How to convince your parents to get you a horse?

Question

well my mom and dad new i have been wanting a horse.and my mom when i was little she used to talk about horses all the time and now i am dieing for a horse my grandparents neighbors have horses and i am always playing with them and my mom says no we cant afford which we can so i dont get it she is the one that started all this!?and she is scared that i wont be responsible!?

Answer 1

She might be concerned that although you'll love the horse, you might lose interest in it and she'll end up getting up early every morning to feed and water it, she'll end up fixing the fence, mucking out the stall, etc etc. It may not happen, but horses are a LOT of work and it's not something to be decided lightly.

Or, maybe, they truly cannot afford it? Horses are expensive, very much so. Aside from the cost of the horse itself, you have boarding fees, hay and grain, bedding, saddles bridles etc, shoes and farrier fees, vet fees, products and medications, riding clothes, yadda yadda. It adds up very quickly and unforeseen expenses pop up all the time.

Perhaps they're concerned about you and the horse's future. Personally, I don't think that kids should have pets that will live long enough to witness the kid going off to college / university / military. I don't know how old you are now, but if you get a horse, and then in a few years head off to post-secondary education, or move away to the city, or whatever, then your parents are stuck with a horse to take care of or sell. OR they migth be concerned that you'll bum around at home after high school because you don't want to give up the horse.

Or they may be concerned that it is just a phase. All girls like ponies, and most of them beg for horses at some point or another. Only for few of us is it a true passion that endures will into adulthood. My parents were always down on my horses, I guess because they figured I was wasting time and money on something I would eventually get bored with or lose interest in.

Anyway, those are some of the reasons they might not want to get a horse for you.
My suggestion to you is to prove that you're responsible and dedicated. Your mom obviously likes horses. So, get a job. Babysit, do odd jobs for neighbours, walk dogs, etc, so earn some money. Ask your parents to sit down to a family meeting and tell them you want to LEASE a horse and that you are willing to put ALL of your earned money into it, if they'll cover the rest. Write out the pros and cons of leasing / owning a horse, and agree that if you do not take care of the horse properly, that the lease will be terminated. If you take great care of your leased horse, they will be more forthcoming in the future if you want to buy a horse.
Don't make silly claims like "I'll clean the whole house every day!" but tell your parents that you're commited to doing ALL the chores involved with keeping the horse - that you'll go out and feed it before school, even.

If they say no, don't get beg or whine, just say "Okay, I understand why you think it's not a good idea, but I love horses; I want to learn about them and I am totally dedicated to doing everything necessary to take care of a horse. If there is anything I can do to prove that, I will. Otherwise, I'm going to keep asking."
You could also ask for riding lessons. If your parents see you love riding and are making progress, they might be convinced.

Good luck! I hope you can convince them to at least allow you to lease a horse.

Answer 2

Considering that your parents would most probably be completely reponsibile for paying for the horse's care and upkeep, it's a bit unreasonable to try to convince them if they say that they cannot afford it. This is not an inexpensive animal to keep. Especially if you want one primarily because your friend got one and

Just for a little reality check, this is a list of some the major expenses that go along with owning a horse.

1) Housing (either on your property or at a boarding stable)
2) Feed
3) Bedding
4) Nutritional suppliments and medications (worming for example)
5) Grooming gear (brushes, hoof picks, etc.)
6) Tack (saddle, bridle, boots, halter, blankets, etc)
7) Shoeing (needs to be done by a trained farrier on average every 2 months)
8) Vet care
9) Cleaning products for horse & tack
10) Gear for rider (boots, helmet, etc.)
11) Lessons and training for both horse and rider

That doesn't begin to touch the enormous investment of time that a horse needs. It's not the kind of animal that you can just visit when you feel like it. A horse needs to be cared for, goomed and exercised every day. It is a lot work to give the horse the basic care that it needs to stay healthy and not something to be done as a whim. This is not an animal that you can play with while it has your interest, then just dropped because you get distracted by your latest hobby.

If you really are dedicated to the idea of getting a horse of your own, join a local riding club. You can also check at your local stable about leasing a horse for a specific period of time. It would give you a taste of what exactly is involved with horse ownership and you and your parents will be able to see if it is something that you really want and can manage as a responsibility. Be willing to give up on a lot of the other extras that you enjoy. And be willing to wait until you are old enough to hold down a job to pay for it.

