Pat
Posted : 6/12/2006 1:39:34 PM
Hi Jules!
I'm a new member and couldn't resist responding to this thread. We own two horses that we board about 5 min. from our house. Everything people said about $$ is very, very true. EXPECTED expenses are high, but also be prepared for the unexpected! Vets are expensive and the treatment for illnesses is ALSO expensive, mainly because horses are so large! Think sulfa drugs for a 1200 pound animal versus a person! And yes, our horses get rabies shots. There have been two cases of rabies in horses within a 200 mile radius of us this year because people forget about giving rabies shots to horses! They had to be put down of course, and it was extremely dangerous for all involved. Of course, money is important, but if you really want to own a horse, that shouldn't deter you. It's amazing how we "find" the money... What you REALLY need to think about is time. Owning a horse isn't like owning a motocycle. You can't just stable it and pull it out when you want to ride. Horse ownership changes your life. (in a wonderful way!) Be prepard to invest gobs and gobs of time and most likely have your life revolve around your horse. You'll make new friends and quite likely lose some that you no longer have the time for! (They'll never understand your new lifestyle and may get bored about hearing about it really fast!) This is why leasing is a good way to start. You get to try out the lifestyle without owning the horse! Also, if you have a local library check with them for books. They can borrow books for you from all over the US, you don't have to buy them and it shouldn't cost you a cent! (I'm a librarian and I buy the horse and livestock books for our library.) Good luck, you're starting right with open eyes and mind!