Anyone own a horse?

[jiggaman2401]

Anyone on these forums own any horses? Thinking about buying my G/f one. She rides and all but doesnt own her own. I personally dont know much but just wanna hear what some of yall might have to say. Any personal preferences on type of breed anything like that. Thanks

[firefighterjosh]

All I know about them is there not cheap.

[suzukigirl]

Originally posted by firefighterjosh
All I know about them is there not cheap.

all i know is they are more expensive than quads...think about it....quads you can put away for the winter and pretty much leave them alone...where as with a horse you constantly have to feed it and take care of it...and when you leave it alone....well you can't....so even when you don't ride it it costs you money....i think i'll stick with my quad...:D

[Caseys 300ex]

Originally posted by suzukigirl
all i know is they are more expensive than quads...think about it....quads you can put away for the winter and pretty much leave them alone...where as with a horse you constantly have to feed it and take care of it...and when you leave it alone....well you can't....so even when you don't ride it it costs you money....i think i'll stick with my quad...:D

Amen!!

[250ex13]

I own a horse(well my sister). Ask her wich kinda breeds and such she likes... then go from there

[bah1491]

It depends what kind of horse you get....Im assuming your g/f rides mainly trails, so she would not need a high dollar horse. I have three horses, and one more on the way! It only cost about 150-200 dollars a year per horse, depending on what type of feed you buy. Horses can be expensive if you dont already have a barn, acreage, and fencing. They are a wonderful escape from quads, and trust me, they will go places that quads cant....(I was hard headed, found that one out the hard way when I tried to climb a river bank)....damn horse walked right up it....I have to say they a very relaxing.....

[bah1491]

Keep in mind: trailer for transport, vehicle to pull trailer, and all of your tack....Which you can buy everything used....(I still like my quad better):D

[coolguy8769]

We own 3 throughbreds and 1 appalousa, and we also board 3 horses....


let me tell you not cheap to buy or maintain!! The avarage horse cost about $5-10,000. If you want a nice throughbred or a very well trained horse that can cost you $40,000+:eek2:

Pony's are also not cheep. the only difference in a horse and a pony is that a pony is shorter then 11 hands and a horse is taller then 11 hands (hands is the measurment of a horse's hieght). How big is your G/F? if she is short i would get something between 11-13 hands. Anything over that and its gonna be a handfull.



I'v rode horses since i was 9. At about 15 i need more speed and something that could jump higher. I used to Show horses and do Show-jumping (jumping horses over jumps 4+ feet tall) and eventing. I won a national compitition for my age group about 4 years ago. I have been the butt of many jokes because of this but let me tell you when your riding with 10+ girls and yoru the only guy..... you get what i'm sayin :p



It only cost about 150-200 dollars a year per horse, depending on what type of feed you buy.

I have no idea where you got that number from but we go through that in about a week! You got feed thats hundereds of dollors , hay (if you dont have a baylor and a field), Vet visits are hunderds, The farrier cost $70+ a horse, Then you have annual vaccinations for rhino and the bird flu that arnt cheap, Then you have the deworming every month. and cant forget insurance. i could go on and on. I dont mean to sound harsh at all but this was my obsession for years before quads came along......

[Rootar]

we have two gaited paints that are brothers, two palamenias (sp?) that are going to our grandfathers friend to become a pulling team for a light wagon (both were used as pole runners when they were younger), we have two colts one is a paint and the other a very tall brown female she is a year younger and already bigger than the two year old paint, and then we have molly our mule and according to my dad she is the best of all of them :p i dunno what part of the country you are from buddy but down here the horse market has went to horse ****, very very well trained gentle gaited horses go for 1000-1200 tops and after they are 7-8 years old the older they are the less they are worth, maybe we need to bring a few of our trained paints up there and sell them, they may not be throughbreds but there daddy is 16 hands and their mom is gaited and gentle as they come...

[coolguy8769]

^^^ that is true that horses arnt worth as much as they used to be, I live about 10 miles out of Middleburg, VA. Its an very old town in the middle of "Horse-county" in the midatlantic. Everyone is into Foxhunting and showing. John mosby heritage......

