sure to take someone along with you when buying a horse who is very experienced and can see these little tricks. Also make sure that you get the horse "vetted out" by a veternarian that you trust. My parents bought my horse for me and they paid $4500 for her, and that was after talking the woman down quite a bit. She had just turned 5 years old at the time and was a Palomino / Quarter Horse (the best kind;) ) You also have to consider the expenses of saddles, bridles, halters, blankets, wraps, grooming equipment, etc. etc. Horses are not cheap to keep. $275 sounds like a good board price, but what does it include?? Turnout? Feeding?? These are imporant things.
It sounds to me like you may be better off trying to find a horse to lease from someone for a while, this is much cheaper and a better way to get a feel of the responsibility of owning your own horse.
Sorry I rambled on for so long! I've been doing this horse thing for quite a while now, if you have any questions feel free to ask :D

[Sweet Sixy]

Sorry, I forgot something! Vet bills depend on the horse and thier health. Be prepared to pay quite a bit ( around $150+ it depends on where you life) for shots every spring, and there may be a handling fee depending on the horses manners. The farrier will be probably $75 for new shoes, then about $25 four times or so for reset and trim, but everybody is different!
And, some horses may require supplements as well, for joints, coat if you're showing or even things like respritaory problems, these can run from $20 a year to $500 a year. And don't forget worming them! This is about $20 6 times a year.
Ok, i'm really done for now :D

[Corinna]

As with any pet the purchase is the cheap part, vet bills are bigger shots cost more,and feed bills are bigger.

[QueenChyna]

Lets just say i am lucky i have some very nice people in my area, My neighbor is nice enough to trim dixie's hooves for free! my riding teacher says when she hires someone to trim her horses hooves, it is about 20$ a horse, and she has 11 horses. and yet she has to pay shots for 11 horses.and i am also pretty lucky because Dixie was only 500$, boy oh boy did i get her cheap. But i guess she came and brought along some really bad habits! but thats kinda what u get for what ya pay for! and the people that sold her to me gave me the bridle free!yahooz! so what i am kinda trying to do is learn to trim Dixie's hooves and learning to do that would be a good thing.

[FizzGiggs_Mommy]

Hi guys beeing mommy to two horses (Cookie in my sig and Lady Shr my newest) Have you looked into adopting a retired standardbred or thourobred? If you look on pet finder there are many horses who need homes and the adoption fee is very resonable. You can find horses from 4 years to 30 years old.

[slleipnir]

Seeing that I really don't know anything about buying horses, I had planned to ask my instructor to find me a horse. He's been around horses his whole life and seems to have a good eye for them. I've know him a while so I trust he would know a good horse for me.

Board includes feeding, stall cleaning (I think..), turn out and that sort of thing.

It seems vetting and ferrier itself is going to cost a lot on it's own. Plus board, I don't know how I'll manage lol. I think it would be best to wait a while until I save a lot T-T

[redruby]

The horse my mother in law was buying was a beautiful quiet horse. i don't know what kind cuz it was before my time but a day before she went to pick it up her friend (a horse person) went to see it and found out the owner had DRUGGED THE HORSE so it would be calm. the horse was nuts. jumped and bucked and attacked and bit and stomped everything.
So watch out for that too!
other than that. i don't know to much about them!

[chrissycat21]

Try going to www.petfinder.org and look for a horse to adopt. They have listings for shelters everywhere and lots of horse breeds to choose from.

-Chrissy, Snowy, and Taffy

[WancheseBuck92]

i just got my first horse last december 2nd. He is 4 years old and he is a quarter horse Arabian. i am 13 years old and I dont have to pay for anything.
but, my mom tells me how much she is paying for bucky. and let me tell you right now. BUYING the horse is the cheapest part. because when you get the horse you have the vet,farrier,dentist and so on...
But you know what, I think that it is all worth it. Oh yea nd i dont have to pay for boarding because we built a stable and put up a fence in my front yard for him. ok now back on to saying that it is all worth it. you get to bond and groom and do all of that kind of stuff. you can go on websites and look up anykind of horse in any state. you can go to www.dreamhorse.com and go to advanced search and search the price breed location and what the horse is trained for and so on... so, however much your horse is, just think about it and he is worth it. and going to dreamhorse.com will work!

