Do you really want a horse? Part2 - Horse keeping responsibilities & maintenance

You’ve heard about the pleasures of horse ownership, but what about the other side of the coin. Let’s look at some other considerations while you decide if you really want a horse.

A horse must have hay and water & the stall or paddock must be cleaned 365 days of the year if you are planning to keep a horse at home. This can be very confining should you decide to you decide to go away for the weekend or take a months vacation. Who’s going to take care of your horse? If you have horse friends or family, then you should be able to make arrangements. If not you may have to find boarding your horse somewhere.

Lets also take into consideration there’s always work to be done, feeding, buying and hauling bedding, feed, hay, and other supplies especially if you have more than one horse. Then you have watering, fixing fences, repairing the barn, mowing weeds, and disposing of manure. These are all jobs that require some muscle, some that aren’t very pleasant, and some downright despicable. Though you can organize your work in such a way that it will only take a couple minutes each day to care for your horse or horses.

Will horse odors create a nuisance with your neighbors? Will a paddock an eye sore?
Also if you keep a horse in a residential or suburban area it can be a hazard, especially to curious children wanting to feed, pet, and ride your horse. These situations can be serious problems, if you have a horse that has a bad habit of biting and kicking. Even the gentlest horse can kick if startled or step on someone or run them over. To avoid this problem make sure you have good fencing and gates that can be easily opened or accessed. Its also a good idea to get some liability insurance for your horse property.

If you haven't read Part one of this segment please read now!
Do you really want a horse? - Pleasures of Owning a Horse