Now i assumed you were talking about English riding, i didn't think about Western. I know nothing about Western riding and that kind of thing.

and you are very right as they get older they are much cheaper, and i would go that route if its for casual riding. We have always owned 2-5 year olds and the ocastional 8-10 year old then sold them

[shanna]

Horses can be very expensive, I am not sure what is more expansive, it depend on to what degree you are involve with both. If horses were not my families business I would not be able to compete in both sports (GNCC on Saturday and Horse Show on Sundays, unless the show is Saturday then my trainer takes him-the horse to the show). My family owns a boarding facility in Maryland with about 30 horses. I also taught equine science class at the high school.
There are many things to consider before buying your girlfriend a horse. As mentioned previously there is the normal food, hay, shelter, transportation, vaccinations, shoeing, routine worming, tack and supplies.
If you have a place of your own to keep the horse you are a head of the game. If you need to board that can range for working to pay for your board (free), to upwards of $1000 per month. Some places also offer self care, you just pay for a place to keep the horse but you have to go there feed the horse and take care of it, this is cheaper that full care where you pay someone else to take full care of your horse.
It depends on what your girl friend wants to do with the horse but if she just wants a trail horse you can sometimes find an older horse for free or for a free lease. Free leases are also a good idea to try a horse. A free lease is when you take someone else’s horse and use it, for them letting you have the horse you pay all the expenses. My first pony was a free lease and it worked great, we had him for 10+ years. He was a top show pony that was retired from the top shows, my mom got him for free and my older cousin rode and showed at smaller shows and then he was passed on to me and then to another kid and if at any point he did not work out he went back to the original owner.
A horse can be made very afford if you do not want the best of very thing. But there are constants expenses. (My quad has been broke since the last GNCC total expense paid since then=0, one of my horses has be lame(broke) since October total expenses paid= $500 not including housing)

PS- a pony is anything under 14.2 hands and a horse is anything over 14.2.

[coolguy8769]

Originally posted by shanna


PS- a pony is anything under 14.2 hands and a horse is anything over 14.2.

oops you are right, i just looked it up. idk what i was thinking last night, Of course it could probable be that it was 1 am

[JJs450r]

Dont know if this counts for much but hes a black lab that weights 115 :) might as well be a horse

My mom owns quarter horses, very nice horses, calm , and fast for the open feilds.

They are not very expensive, if you have your own barn, stall and pasture, feed them morning and night, with water, not a whole bail, mabe 3 or 4 flakes of the hay, and a scoop of its grain ( oats, or cracked corn is what we use, cracked corn in the winter, keeps them a little warmer with fat wise) Bails can average for your area, we get decent hay for about a 1.10 cents each, grain shoudent be much more than a 15 a bag. There hoves should be trimed every... ill have to ask my mom , i think half a year. mabe wrong on that one. All in all they are good animal to have.

[bah1491]

have no idea where you got that number from but we go through that in about a week! You got feed thats hundereds of dollors , hay (if you dont have a baylor and a field), Vet visits are hunderds, The farrier cost $70+ a horse, Then you have annual vaccinations for rhino and the bird flu that arnt cheap, Then you have the deworming every month. and cant forget insurance. i could go on and on. I dont mean to sound harsh at all but this was my obsession for years before quads came along......

I have 150 acres, two tractors, two bush hogs and a bailer. we dont spend upwards of 1000 a year for three horses, we dont get charged for vet fee's unless its major, all the vaccines are done by ourselves...

[Mean250r]

my family owns 4 horses. and yes they are veryyy expensive

[CannondaleRider]

I used to own two horses. A Quarter, and an Arabian. We got great deals on them. Separately, they were $500 a piece, and they were the GREATEST horses I’ve ever dealt with.....so, just goes to show that 5 to 10 grand isn't a consistently accurate number for a good horse.

Yeah, if they are taken care of right, then it is pretty expensive. Just make sure that if you actually buy a horse for this girl, that it will always be taken care of RIGHT. If someone can't afford to pay the bills for the horse, don't buy it.

