How to get a horse?

Question

How do you convince your parents that you should be able to get a horse?

Answer 1

Good luck, baby. My parents never went for it, either! Just keep in mind, it is expensive and time consuming. They are probably hesitating for that reason. Just work on them to let you take lessons (if you aren't already) and maybe lease a horse, to start. Perhaps when they see you are up for the responsibility, for the long run, they will consider it further.

Answer 2

I wanted a horse when I was a kid, but it wasn't until I was out on my own and could pay the bills that I understood why we were unable to get a horse when I was a child. My parents simply couldn't afford one.

Let me tell you about the costs:

First off, there is the cost of the horse. This can range from FREE-- yes, you can get horses for free sometimes-- all the way up to the sky is the limit. But on average, I've found that if you want to get a reasonably safe, healthy, sound horse with enough training to be enjoyable to ride, you're going to have to pay something around $1500.

Then there's the equipment you need to work with your horse: as a minimum, you need a saddle of some sort, a bridle and bit or hackamore, a halter and lead rope, and a grooming kit (brushes, rubber curry, hoof pick, sweat scraper, rubber bucket, and sponge for bathing the horse). These will set you back something on the order of $400-500, minimum. Possibly a lot more if you intend to show the horse, because then there is more equipment involved and it costs more.

And that's just the beginning, because it seems that every time you turn around you'll find yourself needing more things for your horse: polo wraps, bell boots, splint boots, a blanket, cooler, and flysheet; fly mask; other grooming aids of various sorts.

Then there's the cost of items for you: as a minimum you'll need a good, ASTM-approved hard helmet for protection. That's likely to set you back at least $40-50. You'll probably also need some kind of boots to ride in, because sneakers just don't cut it, and you may need breeches or working chaps to protect your legs. You might want to get gloves, too, because if you ride somewhere where it gets cold your fingers on the reins can turn blue with cold and that really doesn't feel so good.

Then there are the costs for boarding the horse. They vary greatly, depending on the area where you live, but I haven't found any place lately where you can get box stall board (which includes the shavings for the stall and the feed for the horse, as well as someone to muck out the stall and feed for you) for less than $250/month. You can get pasture board in some places for less, but it's really hard to work with a horse that is out on pasture and not in a stall.

Shoeing is another item: every eight weeks, as a minimum, you have to have your horse's feet trimmed and most likely shod as well, and that's another $65-200 every time you do it. (The variance in cost is because some horses need special shoeing. A lot of the so-called "free" horses you can find have foot problems that require special shoeing, and that $200 every time you need the shoer really adds up fast after a while.

Vet costs are going to run you about $300-700 year, depending on what your horse needs, and if anything goes wrong the cost adds up so quickly it makes your head spin. If your horse colics on a Sunday or at night and you have to have an emergency vet call, you can find yourself facing a bill for more than $1000 before you are through.

In short, there is no way to own a horse on the cheap.

If I were you, I'd stop trying to convince the parents to buy you a horse and start trying to convince them to buy you riding lessons. This will prepare you for the time when you might be able to afford a horse of your own, and it also gets you an inside track on situations where you might find yourself with a horse to excercise, care for and ride for free. Sometimes situations come up where someone needs to have their horse taken care of by someone else. If you happen to be there, are known to be reliable, and are available, you just might be able to get to have the fun of riding a horse while someone else pays the bills.

Good luck to you.

Answer 3

Tell your parents that you have been wating for a while and need a horse badly becuse you will be able to ride it when ever you wnat and they wont have to pay for a lesson each time you ride a horse