[QueenChyna]

OMG THEY DRUGGED IT!!?? that is so mean, i can't believe someone would do that just to sell a horse! that is so cruel!:mad: oh that just makes me so mad that someone would so that! anyway- if u live out of town like me, u should build a fence and then you will be able to see ur horse all the time and no worries about bording costs.

[Desert Arabian]

Well, boarding at the my local stable includes feeding, watering, turn out, blanketing (if requested), mucking, etc. When I get my horse I am definately having it inspected by the vet, if the vet thinks there is anything fishy, no way am I purchasing it. I have read many articles on what to look for when going to by a horse, so I know what to look for and what to avoid. I also plan on having my friend Chad come along for second opinions. Chad is the farrier for the horse camp I work at, he has been in the farrier business for 17 years and owns (I think) 19 Standarbreds- he harness races them. Farrier costs won't be a problem, Chad said he'd take 50% off his price for me, since we're buddies! :D

Oh, I know, the purchase price is the cheapest part of horse ownership. :( I have talked to many horse owners when it comes to expense, and working with the horses at camp, I know how much it costs to take care of 47 horses- it isn't cheap!!!!!!!!! The cost of food alone for them would make any sane person cry! :p

Hey Sleipnir, when we get our horses lets plan a camping trip somewhere in Canada and we can camp together and ride around Canada!!! :p Actually, that would be sooo fun!!

[Toby's my baby]

That's great! I have been riding horses since I was about 5, I started off riding race horses over at my neighbors. When I was little I didn't know which horses were safe and that I should be scared to ride those big racers! :p I thought walking was the speed for me when I was little, but when you gain the trust of your horse and you have a safe horse you will love to do anything wheather its walking or running as fast as you can go! My sisters horse thumper was both of ours and we grew with him, he can now tell when we were scared or when we were having fun. That is a very good idea that you are going to have a vet check the horse before you purchase it. I bought my own horse in 02' and I brought it home and I was coughing so we didnt turn it out in the pasture with the rest of the horses, we thought she would get over it but she didnt, we called the vet and they said she had heaves, it is like emphasema (sp?) in people, so she wouldn't me able to be shown or anything, so she had to be returned:(

Maybe when you get your horse you can work out a deal with your dad, Sara and I also have to pay for EVERYTHING for our horses, but I am lucky because my sister and I have to split the cost of everything. My dad will pay for the really expensive stuff then we have to write it done and then we have to pay him off wheather it is by doing work for him for free or what ever, but then we just cross off how much money we made working for him and I gets subtracked from our dept.

Good luck to you in finding a horse that is right for you!

[equinelover23]

Thats great! I just got my first horse about 3 months ago! She's only two though and we are in the process of breaking her. I finally got to sit on her while someone trotted her next to her, and we recently went to our first show, in hand, not riding of course. Hehe, anyways, enough rambling about my new pony.

Luckily for me though, my parents are paying for board. And its only $50 because its at my BEST friends house and i clean 4 stalls every day there.

My girl was only $1500, but again part of that is because I bought it from my best friend and rizzo was staying at their barn anyways. She has PERFECT manners but she wasn't broke so that is a big reason why she was so cheap. Although I have seen MANY, many horses for $2000-3000.

I think getting an older horse is a wise choice. :) I got a filly because i love working with them and I want to be a breeder one day. I figured it would be a great learning experience.

When you do decide to buy, Take your time! Look at EVERY horse! It is a huge decision and you need to take your time. take into concideration the conditions it is living in. Make sure the barn is CLEAN, and the other horses the owner has are also healthy.

As sweet sixy said, it would be wise to lease for a while. :) Just so you can see if you like it, and if you will have the time to take care of your new horse.


GOOD LUCK!:)