[fast250r]

My Mom has 38 horses on the farm. Most are draft horses and show horses. Only five of them are trail horses. They are very expensive to maintain. But then again 38 of anything is not cheap. My mom is also into the exotic animal thing. She has zebras, lamas, camels and ect.ect.... My kids think it is a petting zoo.

[FourFiftyFour]

I showed horses for over 10 years in three day eventing, hunter jumper, dressage, and hunter pleasure. I have owned 3 horses for competition, trained several, and have grown up around them. They are neither cheap or easy to take care of. One thing people tend to forget, if you dont have acreage, you HAVE to board!! Boarding a horse can be as expensive as paying rent on an apartment or condo! Also you have to be able to spend at least 1-2 hrs a day taking care of the horse (grooming, exercising, feeding, etc etc) Also, if she is looking to buy a horse, she must have an experienced instructor or horse owner go along with her and she "test ride" the horse out. Many of my competition horses needed to have a certain quality, and I even would lease them for a week to decide if they were what I wanted to buy. I have owned Thoroughbreds and Arabians. Both breeds I would not consider for a beginner rider. In some cases, they can be excellent beginner horses, but more than often, they are high strung and take an experienced rider who is not afraid. What kind of riding does she do?? How long has she been riding? Is she timid when she is riding and get scared easily when a horse acts up?? I would not advise a rider that has only been riding for a few months to get a horse of their own. I waited over 4 years before I got my own. Learning on lesson horses for a while is the best way to go. When I felt I was ready to get my own horse, I was able to get one of the high level Thoroughbreds and train him specially for what I wanted. Another thing about horses, is they tend to colic easily...you dont want to know how big the vet bills can be!! Also the horse needs to be shod and hooves trimmed every 6 weeks...that is very expensive as well. Tack, trailers, truck, feed, equipment, and boarding/or buying land and building a barn is very expensive!!!!

[polcat1p]

horse $6000
trailer $12000
truck $25000
saddle $1200
outfit $750
board $500 PER MONTH
lessons $50 hour
shows $20 per class
gas $alot
time spent cleaning,feeding,bathing, ect $hours a day
vet bills, $dont get me started

selling the horse 2 years ago $ PRICELESS:D

[Quad Boy 660r]

Well, not to hijack the thread or anything, but does anyone know the typical lifespan of a horse?

I once heard 20 years, but Im pretty sure that is too low, becuase the horse we have now is 26 years old, and the last horse that we had lived til it was 32 years old!

Anyways, we have one Paint right now, and the hores that was 32 when he croaked was a white appoloosa(sp). My uncle runs a riding stable in Michigan, and has 38-40 horses. My other uncle usd to run a horse auction in Fenton, Michigan that had been around forever.

Id rather have a quad or dirtbike:devil:

[FourFiftyFour]

Originally posted by Quad Boy 660r
Well, not to hijack the thread or anything, but does anyone know the typical lifespan of a horse?

I once heard 20 years, but Im pretty sure that is too low, becuase the horse we have now is 26 years old, and the last horse that we had lived til it was 32 years old!


a very big range is 20-30...but after 25 they are starting to get pretty old..it is not rare to see a horse get past 30 though

one of my horses had a lot of tumors up and down his intestine and he had to be put to sleep at only 16 years old

[tp300ex]

my uncle owns 5 and im going to tell u...shes going to have to spend alot of time to ride it care for it etc....u also have to rember the vets are very high on price with horses!
also they can run u a good 1,000$ a year

[prepracing]

Originally posted by coolguy8769
We own 3 throughbreds and 1 appalousa, and we also board 3 horses....


let me tell you not cheap to buy or maintain!! The avarage horse cost about $5-10,000. If you want a nice throughbred or a very well trained horse that can cost you $40,000+:eek2:

Pony's are also not cheep. the only difference in a horse and a pony is that a pony is shorter then 11 hands and a horse is taller then 11 hands (hands is the measurment of a horse's hieght). How big is your G/F? if she is short i would get something between 11-13 hands. Anything over that and its gonna be a handfull.



