Hello,

I would like to get a horse by next summer. I'm a first time horse owner, and would like to know where to start. I need general horse care info, feed expenses (general), riding/training info, and vet info. Oh, and what type of horse is best for a beginner who envisions possibly doing specialty work too.

Thank you.

Where to start? My advise would be to start with riding lessons on a seasoned lesson horse. Find an instructor you'd like to hang out with . If you like your instructor's personality, you'll likely stick with a lesson program long enough to get well aquainted with all the obvious and not so obvious aspects of horse ownership. Often times a good instructor can match you up well with a horse to purchase. Personally, I would recommend a nice quiet 10-15 year old Quarter Horse. Missouri Fox Trotters, Tennessee Walkers and "old style" Morgans can also make nice mounts.

Good luck and let us know what you decide to do . Oh, one thing I would definitely steer clear of...don't buy a very young horse with the thought that you two can learn together. It will cost you way more in the long run. Also, avoid buying "pretty". Look for disposition first. Have fun with your new venture.

Here's a rough way to estimate what costs you may incur by owning a horse. The cost of keeping a horse goes far beyond just the purchase price of the horse, and it is best to plan ahead and calculate what costs you might incur. If you buy a $500 horse or a $5,000 horse, one thing will stay the same: you will spend more in the long run for his living expenses than you spent on the initial purchase. Here is a breakdown of the costs involved:

Stabling Fees:
Assuming you aren't able to keep your horse on your own property, your primary expense will be the monthly boarding fee. Stable fees vary widely depending on what area you live in, as well as how prestigious the stable is. Stables in an urban area with indoor arenas, their own veterinarian, and regular shows and events on the premises will cost significantly more than a little privately-owned barn in the country. Shop around to find the place and price that suits you best. For the purpose of our estimate, let's suppose you find a stable that charges $250 per month. That gives you a total of $3,000 per year for boarding.

Feed:
If you're paying to board, we assume adequate hay and feed will be provided to your horse and that his stall will be cleaned out daily. Make sure you understand the terms of service for each stable you investigate, though, because many stables will either require you to feed and clean your horse (called "rough board") or charge you extra for those services.
If however, you're keeping your horse at your own place, you will want to consider how much feed will cost per year. Horses should consume approximately half of a small square bale (20 lbs) of hay daily, though this number can be increased or decreased depending on your horse's size and access to grazing pastures throughout the day. Going with the standard of half a bale each day, you're looking at approximately 183 bales of hay each year. The cost of hay can vary again depending on your location, but generally it will be between $2.00 to $3.00 per bale, so let's assume a cost of $2.50: 183 bales x $2.50 = $457.50 per year.
In addition most horses should receive some form of grain, so let's assume you provide your horse just 2 pounds of sweet feed daily. A 50-pound bag of sweet feed costs about $8.00, 2 pounds daily would be 730 pounds each year, which equals about 15 bags per year = $120.
So adding together the minimal hay and grain expenses above we have a total of $577.50 yearly for food, not including any food supplements you may wish to provide your horse.

Bedding / Shavings:
This expense is also usually included as part of the monthly stabling fees. But if you are keeping a horse stalled on your own property, you will pay $4.00 to $5.00 per bag for bedding. The good news is if you clean the stall daily (preferably more than once) one bag can last a week before requiring a replacement. So if we assume one bag per week at a cost of $4.50 then your approximate yearly bedding expense will be $234.00.

