Stabling Your Horse – Your Property Or Horse Riding Stables?
Housing for an animal as big as a horse is a much bigger concern than getting a new cat or dog.
We all wish we had a lovely sparking clean stable with big stalls, a wash stall with heated water, feed room and tack room. The reality is many people who keep their horses on their property use a converted shed or other similar type of building.
Regardless of where you decide to keep your horse, you will need a place that provides protection from bad weather.
While it is okay to turn your horse out to pasture 24 X 7, there are going to be times when you need a stall area. For example, if your horse is sick or injured. My horse cut the bottom of his foot once and I had to keep it wrapped and keep him in a stall for 3 months while it healed. It would have been a problem, if I didn’t have a stall available.
If you do use a converted shed or building in your back yard, you need to have it compartmentalized, so the stall area for the horse is separate from the feed area and the area where you keep your tack and grooming equipment.
You will also need a fenced in area. Don’t use barbed wire fencing. They can do a lot of damage if a horse gets tangled up in it. A post and rail fence or woven wire fencing are better choices. It should be tall enough, so your horse cannot jump over it and shouldn’t fall down if your horse leans up against it.
If you are going to keep a horse at home, he should have a companion. Horses are herd animals and can become extremely unhappy and depressed if kept alone. If you don’t want to get a second horse, consider a goat, pony or miniature horse to keep your horse company.
If you don’t have room to keep a horse at home, you can always keep them at a boarding stable or even on a friend’s property. There are many different living situations to choose from. You could keep your horse in a co-op situation and share in the chores with the others in the barn. This is certainly cheaper, or you can opt for a boarding situation that offers full care.
In each boarding situation, you need to find out up front what is included such as food, blanketing, fly mask, fly spray feeding supplements and medication. Is there a riding ring or does the facility have access to trails? If you plan to jump, are there jumps available? If you have a horse trailer, can you leave it on the property when you are not using it?
As you can see, housing is a big concern when you own a horse and you should do your research, so you know what all of your options are.
