Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Questions to ask before purchasing your first horse!





The Equestrian world is not cheap a good sound horse can cost you a pretty penny. However most Equestrians will tell you it is not the horse that is expensive it is the up keep. As an experienced horse person I would suggest for someone who has very little experience with horses, or for a young child who is showing an interest in horses that you find a facility that provides horseback riding lessons. Many of these lesson programs start at the beginner level and will not only teach you about riding the horse but also how to care for the horse. After a few lesson if you or your child is still interested in furthering your equine knowledge, it could be beneficial for you to lease a horse. Typically when you lease a horse from its owner you will be agreeing to pay a monthly fee or simply paying for the animal’s board/vet/and fairer bills. This is a good trial run for yourself to see if you can afford the up keep of a horse and to see if you or your child is truly interested in the equine sport. Most lease contracts last one year, however depending on the owner you could have a contract for a shorter period of time. Either way by the end of you lease agreement you should be pretty confident in weather or not you truly want to own your own horse. You will have also met a handful of experienced equestrians with a great deal of knowledge who will be able to help you find the right horse. You will want one of these people to help guide you through the process of purchasing your first horse. There are many questions you should ask yourself before buying a horse


The very first question is where will you keep this horse?
Do you have land? If so, you want to make sure you have enough land for your horse. They should have plenty of room to be able to stretch their legs. Do you have proper fencing? You want to be sure that the area you plan to keep your new horse is properly enclosed and there are no sharp objects and the perimeter is secure so your horse can not get loose. Typically it is said that you should have 1 acre per 1 horse. However they can live in a smaller area, I would suggest that you exercise them on a regular basis.  
Do you have proper shelter for this horse? You will want to be sure that you are providing proper shelter for your horse during inclement weather. Many people do not have a barn with stalls, however you would at least need a proper building that is always open for the horse to stand in during, rain, sleet, or snow, and during the hot summer months they will need a nice shady place to get out of the hot sun.
If you do not have enough space or proper accommodations for your horse on your own property, you will need to board your horse somewhere. You need to find the facility that best suits the needs of you and your horse.
Does this facility provide full care boarding or self-care boarding? This is a very big factor when searching for the correct facility. Full Care means the facility management will be taking care of your horse on a daily basis this normally includes feeding, watering, cleaning out the stall, and turn out. The amount of monthly board is normally higher. Self-care typically means the owner of the facility is only going to provide a home for your horse and you will need to take care of the horse every day. Board at this type of facility is normally a bit cheaper. It is very important that you research 3 to 4 different horse boarding facilities in your area and set up a meeting with the owner/manager of the property, visit each property and ask what type of care they provide. You will need to decide what is going to be best for you and your new horse. You need to know where you will be keeping the horse and how they will be cared for before the purchase of a new horse. 

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