I'v rode horses since i was 9. At about 15 i need more speed and something that could jump higher. I used to Show horses and do Show-jumping (jumping horses over jumps 4+ feet tall) and eventing. I won a national compitition for my age group about 4 years ago. I have been the butt of many jokes because of this but let me tell you when your riding with 10+ girls and yoru the only guy..... you get what i'm sayin :p




I have no idea where you got that number from but we go through that in about a week! You got feed thats hundereds of dollors , hay (if you dont have a baylor and a field), Vet visits are hunderds, The farrier cost $70+ a horse, Then you have annual vaccinations for rhino and the bird flu that arnt cheap, Then you have the deworming every month. and cant forget insurance. i could go on and on. I dont mean to sound harsh at all but this was my obsession for years before quads came along......


Ummmmmm..... not everybody will be buying Kentucky Derby class champion bloodline thorughbreds :ermm:

[jrafter]

horses are a eating pooping machine......my brother in law told me to never ride anything without a key and ive stuck to that.

but i should say most of the women i know who have horses will never cheat on there men because they are in love with there horses.

expensive is and under statement........my sister is always getting ponys cheap so she say and feeds and waters them and my niece trains them....it takes about a year and then they sell them.

i would bet they have a couple grand in them and they sell them for $1500........i have asked why and my brother in law just passes another beer.

i would say if you have 5 or 10 acrs go for it.....they keep the grass mowed......tac will cost you but if you go to some shows or other barns someone is always selling something cheap....and i have to say my sister always gets a lot of feed free when my brother in law does stuff for other farms .........shes will work him to death before her horse starves.

[bryan.young1]

horse $6000
trailer $12000
truck $25000
saddle $1200
outfit $750
board $500 PER MONTH
lessons $50 hour
shows $20 per class
gas $alot
time spent cleaning,feeding,bathing, ect $hours a day
vet bills, $dont get me started

selling the horse 2 years ago $ PRICELESS



OMFG dude that is the funniest thing i have ever heard. I guess you have to be us to really understand it though. Just thought i would give you much needed credit for the post. Free advise to any man who is thinking about or is currently dating or married to a woman into showing horses...........................RUN OMG RUN RUN AS FAST AS YOUR HARRY LEGS WILL TAKE YOU TO THE NEXT CLIFF AND JUMP THE F OFF BEFORE ITS TO LATE. This would be a much more gratifing live then the one that is in store for you.

[coolex]

i hear clydesdales r nice

[CRich[814]]

holy shiatttt that thing if efffing huge.

[suzukigirl]

OMG that horse is huge :eek2:

[trick450r]

my brother in law told me to never ride anything without a key and ive stuck to that.


you guys dont get much then do you?


haha i had to sorry

[z400rida44]

omg polcat that was hilarious
we have 7 horses, one pony, 2 tenessee walking horses, one arabian, one pasifino,and two quarter horses. i dont ride em but there like my mom and sisters lifes. my sister is getting in to the big quarter horse showing.

[gohstmofo6696]

Originally posted by JJs450r
Dont know if this counts for much but hes a black lab that weights 115 :) might as well be a horse

ehh, i like that dog but it doesnt touch my Dane at 175:devil:


this is a mini horse...

[quads14589]

my sister owns a pinto its huge and about like 5 yrs old

[stunt_69]

I have 5 horses, 3 Tennessee Walkers and 2 saddle horses. I personally love Tennessee Walkers, and them up there are absolutely right, horses will go tons of places quads wudnt dream of. Point its head in that direction, kick it, and that thangs climbin' watevers in its way. That stuffs a rush u cant git from a quad, and its definitely worth every penny, believe me.

[RG #43]

Originally posted by jiggaman2401
Anyone on these forums own any horses? Thinking about buying my G/f one. She rides and all but doesnt own her own. I personally dont know much but just wanna hear what some of yall might have to say. Any personal preferences on type of breed anything like that. Thanks