Veterinarian And Farrier Expenses
Two significant costs of owning a horse are veterinarian and farrier (blacksmith) expenses. If your horse remains perfectly healthy then yearly vet expenses will generally run you around $300.00 for immunizations, the vet call fee, teeth floating, etc. That's not too bad all things considered, but if your horse colics or falls ill then you can quickly see medical fees in excess of $500.00 or $1,000.00 just for that one isolated incident. Farrier expenses are a little more predictable. If you plan to keep your horse unshod the average cost of a foot trimming will normally run around $25.00 to $30.00. The rate at which your horse requires his feet to be trimmed will vary depending on his natural hoof condition, activity levels and atmosphere. Assume he will need to be trimmed at least 4 times each year, totaling $100.00 annually for farrier expenses at $25.00 a trim. If you decide to shoe your horse you will find the expenses far higher; the average cost for shoeing runs about $80.00. Shod horses should also be checked at least once every other month.
So assuming you pass on shoeing your horse and meet up with no unforeseen medical problems, the combined veterinarian and farrier costs will run around $400.00 annually. Add shoes or stumble across an unforeseen medical problem and the cost can jump much higher to well over $1,000.00.

Extras:
There are quite a few other miscellaneous costs that will come up should you decide to purchase a horse, such as quarterly de-wormers, horse toys, tack, etc. Try to ensure you will have enough money on-hand that should an unforeseen expense come up you can easily address it.
The approximate expenses within this article were intended to give you a brief overview of the cost of horse ownership assuming the best circumstances. Your actual costs may slip in even lower or far higher depending on location and how much of the above you can provide yourself.

A horse is a serious investment, so the cost of owning a horse should never be underestimated or overlooked. That being said, if you can afford a horse I truly doubt it's an investment you'll ever regret making.

Thank you very much for the comprehensive info! I'm trying to make appts for local ranches where I live here in Washington. This is part of my "immersion" training. Ideally, maybe I should start looking for a part time or volunteer job at one of the local ranches.

The property we are trying to purchase right now is 3/4acre and has a horse barn from the owners previous to the current. In the research I've conducted so far, the type of horse I am interested in is one who will require much activity to stay healthy both physically and mentally. Short term, I have tears welling up at the prospect that this dream of mine is going to become a reality, and initially all I could ever want is a horse to ride... a trail horse is what I think this would be called? But my own personality is such that I am high energy, like adrenaline, having fun, perhaps competition (strictly for fun..both me and the horse). So in the long run (after training, both horse and I), I would be more interested in running, jumping, dressage, etc. The property, in my opinion and lack of knowledge thus far, would probably only be suitable as a safe place for the horse to be on our property, and a med. size corral. I don't think the size of the property would be considered a pasture...but I could be wrong. I don't think it would be adequate for the training and exercise I think the type of horse I want would need.

Which leads me to my next question: Thoroughbreds? There is a place here in Washington called Second Chance Ranch. It's been around for a long time, and the lady who owns it rescues thoroughbreds who have in one way or another disappointed their owners for lack of wins, etc. Some of them have been injured and aren't sound for racing/jumping/etc and would be good only as a pasture or trail horse. Most have been rescued from slaughter houses or auctions, rehabilitated, reconditioned and retrained as necessary. This is one ranch I am trying to visit to get more info. I'm big on the rescue thing...3 of my 4 dogs are rescues. The url is: http://www.secondchanceranch.org/

So...thoughts on a "second career" thoroughbred for a first time owner (who at the time of purchase plans to be completely prepared and knowledgeable)?

Thank you! (what a great forum!)

Forgot one thing in my last reply: Shoes? What are the benefits and purpose for shoeing a horse versus not?

Thank you!

giddyup,

I know what you mean when you talk about being a high energy person that would like to ride a semi-high energy horse. This concerns me a little, because sometimes when I think of matching horse personality with human personality...opposites attract for first time horse owners. An ex-race horse can be quite an undertaking. Retraining will take time and consistency. I have never known a first time horse owner to be happy with a "hot" horse. Thoroughbreds are classified as hot bloods. Please thoroughly check out what you are getting before you commit.

