Pet I would like to have......

I am a veterinarian, and am lucky to have my own horses. Vet's bills can get expensive, and can often be way more expensive than the cost of buying the horse. I always say to my clients that if you keep your horses healthy, by feeding them correctly, exercising correctly, etc., your chances that your horse becomes sick is less. If you know deep down in your heart that you are not that much of an expert with horses, but really want to buy one, speak to your local Equine Vet and also remember to get him Vet Checked, to ensure he is sound and healthy. Good luck!

Hmmm, horse riding is excellent exercise and a most rewarding and enjoyable sport, it is however the most dangerous sport. The cost of purchase and looking after the horse will depend very much on what you want the horse to do. Different breeds of horse have different capabilities and requirements. There are two basic styles of riding, English saddle and Western. The Western Saddle is developed from old Spanish Jousting saddle and is ridden with the legs straight and the reins are used one-handedly. The saddle itself contains no padding for the horse so a horse blanket must be used underneath but is very padded for the rider, it is generally considered kinder on the knees of the rider though not so good for their back. English saddles are smaller and lighter and individually fitted to the back of the horse by a saddle fitter, they come in a variety of types; general purpose, jumping, cross country, dressage and endurance. They are ridden, with the exception of dressage, with he knees bent, which is better for jumping and ridding fast. They position is generally considered harder on the knees of the rider but since it demands good posture can be beneficial to the back. Which style you adopt depends on what discipline you are going to adopt. For Dressage, Jumping, Cross Country, Eventing, English Saddle is a must. Likewise there are Western disciplines for which a Western Saddle is required. Native horses and crosses are generally good do-ers, which means they require little extra feed, obtaining most of their nourishment from grazing and can live out, the more harder even in our Northern climes. For Western disciplines horses used include the very fast sprinting Quarter horse, and others with which I am not familiar. English saddle disciplines may be ridden in a variety of horses, from Thoroughbreds to natives. Continental Warm-bloods often make good dressage horses but lack the speed and jumping ability of Thoroughbreds and their crosses. Irish sports horses, which are crosses between Thoroughbreds and Irish Draught horses are good all rounders with a fair turn of speed and often make excellent jumpers, often they are possessed of a gentle and well behaved manner, unlike some Thoroughbreds. When living in, horses require mucking out daily, fresh water, checking over and any necessary remedial action, turning out in to the field to graze and checking upon and most will need shoeing every 4 weeks or so. If they are in hard work, they may need to be clipped and then rugged in cold weather. They will need supplementary feed and hay and straw, wood chips, shredded paper, etc. as bedding. The horse will require schooling, that is training to develop correct line and balance in all the gaits. It will require further schooling for jumping and dressage and will need to be exercised most days. Periodically, it will require attention from a specially trained horse dentist and may require the vet to visit. It will benefit from an owner that can form an affectionate bond with it. Horse can recognise different humans are display preferences for different ones. Finally, there is much about yourself to train. Walk soft, talk soft, don't hurry, yourself or the horse and overcome your fear. all the best urban

my favourat pet is Parrot. his shiny colour,naughty activities making me to love him alot.

Ferrier Bills: Shoes replaced every 4-6 weeks: 20-40$ No shoes: 4-6 week apart trims and checkups Vet Bill: If you schedual a checkup it should be about 40$ especially if the vet had to make a house call Spring Vaccinations should be about $120 Coggins Tests are usually around $75 Flu Shot is about $20 Feed: Grain: Should be about 300$ a month depending on the feed Hay: Should be around 200$ a month depending on the dealer and the cutting. Care: Good winter blanket: about 200$ Rain sheet: about 80$ Water proofing spray for the blanket: 15$ Boarding: IF you board a horse somewhere you should be expecting to pay 300-700$. I've been to three barns and one was 350$ one was 550$ and one was 700$ but if you scout around you may be able to find a place for cheaper. Of course, if you dont board you'll need a barn, a large pasture, fences for the pasture, shelter in the pasture, buckets, place to keep hay and grain etc... i suggest you take lessons and learn all about horses for awhile before you buy one! It's really hard work that requires a lot of knowledge... what i have listed above it JUST the basics! (Oh yeah and a new healthy horse could range from 800$-120,000$) Those are the minimum and maximum prices i have seen in my life sooo....) Add Equine Help 101 to your buddy list for any horse help you may need!

the cheapest part about owning a horse is buying it. they are very high-maintenance creatures; it's extremely rewarding to have one, but they need a LOT of time and attention as well as money, and if you can't provide that, don't try it. I used to see a lot of horses go to slaughter because their owners couldn't take care of them, just as small animals get euthenised for the same reason