Having a pet in a home is good for many different reasons. However, all animal lovers have a strong desire to possess a horse. Indeed, these beautiful animals will make your life more beautiful. However, being a horse owner also means that you need to be responsible. The first step you need to make is purchasing the basic equipment for your new friend.
Table of Contents
Benefits of Owning a Horse
Big love for horses is not inspirational enough for people. By the way, is it even possible not to love this animal? Yet, there are certain health benefits of owning a horse that you should know.
Stress Management
img source: squarespace-cdn.com
Everyday life is full of ups and downs. Each day we have to face different concerns and stressful situations. All of them negatively influence our mental strength. Unfortunately, many people do not know how to handle the stress they feel. Because of that, getting a horse might be a solution to this problem.
Interaction with animals provides a decrease in blood pressure. By playing with a horse, you will isolate your thoughts and fulfill them with positivity. Despite that, riding a horse will boost the level of your physical activity. As you know, exercise has always been a good want to manage stress.
Creativity Improvement
You will surely try to train your pony in several different ways. Whichever method you choose, achieving this goal is going to be an everyday challenge. Many times you will need to be creative and think of the new ways how to train your friend. Doing that regularly will positively influence your creativity and improve your decision-making skills. Both things will have a huge impact on different aspects of your life.
Boost of Self-Confidence
img source: horseandrider.com
Many people suffer from a lack of confidence in today’s world. We deal with many failures and we stop believing in ourselves because of that. Fortunately, horse owners can solve this problem soon.
As we said, you will strive to teach your “pony” different things. In other words, you will become a leader. Convincing a 1000-pound animal to move in a certain direction or follow you is a big achievement. Feeling a sense of pride each day will boost your confidence. You will start feeling that you are strong enough to achieve some goals that seem unachievable at first glance.
Necessary Equipment for First-Time Horse Owners
Being a horse owner for the first time is a challenging thing. You will need to invest additional effort to get familiar with the subject a bit more. As we said, the first important step is to purchase “basic” equipment. Because of that, we would like to make a list of things you should get. The purpose of the list will help you to organize your budget as well.
1. Feeding Equipment
img source: valleyvet.com
To start, you will need to get a feed pan for individual feeding. Despite that, you should also get the feed container. We will let you decide on which type of feed container will match your needs. However, our recommendation is to choose the metal or plastic one that contains a secure lid. These materials will prevent any potential rodents. You must ensure the best possible feeding experience for your lovely friend.
Despite that, horses like to drink a big amount of water. This especially counts if you plan to ride them for a longer time. A larger bucket can finish the job, but you can also get the water trough. In the end, you need to keep the water warm enough. This especially counts when we talk about people that live in the areas with freezing temperatures. Heated buckets or water heaters would be a perfect choice for those people.
2. Bridle
img source: hstatic.dk
We won’t spend words on the style of bridle you will pick. It is a matter of personal choice. Yet, a good idea would be to use those that will suit the head type of your lovely friend. For example, if your horse has a fine hear, it might be good to choose a narrower leather type.
The noseband is another thing that you should consider. Certain horses would feel more comfortable with grackle nosebands. However, it might happen that plain cavesson would be more suitable for them.
3. Saddle
img source: pinimg.com
You should primarily know that saddle is the most expensive piece of equipment. Still, you can save some money by purchasing the synthetic ones. They are a bit cheaper, but their quality is not at the highest level. Anyway, most riders consider general purpose saddle as the most helpful one. You can conclude alone what is the purpose of this type of saddle. However, if you will deal mostly with flatwork, WH and VSD style would be a much better choice. On the other hand. Gps and jumping saddles are perfect for people that plan to jump with their horses actively.
4. Girth
img source: thesprucepets.com
Picking the right girth for your horse might be a big challenge because you have a wide range of options. First of all, they are made of several different materials. For example, you can find nylon, synthetic, and string girths suitable for different purposes. Despite that, you can find shaped or plain as well.
We won’t recommend any of them because they depend a lot on your purpose. It would be smart to talk with the saddle fitter and get some pieces of advice.
5. Bit
img source: wikimedia.org
Purchasing a bit is also a tough challenge. You can find a huge number of them online and it will be hard to pick only one. In some cases, the horse we have will require stronger bits for hacking and jumping. The beginners should start with the molders bits they can find in the stores. For instance, a snaffle bit would be ideal for schooling. After a certain period, you can switch to stronger ones.
Bonus Tip: Where to Get a Horse and “Basic Equipment?
img source: thebalancecareers.com
Fortunately, we all live in a world of advanced technology. As we said, you should primarily improve your knowledge associated with horses and necessary equipment. After that, you can use the Internet to find places where you can purchase a horse and other necessary items. Websites like horseclicks.com will offer you a wide range of options. You can find different types of horses and various equipment matchable with their needs.
