The relationship between humans and horses has a long history. As they evolved and became domesticated, horses became a valuable transportation, labor, and companionship source. With qualities unique to their species, horses have become one of the few mammals that can form a lifelong, mutually beneficial, and deep emotional connection with humans.
If you are considering taking the plunge into horse ownership and joining millions of others who own a horse, you need to ask yourself:
Are you ready to commit yourself to the requirements of taking care of a horse?
Like any companion animal, horses require care. Horses, much like any large animal, rank high in the responsibility category. Horses need much more care than dogs, cats, or goldfish. So, before getting a horse, it's essential to understand both the financial and time commitment required for horse ownership.
Given that horse-care requires some effort, horses are living longer, more productive lives with improved nutrition and health care. It's not uncommon to find horses living well into their 20s and 30s. With this in mind, are you prepared to offer a life-long commitment to this horse? Also, the cost of owning a horse can undoubtedly add up pretty quickly. Compared to other pets and livestock, owning a horse is rather costly.
Now let's shed light on some of the expenses and commitment levels you should expect if you are to own a horse.
Raising horses is a significant time commitment.
They need daily care regardless of the weather, schedules, or holidays. Although you certainly won't be spending all of your time looking after your new horse, it does require a commitment, and you'll need to figure out how to fit that commitment into your schedule. You need to be able to dedicate a lot of time to your horse, from the daily duties like exercising, feeding, and grooming; to the maintenance commitment of making vet and farrier appointments, cleaning stalls, and making an order of hay.
Think of all the stories on social media where you see horses' owners' posts of a typical day around their barn: they typically include specialized feed charts, great farrier care, lessons, custom tack, meticulous grooming sessions, some body-work or visit from the vet, immaculately-maintained rings, and what amounts to a turn-down service at night-check.
That being said, keeping your horse at a boarding stable can help alleviate some of these demands, as most boarding stables see to your horse's daily care and maintenance. Boarding is the least time-consuming way to keep a horse. But, the convenience comes with a price, and a full-service board can cost thousands of riyals per month.
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Be aware of the associate costs
It is the truth that horses themselves can be an expensive purchase, but that is usually the least of your financial burdens when it comes to owning a horse. Potential horse-owners should be aware of the associated costs that accompany ownership before purchasing a horse. These types of expenses will vary due to the diversity of the use of the horse and the way that it is managed. Some expected costs include boarding fees, feed, veterinary care, routine farrier bills, hoof care fee, and riding equipment expenses, to name a few.
While vet bills cause the most groaning when people talk about how expensive raising horses is, some horses can go ten years without needing to see a vet, outside of maintenance procedures like vaccines and teeth floating. But if your horse does need to see a vet, you will rarely get by without spending a small fortune. Most horses are prone to colic, some may develop infections, and others are simply accident-prone. Horses "tend to die quickly from basically anything, "as my vet neighbor likes to claim.
The emotional benefits are completely worth it
However, to most horse owners, the emotional benefits are usually worth the cost and time. They argue that the bonds they develop with their horses are highly emotionally rewarding; for themselves and their horses.
We relate to horses. Horses share a similar family structure, can communicate emotions and feel empathy, learn to trust, show stress, thrive in open spaces, and require social relationships to be healthy, just like we do.
Horses are exceptionally socially intelligent beasts. Studies indicate that they are the first non-human mammal known to have the ability to recognize, analyze, respond to and remember human emotions. They can recognize their owners' and caretakers' moods through facial expressions and differentiate between anger and happiness. Many riders claim that spending time with horses has a calming effect on them.
Not only can horses understand the various moods and facial expressions of humans, but they can also communicate their emotions via movements of their ears and eyes and through snorts and whinnies, which horses may have adopted as a result of years of interaction with humans. But, no doubt, horses create a deeper bond with humans by being able to recognize human moods and displaying their emotions understandably.
Other benefits of owning a horse
Not to mention the fact that owning a horse means more opportunities for physical exercise for you, like riding, working with, and taking care of your horse are all great workouts. Owning your own horse will give you the opportunity to get into shape and keep physically fit. Also, having your own horse ensures consistency in training. The only riding cues your horse is getting are your cues and yours only, which allow you and your horse to grow together with more speed and ease than if your horse was being ridden and used for other purposes.
Horses are special creatures, probably, one of the most majestic creatures on Earth. Horses command respect in many ways, especially their stature, agility, and prideful attitude. They are massive beings with enough brains and brawn to intimidate humans. However, they choose to trust and, throughout history, have proven to be humans' great companions and comrades.
So, is it worth it to own a horse? Each to his own, I think. I would say yes, it is worth it. If you have the means to and are willing to exert the effort and commit yourself, then yes, by all means, get yourself a horse and experience a magnificent and inspiring bond with such a soothing, gentle, and straightforward animal.