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6 Tips For Owning Your First Horse

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#horse #horses #equestrian #horseriding
Published
11/30/2021

Becoming a horse owner can be a lot more work than you’d expect. You might already spend time volunteering at your local riding school, mucking out and taking the horses out into the paddocks for exercise, but being responsible for these jobs on a full-time basis demands a lot of commitment and care. However, many people own horses and caring for these gentle giants is somewhat of a passion to them, making the workload feel irrelevant. If you’ve got your heart set on taking care of your horse, then this is something to get excited about, but there are also many things to keep in mind during this process. Here are some of our best pieces of advice about horse ownership for first-timers.

Get Horse Care Experience

If you have never gotten much or any experience in caring for horses, it may be a good idea to do so before you get your horse. Knowing how to clean out their stables, clean their hooves and groom them, and just generally knowing how to act around a horse when not in the saddle is very important. Taking on your horse without the basic knowledge will be even more overwhelming than usual and could even be a negative experience for both you and your horse. Spend some time doing volunteer work at a stable near you so that you can get used to the workload and also get some good working knowledge too.

Continue With Riding Lessons

You might think that now you have your horse, you can get out there and learn on your own. Well, you’d be wrong here. Sure, owning your horse is great and means that you can ride them for your lessons, as well as go out in your own time for practice, but you must keep going to proper lessons. Even the top show jumpers and jockeys continue to be taught by trainers as these skilled individuals have a good eye for technique and can help to prevent you from adopting any bad habits. As well as riding lessons, don’t forget to keep learning more and more about horse care, as ignorance in this topic can be one of the biggest contributors to problems with horses.

Buying The Right Gear

Before you go on a spending spree, first it’s important to sit down and have a good think about what your horse needs. If it will be you doing the riding, you’ll also want to make sure you choose the best equipment for your comfort. You’ll want to get the correct tack for your horse, including padding to prevent irritation or injury to your horse. You’ll also want this equipment to survive all the intense wear and tear of riding. For example, your saddle will require a fair bit of maintenance so get yourself some leather polish, soap, and oils to keep it in good condition. You can get all of these supplies as well as lots of great equipment online from stores such as Equi Supermarket. They also sell riding clothes and food for your horse too.

Get Your Horse Used To You

It’s one thing watching a well-behaved horse with its original owner obeying every command and generally being calm and collected. However, you’ll want to make sure the horse will be like this with you as well. Before jumping straight on, spend plenty of time leading them around your stables, getting them used to the area, and you. Groom them, tack them up, and untack them too. All the while, making sure there aren’t any stages that your horse disagrees with. You’ll also get to know a bit more about their temperament around you, such as whether any particular things catch their attention that you’ll need to divert them from and also if there is anything around your stables that might give them a spook.

Bond With Your New Friend

Ultimately, you’ll want to make sure you bond with your horse. These are incredibly intelligent creatures, and while sometimes they may be temperamental, so can we all. Ultimately, the best way to develop a bond with any animals is to spend time with them. Choose relaxing routes that you can walk together on foot and give them treats when they follow commands. Usually, this won’t be a fast bond but once you and your horse become the best of friends, the hard work will all feel worthwhile.

Have Regular Veterinarian Checkups

It’s also very important for you to make sure your equine companion is well cared for. Horses, like any other living thing, can be susceptible to health issues throughout their lives. Sadly, this is just a part of life, and we have to roll with the punches. You and your horse need to get acquainted with your vet so they can develop a good understanding of your horse. Regular health checkups are very important for horses, and if there aren’t any apparent health issues, you should arrange a vet appointment at least once a year.

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