Should I Keep My Horse at Home? 3 Reasons this is a Bad Idea
So you dream of waking up in the morning to the sound of whinnies, looking out your window and seeing your horse greeting you, or sunset saunters through your private barn…me too. And I’m so sorry for the childhood dreams I’m about to kill.
While it’s a very sweet and romantic idea to have your horse at home, it can very quickly turn bad, and when it does it can be catastrophic if you’re unprepared. That’s why I strongly encourage all new horse owners to keep their horse at a boarding facility for at least a year. This will give you time to get comfortable with the amount of time and money that go into keeping a horse alive, and live through some common issues so that you’ll know what to do when your horse moves home.
To be clear, I am not against horses living in backyards. But I do think it’s very important for people to understand the commitment that goes into horse keeping before making that jump. Here are three reasons why keeping your horse in your backyard is a bad idea if this is your first horse:
You should have at least 3 horses
Horses are social animals and they need a companion. While you can get by with just two, having a third means that when one leaves for a ride or to go to the vet (or God forbid dies) there won’t be one lonely horse panicking at home. And horses aren’t like chickens or even goats…each one has its own workload attached that makes them even more work than the first.
It’s A LOT of work to do on your own
Horses need to be mucked, watered, groomed, and exercised daily and fed at least twice per day. This is all before any tack cleaning, barn or arena maintenance, veterinary care, or even riding some days. With three horses this can quickly become a full time job, and make it hard to ever leave home, even for dinner let alone a weekend away. It’s important to find your support team before you bring horses home, and make sure you have people to cover the daily needs of your horses in the event that you can’t (or just want a break).
You might miss some major red flags
This is the biggest one. If you have never seen a horse choke or colic, it can be easy to miss the subtle signs before they become life-threatening. Likewise, horses are notorious for finding ways to hurt themselves or become “cast” (stuck in their fencing). Until you have trained your eye and your instincts about how to act in these situations, it is really important to have a seasoned horse person near by to help you spot these issues. Keeping your horses in a barn is an excellent idea just for this reason. I have both been the receiver and sender of messages about cast or colicking horses in the middle of the work day at a boarding facility. Having all those eyes around means that illnesses and injuries get caught quickly instead of waiting until the evening meal time.
Again, I want to be clear that there are some people who absolutely could successfully keep their horses at home. However, many people should really consider keeping their horses in a boarding facility for the first year or so to adjust to the workload and risks. You might even find that you prefer to keep your horse boarded during the week and only bring them home on select weekends. The help with chores and peace of mind that come with a boarding facility are so valuable.