Where does your girlfriend ride? Does she go to a riding stable, or trail ridding at a farm etc... this will give you some indication as to the breed of horse, as well as the level of involvement which equates partially to the kind of investment your looking at. I know dick about New York, but as a horse trainer, I know alot about horses. Do you own land, or can you rent land in close proximity? will you be looking at boarding at a stable. The biggest costs associated with horses in the pleasure riders budget is housing. If you are looking at showing, or competition the sky is the moon as to how much you spend. A horse in quad terms is like stock vs. aftermarket, weekend warrior vs. full fledged racer. I have owned horses that cost me $ 400 a yr in upkeep max but have trained horses that cost that a month to their owners just to look at them. Its all relative. Cost of the animal itself reflects on the market, the breed, and the pedigree you are looking for. If you are a pleasure rider who just wants to take off down the ditch or country side with no attention to the latest and greatest in equis and etiquitte, look for a a 7 yr old and if breed is not important, look for some crosses. Quarter Horse mix, arabian mix, etc... If you want smooth, look at a gaited such as a Tennesee Walker, Paso Fino, Peruvian etc... Is your girlfriend tall or short? The most common mistake I have seen in horse owners is an owner who is 5'5 insisting on a 16hh+ horse but you do get the occasional 6+ footer with a 14.3hh. Not only is it a pain to watch the first of the two scenarios try to mount, but with both, all seat cues are given in the wrong location making it uncomfortable for both the horse and rider and miscommunication becomes a problem for an enjoyable ride.
Go to a local tack shop, or if you area has a state horse publication that includes classifieds, ask around, browse the for sale section. Also try and find a trainer and ask them about horses for sale. Generally a horse trainer cares for a balanced partnership between horse and rider rather than appearance and form. Find out a horses medical history before purchasing and a vet check is a very usefull tool that should be employed if your not familiar with conformation and breed aspects or can spot previous injuries or heat and swelling in the legs and weak soles, cracked hooves etc...
Best of luck to you in whichever road you take. A horse can be a match made in heaven or hell. It all has to do with knowing what you want, what you expect and where to find it and keep it.

[c450Razy]

we have 3, we just recently bought a police horse that was in regans funeral,

when i was younger we had 2 clides that we used to pull logs off the mountin. They would go places that anything with a motor would only dream of!

Jack and shelly, were there names.

[mach1stang]

my family has a bording facility we have 4 horses now and since they have moved in there names have been changed to satan my gosh does one animal need that much work yeah may want to start out slow maybe a turtle or a tree or somthing

[coolex]

Originally posted by c450Razy
we have 3, we just recently bought a police horse that was in regans funeral,

when i was younger we had 2 clides that we used to pull logs off the mountin. They would go places that anything with a motor would only dream of!

Jack and shelly, were there names.


very sick:eek2:

[jiggaman2401]

Hey guys I appreciate everyones responses. Were gonna take lessons get her back into the swing of things. Gonna get myself experience on the back of one also. Then we are gonna lease a horse from the stable we are riding at. Then if everything goes well we will purchase a horse from there.

[dirtcrasher]

Horses are sooo much fun. First I get up at 5am and mix grain with there fruit and nut mix. Then I convince one of the aholes to eat in the corall and lure the other clown into his stable. I wait 45 minutes for "Bud" to finish his dinner so "Tobey" doesn't eat both of there dinners. Then it's hay time!! Boy, I love hay time and just after that is poop shoveling and stable cleaning time. Depending on where the two idiots decide to take a dump it can take 30 minutes or an hour or more. So I get to relax until noon time at which point they need more hay. If this goes well, I can relax until 5pm when the little babysitting and feeding crap begins again.

All this fun gets to happen in the 100 degree heat, at which point you must rub cream on there privates or flies eat them alive. Or this fun happens in the blistering cold of 0 degrees after I shovel my way out to the pen.

These are my GF's horses and they ar clydesdales or dinosaurs as I call them, I do not enjoy it at all. I have no desire to ride something that can go nuts at any given moment and either toss me off or stomp on me.

They are at least 500$ a month to keep alive. Injuries and the crap you dress them up with costs alot more. I'll take an ATV over an animal anyday.

If you can tell by now, I am not a horse lover at all.......

[mach1stang]

you are trying to make them sound to fun the only fun i have with our 4 is when i pick up chicks with them other than that a are really loveable crap makers


but they are fun to go out and mess for a while i leave the pooh shoveling to the sister and mom (no i am not mean me and my dad had to rebuild both barns so it is a fair trade) but hey it keeps us ou tof trouble