For those lucky ones with the parents to fund their expensive tastes, the benefits are huge. I don’t mean to say that every wealthy parent should buy their kid a pony, but if you’re looking for a way to teach them responsibility, the value of money and compassion, then horses are the way to go.
Then there’s my story. I didn’t own my first horse until the age of 21 and probably picked the worst time to do so, right as I entered my third year of University. I was a full time student, had a part time job and now owned a horse. Easy to say my social life revolved around my new four-legged friend.
Owning a horse and understanding the responsibility that comes with it is an amazing life lesson. They are a big responsibility and require 24/7 care. Most farms will provide that care along with your monthly boarding fee, ranging anywhere from 400-1000 dollars a month, depending on the facility. This is not to say that visiting your horse once a week is acceptable as a horse owner.
We as humans make the decision to stable our horses, to keep them clean, to keep them warm and to ensure their safety – especially if they are show horses. By making this decision we take on the responsibility of ensuring they are exercised and groomed daily. These are things that horses would naturally do in the wild but are either not able to, or only able to for a certain number of hours a day, when we stable them.
The most common misconception of new horse owners is that it is ok to miss a few days at the barn, because they are taken care of. Most boarding fees only include stall cleaning, turnout, and feeding. The rest is up to the owner. When deciding to buy your child’s first horse or maybe your own four legged partner, make sure that you are ready for what it entails and understand the care that is required from you. Owning a horse is not a part-time responsibility.
For more tips and things to remember, check out this article on the ten things you need to know before buying a horse.
HB