Answer 3

I had training for more effective or less 3 years in the previous I were given my first horse. I reccommed that you do this so a minimum of you're experienced, or maybe then attempt to get an older horse it really is push-button etc. Get to understand good horsie those who will have the capacity to help you come across a horse even as the time comes. as we communicate you're probable all like "AHH I WANNA HORSE" yet in case you truly have by no ability had ideal training or journey, do not get one straight away. Like I stated, I had training for 3 years in the previous I were given my first pony to percentage with my sister. that did not workout consultation, so i finished up getting my own pony after that :P plenty has happened on account that then, and right here i'm having ridden for more effective or less 10 years and Ive lengthy handed by way of about 5 or so horses. :)

Answer 4

Tell them it is a great hobby, (which it is) and the horse world is friendly competion. I've been blessed with understanding parents, (and the land) to have 2 horses, a pony and a donkey. Horses are quite expensive to keep. the cheapest part in owning a horse is buying it. Look in the paper and begin to circle reasonable horses, trained, older, and experienced for no more than $1,000, and there are pleanty of them out there. don't go for the $100 weanlings/yearlings/ and greenbroke.they will do you no good to ride and will cost more money in the end. Show them how reasponsible you are, offer to get a job to help pay for the feed bill. Show your parents how much you want one, and see how cheap they can come. Show them how much you love them, surf the internet on caring, feeding, riding, and other realated stuff, and pop off with interesting horse facts. Horses need rescueing too, go to google and type in Horse rescue in (around where you live). You can find some pretty graphic stuff about horses that need rescuing. Don't yell at her, and don't bring up the point that she started it. For 4 bags of feed, (this is how I feed one of my horses) it costs about $30, and for 1 horse this will last about a month or more. hay costs depending on where you live, and if you have 5 or more acres, you should only need hay in the winter time. Do all of your chores and pick up around the house. Realize that owning a horse is a full time job. I often ask "what do people without horses do?" because I wake up at 6:30 am to feed and exercise my horses, then it's off to school, then after school is work and I work till about 7pm, and then it's home to care for the horses until about 9, then I still have to do my homework and my chores around the house. There's not much time for anything else except in the summer when I get to go to rodeos and such, which is great fun, and keeps you busy and out of trouble. All in all, if you keep up with your horses health it really shouldn't cost more than $1500 a year to keep a horse. Your horses feet need to be trimmed every 6 weeks or so, but they don't really need shoes unless you ride on gravel all the time, and your horse does really hard stuff like reining. he will need vaccinations, mine only get coggins(proff that they have no diseases so that I can trailer them places) and west nile (a disease spread by mosquitos)

Answer 5

the problem with a horse is its a fill time job. its transport to the yard were the horse is stabled uses money, and don't forget you also have unexpected emergencies and vets bills. there is also the problem of you getting attached to the horse and then your family goes into a financial problem and then has to sell the horse, she may also be scared as if you are planning on stabling the horse were you live, its buying the feed, its waking up in the middle of the night to see if they are ok, like i said unexpected emergencies, hiring a groom. it also depends were you live and all. i live in south Africa were the weather is always great and not normally too cold and rainy... were in some places they ride indoors etc. and then there are also the shows, which takes up the whole day etc

your mother may just be scared and afraid.

i know i have only listed the cons so far and the list seems to be endless, but only with all of those come t ripple the amount of pros. etc making new friends, creating new bonds, getting ,more confident, facing your fears, family times at shows, when you go on holiday gives you more reason to go on trail rides etc... the list is endless

i used to be in the exact same situation as you!!! so trust me.

i always used to ask for a horse and my parents really new i wanted one! until i realized after years of asking i really was not going to get one and really did not know why! then one day i went to the yard were i ride for my weekly lesson and my riding teacher put me on a different horse than normal and that i had never seen before... i was scared, but after a while of riding i really started to enjot my self. after the lesson was over my mom asked who i had ridden and i told her and said she was new etc then my ridding instuctor told us that actually it was not a school pony but a pony for sale as the previous owners had moved country and asked he to sell the pony. i told my mom how much i really liked the pony and asked well begged to see if we could by her after a week they gave in and said i could get her, but i did not get her as she was already sold but did not give up i tried hundreds of horses out for the next 6 months until i finally found the right one! i jave learnt so much ever since and that was two years ago when i was afraid to jump 20 cm and now im jumping 1.20 m !!! so im with you all the way

hope i helped you bring together some ideas and remember the fist horse you see is not the only one try look around untill you find tghe one you really like. if you know some one that is selling a horse at your yard ask your teacher if you can try it out for a lesson while your mom is there then do a simillar thing to what i did!!!

good luck... i will pray and hope for you!!!

please e-mail me i would love to talk to you further!!! xxx

Answer 6

That might be a possibility, but they truly could not be able to afford a horse. Theres farrier billls, vet bills, if you have to board boarding bills, food bills, and so much more. Horses are the farthest thing from cheap. If you truly want a horse and truly wil provide a good home for it, then save save save! Wait until you have at least 500 dollars to ask again and research research research!!!

Answer 7

Your parents may literally may not be able to afford a horse but then again sometimes the stuff like "and it has to go to the vet and get shoes and needs special hay..." whatever. The best horses are the ones that are best breeded horses not ponies because they founder and colic and all that good stuff. If you got enough land I say try try again. And just remeber horses are alot of work. I took me 10 years of begging to get a horse. And get some one to help you pick it out.

Answer 8

just sit and talk to her about how you feel. Tell her that she started this thing with the horse. I'm in the same boat as you.