So many women in their 30's and 40's romanticize about becoming a horse owner and visualize themselves racing across a green grassy field and off over the horizon. What a beautiful dream . The truth is that the horse may be running off through the grass and over the horizon without it's rider . Please consider starting with a very reliable mount. You will enjoy your riding so much more, especially on the trail. It is not fun to ride a high spirited filly that cannot stand to be behind another horse, spinning every 200 yards, and rooting at the bit while venturing down the trail sideways. I say ...ride a truly safe horse for a few years, then if you want something with a little more zip, you will have some experience under your belt and be better prepared to handle unknown challenges. A horse can be safe and have a decent amount of energy. It is noble of you to consider buying or adopting a thoroughbred. You must have a nice heart .

How much riding experience do you have? A horse can read you from 20 yards away. Not kidding. They are incredibly perceptive. If the rider lacks any confidence at all, he/she will know it. An "energetic" horse must have a confident rider. Someone who know exactly what to do if the horse decides to shy, bolt and simply manipulate it's rider. As a matter of fact, the rider will need to read what the horse is going to do before he/she actually does it. Timing is so important. Frustration cannot be part of the equation. With horses, we are constantly teaching them something, right or wrong. A calm horse with a little age can be a little more forgiving to our teaching mistakes.

O.K., sorry about that. Didn't mean to get that windy, but I have seen so many people end up over mounted. E-mail Kevin Wescott and ask him what he thinks. He is a very good horseman.

Shoes: If you do get a TB, shoeing might be necessary, as many of them have shelly hooves. Front shoes are helpful if you are going to ride on a surface other than dirt, sawdust or grass. A horse should not wear shoes year around. Their hooves need a chance to contract and expand. I take my horse shoes off and leave them off for approx. 3-5 months out of the year, depending on the horse. My retired horse only wears front shoes for 2 months out of the year, as I use him in a drill team.

Thank you for the sound advice. You pegged me! I will take it to heart. I have a lot of work ahead of me before even thinking about what type of horse to get. The more I work with horses, the more I'll know.

Thank you very much.
lisa

giddyup,

i'm glad you're posting and getting such good advice. think everything ASBS told you is absolutely right regarding adopting a TB, one thing i would chime in about a TB is that they are normally BIG horses, and for an inexperienced rider, that can be a little intimidating. it may sound funny or odd, but i've learned that much of horse riding is mental, and if you feel intimidated or scared, it can potentially affect the horse's frame of mind too. again, this may sound silly, but some of those TB's get so darn tall, you'll feel like you're 10 feet off the ground!

if you're in washington state, there should be some cattle ranches around your area, try to find a 10 year old (or older) ranch gelding who's been up and down and all over the place, a horse like that will take care of you and tolerate your mistakes - and every rider makes mistakes.

Here are a few examples of horses on this site that i'd suggest for someone in your situation. i'm not recommending these horses specifically, just saying that these horses have some of the attributes you should look for

http://www.liverystable.net/index.php?a=2&b=319

http://www.liverystable.net/index.php?a=2&b=256

http://www.liverystable.net/index.php?a=2&b=387

http://www.liverystable.net/index.php?a=2&b=234

Again, i'm not suggesting you buy any of these horses, in fact two of them are from iowa, so i'd guess they won't work for you! but this gives you a good idea of a horse that will probably work for you. you'll never regret taking a nice quiet ride on a level headed horse.

as far as shoeing, it's my guess that in your part of the world, shoes are going to be pretty necessary. when you do get your horse, first time a farrier comes to work with your horse, be there and talk with them and watch how they work and treat your horse. if you don't like it, find a new one.

lastly (and i know i'm really starting to ramble here), i think about the most important advice you can get is - don't have the mentality that you are going to be your horse's best friend. the safest, best relationship with a horse is one of trust and respect and if they don't trust and respect you, you won't get as much out of them as you can. if you treat a horse like you would a dog and treat it too kindly and spoil it, it can have very dangerous consequences. i'm not saying you have to be mean to your horse, but you do have to be firm. simply being kind to your horse won't convince the horse to be good to you, their brains don't operate that way. don't ever let it push you around or dictate what you do either on the ground or in the saddle. you can have a respectful, well trained horse that is still a best friend, but you can't be a horse's best friend unless you do have that respect from them. make sense?