This
newsletter is a personal letter from me to you,
a fellow horse owner and
enthusiast.
My goal is to answer some of your questions and send you interesting
stories and helpful tips for your
horse care, training, and riding. 
Help New Horseowners
Cost of Keeping a Horse
Choosing a Mentor
Ask Cherry
Where Do I Start??!!
If
you are an experienced horse owner, you might think this newsletter has nothing
in it for you. BUT, in fact, we all need to remember
what new horse owners go through, what questions they ask, what help they need.
I'll bet you have a friend or neighbor that is new to horsekeeping. The more you
can help them, the better for them, for their horses, for you, and for the horse
business in general. Did
you know that you might easily spend as much or more keeping your horse each year
as you did purchasing him or her in the first place? This could be true if you
were given a horse, you rescued a horse, or you purchased a horse that cost $2000
or less. Horsekeeping costs are constantly rising as our
planet continues to "shrink" making land a valuable commodity. The cost
of pasture and feed is a huge part of your horse budget and is directly related
to the high costs and increasing scarcity of agricultural land. Finding a place
to turn your horse out or ride your horse may involve considerable expense, especially
if you live near an urban area. Of course, there are many
things you can do to minimize horse costs, such as performing most of the labor
yourself rather than boarding, sharing facilities with a friend, working for board
or pasture space, and keeping your eyes and ears open for bargains in hay, bedding,
and horsekeeping supplies. Just to give you a rough idea
of what it costs to keep horses, I'll outline below the customary routine costs
needed to properly care for a horse. I'll give you a cost estimate based on today's
prices.... The type of horse you look for will
depend on your level of experience and the purpose for the horse. If you need
to learn how to ride, you should look for a well-trained, experienced horse. You'll
need a patient horse that knows more about riding than you do. Horses of all breeds
and types can be suitable as mentors. Most really good teachers are geldings between
the ages of 8 and 20. But that doesn't mean all older horses make good mentors.
If a horse has not been properly trained to the specifics of riding, even if he
is "sweet and gentle" in nature, he would not be a suitable mentor.
Young horses are usually not suitable for teachers
because a young horse's responses are not consistent, a young horse has not experienced
enough of the world to be unflappable, and a young horse is not usually physically
developed enough to counteract the imbalances and mistakes of an unskilled rider.
A school horse must be patient, willing, cooperative and
alert yet calm. He must be physically responsive to the aids and balanced and
rhythmic in all of his gaits. A very thin-skinned horse...... We've
added a few more books to our blemished book page with discounts up to 70% off.
There is only one copy of each blemished book, so first come, first served.
"Where
do I Start??!!"Hi, I'm 36
and I have always wanted to own a horse. I have been riding since I was 10 years
old. I am now at a position in my life where I can seriously start looking for
the right horse for me. where do I start? I know a lot about riding but not much
about buying and owning.I have many questions like, how many acres do I need if
I keep it on my property? basically I need to know everything. my husband and
I are looking for a home in a more rural area of p.a so I can fulfill my dream
and finally own my horse. thank you for your time and I hope to hear from you
soon. I'm 28 years
old and have been dreaming of owning a horse for as long as I can remember. I've
been reading everything I can get my hands on to ensure that I am as educated
as possible but am feeling quite overwhelmed. I'm up for the challenge completely
but am beginning to think that I'll never "know enough" to deserve the
honor of owning one of these precious animals. I'm 45
years old and have never owned a horse, I have ridden some and am planning on
purchasing a horse, what would you suggest, age, breed, etc. I will probably only
trail ride. I'm leaning toward Morab's or Half Arabians. I love animals and they
seem to take to me. Kimberly That's
it for this month. Don't forget, when you ride, keep your mind in the middle and
a leg on each side. 
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