I love horses. I love to talk to them and pet them. However, I would not buy one, because I am a chicken when it comes to riding one.
When I was a teenager, I went horseback riding twice. Both times I ended up with the horse that would not budge. Since then, I feel sort of jinxed with horseback riding.
The other reason is that horseback riding is not my thing.
footballtim, my brother is also a "chicken" when it comes to riding a horse! My dad used to take all of us horseback riding when I was really young - which I forgot up until seeing your post. I remember sitting on a horse in front of my dad while he rode it, along with the rest of the family, my mom & older brothers, on their rented horses. The horseback riding excursions stopped though when one of my brothers was thrown from a horse & trampled upon. My brother Gary has hated/feared horses ever since!
One of the part-time managers at the place I now work at owns a ranch nearby. He is always talking about taking his horses out riding. He's invited my hubby & I over, but I know I cannot ride a horse with all the back/neck/hip pain I suffer from! It would be nice to just hang out at his ranch though, looking at the horses, maybe feeding them. One of his favorite mares injured herself last week on his fence. He was complaining about the $300 vet bill to stitch her up. She was fussing with a gelding on the other side of the fence, he also got some scratches and marks, but she ripped her shoulder and neck open quite badly. Joe said he'd neglected turning the "heat" on that particular part of the fencing to keep the horses away from it. A costly mistake that turned out to be!
I used to do volunteer work at a horse farm, so I know how much hard work they are. You don't get any breaks really, horses are a ton of work to take care of, every day for the majority of the day. It's easier to own one instead of multiple horses though I'm sure. They're cool and fun creatures, great to ride and just be with, but I know I wouldn't be able to keep up with all that work with school and having a job (unless I did what the farm that I worked on did...got kids who are enthusiastic about animals to do the work for me, telling them it's volunteer work so I don't have to pay them, and telling them it's an excellent opportunity to learn all about how working on a farm is. Pretty sure the owners were exploiting us...but it was still fun, I don't regret it at all, and I learned quite a bit.)
I have always found horses to be beautiful majestic creatures. They also have a loving disposition about them similar to a dog or cat. But unlike a dog or cat, they aren't as easy to care for. You have to keep them properly fed and watered. They have to be properly groomed, and maintained. Which includes exercising them regularly. I remember when I was younger there was a horse farm not farm from where I live (this is now a residence) and there were always such beautiful and loving horses there, I use to love to look at them. Have I ever ridden a horse, afraid not and to be honest I'm not sure I want to. I did this past winter take my first horse drawn carriage ride through a park, which was an experience in itself.
Yes, I would definitely own a horse one day. I think that they would make the perfect pet because they are the kind of animals that are to themselves. They are not wild or attempt to gain anyone's attention. You can leave them alone while you go somewhere and come back and not have your back yard destroyed. I remember I left my dog in my back yard and she destroyed it. She dug holes all over my back yard and flipped the chairs over. I was extremely upset because I had to clean everything. Hopefully my dream of owning a horse comes true--I think they are fascinating!
Oh I would so very much love to have a horse. I have the same issues of not enough money and not enough space or time for a horse, but putting all that aside, I would dearly love to have a horse. I have not ridden much but whenever I have it's been a magical experience. The horses I've been privileged to meet are just splendid beings. I met a couple real sweeties last year when I went to a gal's house here locally to get some manure for my garden. She let me in to meet her two beauties and, oh, I did fall rignt in love.
I have a friend in Britain who works with horses, doing a kind of energetic healing. She talks a lot about how wise and sensitive and attuned horses are.
Maybe one day I will be able to experience more of the company of horses.
I owned two horses when I was in my late teens and early twenties. One was an older horse named Lady, and the other was named Heinken, after the beer. I was only able to afford having a horse because I lived and worked on my uncle's farm. He grew all his own feed, the oats and hay, plus he mixed his feed as well. So I paided him for boarding my horse with money and mostly farm labor. As much as I love horses they are expensive to own and the work and care, involved with the proper care and handling would take strength I do not have anymore. Sure I would love owning another one if I had a farm to keep it on and someone else paided the bills. lol
I currently have a horse and have had many in the past. I love horses. They are great companions and I love riding them. It's an amazing feeling when you're riding a horse. Words can't describe how you feel. I love my horse and have loved all my horses. I'm glad they are such a huge part of my life. I encourage anyone who can get a horse to get one. And anyone out there who loves horses should definitely continue to have their love for such beautiful, graceful animals.
Having a horse is definitely expensive, but even more, it takes a lot of learning, to be able to ride one properly. The movies give a very distorted idea of what riding is like, since the rider just jumps on and gallops off, and you never see any of the preliminaries that go into getting the horse ready to be ridden.
The horse there never needs to be fed, watered, groomed, to have shoes put on, or to be wormed; all things that need to be done when you have a horse.
Even when you start out with a trained horse, if you are a novice rider, you need to take lessons to learn how to control the horse, and to communicate with him. It is rather like taking Drivers Ed in school to learn how to drive a car.
Your car can sit in the driveway for a week, and be fine, but your horse has to be fed and watered every day, and usually brushed , and have the hooves cleaned out. If he is in a barn, then the stall has to be cleaned, and the manure hauled off and dumped.
So, even though having a horse, and going riding is wonderful, it takes a lot of commitment to decide to have one of your own.
