I had a great day today with my Alfie. Last week, I happened to be reading a fellow horse lovers blog and she was posting her review of a therapeutic sheet to help warm up a horses muscles and joints. The sheet is made of a material that captures the natural heat of the horse and bounces it back to the horse. It can be used before and after a ride, it can also be used to help certain injuries. And it also is beneficial to arthritic horses. After discussing the sheet with my fellow blogger and our barn manager, I sat down and did some research and decided to give the sheet a try. The one I went with is The Mesh Sheet by Back on Track.
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Today was the first day I used it on Alfie. After I use it several more times I will let everyone know how it’s working.
While at the barn today, I met a lovely woman who’s child was taking her first ever riding lesson. She was anxious and a bit nervous but she did great. While I was setting up Alfie’s hydro hay, she came over to tell me he is beautiful, so we struck up a conversation about horse ownership. She asked me questions about owning a horse and boarding a horse. Her hope is that her young daughter will fall in love with horses so they can purchase one for her.
Purchasing a horse is not something you do on a whim. It’s not a small dog or cat that can be easily re-homed. It’s a 1000+ pound animal that has needs other than just being fed all the time – from emotional needs to physical activity needs, it’s not an animal you purchase, pay to board somewhere and visit it 4X a year.
The biggest expense of owning a horse is not actually the purchase price you pay for the horse – that’s the cheapest part. The monthly expenses which not only include board, but supplements, horse shoes, massage therapy, tack, supplies and treats for your horse add up to a lot of money each month. Not to mention lessons or training for your horse. And of course, vet visits add up.
The few times I’ve told my non-horsey friends how much money I spend on Alfie each month, their reaction is usually something like this:
So how do you know if you can afford to care for this animal for its entire life? You don’t, but you have to be willing to dip into your savings account if need be.
Now I know, you are sitting there thinking if it gets too costly to properly care for the horse, why not just sell it? Selling a horse is not easy, and if it does have some physical issues, selling it is 10X harder. Unfortunately it’s these horses that usually end up being sold to an auction where they will end up in a kill pen being sent out of the country for slaughter.
If owning a horse is a dream you have, before you purchase a horse, my advice is to lease a horse – you have riding privileges and can spend many days a week with that horse bonding with them, but ultimately the costs of owning that horse are not on you.
Horses, just like your family pets, deserve the same amount of love and care. There are no guarantees with the horse you purchase. Love it for who it is, care for it, and remember how blessed you are to have that horse in your life.❤️🐴
Confessions of an Equestrianoholic 