Would you get horse if you can?

There are a lot of horse lovers out there. Horses certainly have been with humans for many thousand of years if not more. They are very loyal and can be very sweet. They are not known for having bad attitude or being spoiled, although it can happen on rare occasions.

Has anyone had a horse or plan to have one?
Even if you can't have one due to varies reasons, would you like to have one if you can?

Asside from the money issue, owning a horse is a LOT of work! My mom was usually able to have a "time share" on someone elses horse at the stable where she rode because she was a very good rider who handled a horse well, and the owner was happy to have someone else to exercise their horse a day or two a week so they didn't have to be out there every day. My sister loved riding and dreamed of getting a horse when they moved to a rural area. But it never happened, and I think now she would rather have the freedom to travel and spend time with her grandson and not be tied down caring for a horse everyday. They're wondrfull animals, but an owner needs a lot of time and dedication. Not for me.

The horse used to be in the place of a car rather than a pet. Now they are no longer needed as transportation. I'd love to ride one sometimes, but I guess I have no idea it involve a lot of work in order to have one. I thought it'll be ok as long as you have a huge field of grass for them to chew on while you are away.

Yes, horses started out as transportation. Today, except for some working cattle, police horses, and horses for hire (trail rides, carriage rides), horses are used mostly for pleasure, either for competing or for the sheer enjoyment of riding. So much so that the state of California now classifies them as companion animals same as cats and dogs. But all companion animals require some work. Hutches, cages, and litterboxes need to be cleaned. Some need training and to be taken out for regular exercise. Horses are no different, they're just a lot bigger. They need food and water, which means hauling buckets and bales. Bedding is straw or wood shavings, and it has to be scooped out daily with a pitch fork or shovel and a wheelbarrow. They need a fenced space to run, like a dog does, but far larger than your yard, And like your dog, they need training, or they will be impossible to handle. If you think your dog walks you, this is an animal big enough and strong enough to drag you anywhere it wants, and it can do serious damage if not kill you just as easily. If you want to ride them or compete with them, they need still more training. They can develop bad habits if bored. They need regular dental care, as well as vacinations. There can be serious problems if they eat too much or too fast, or the wrong thing. And unlike other animals, they need shoes, custom fit and fastened, and as their hooves grow, they need trimming and re-fitting of the shoes. Remember; bigger animal, bigger bills.

Maybe I have watched too many movies. The horses from the movies don't seem to get any special treatment. They would have to wait patiently between being a transportation, either being tied to a tree or stay inside a farm house. They get nothing more than some grass and water. They were nothing but transportation and hard labor. They way you say how they might get bored sound like if they have developed the bad habit of being spoiled just like some dogs and cats.

Back when horses were transportation, they WORKED most of the day (when they weren't plowing the fields)! A modern horse that is not kept out in a pasture all the time, is spending most of their time in a stall. They have to be taken out daily for some exercise, either being ridden or trained, or at least turned out in a corral or pasture to run for a bit. If you keep the horse on your property that's not as hard to do though it does take a good chunk of time out of your day. If you keep your horse at a boarding stable, you are paying them to cleaan the stall and feed your horse every day. Less work for you, but a lot more money. My mom would ride at a boarding stable where she had a time-share on someone else's horse, That's a solution for getting to ride once a week without all the responsabilities and expense of owning a horse. And if you do own and board a horse, then you don't have to go take care of them every day.

Paying someone else to take care of the horse isn't the same. Wouldn't the horse be more attached to the person who take care of it daily instead of someone who show up only once or twice a week?