Keeping horses on the farm might not be what it used to be 100 years ago where they were used to plow the fields, drive you to town and do all of the heavy work. In fact, owners today have a reputation of just throwing their hard-earned money away on their horses. It happens a lot in the horse world. These beautiful beasts can be pretty costly. Feed, hay, vet bills, farrier visits and so on. Some even pay a hefty amount each month to stall their horses at a boarding facility.
To many homesteaders like you and me, the ones who try to live off of the land and raise our own food, owning horses might seem pretty far fetched. But what if I told you that horses don’t have to cost you any more than a cow?
We began our horse adventure many years ago. We thought we’d start out with some old retired trail horses, two to be exact. They weren’t just old, they were 30 years old! I thought that if we enjoyed these old fellas, then we might think about younger horses in the future when the grandpa horses pass away.
We only had them for a year when one died. He was my favorite, an old Arabian who had a lot of fire in him even at 30. My husband and I had some fun running the trails in our southern Indiana home. We thoroughly enjoyed them and my kids did too.
One cold morning, Hawk, the Arabian, got down up against the barn and couldn’t get back up. We did everything we could to get him on his feet. He tried too, clearly not wanting to give up. But, nothing was working. Not even a tractor. We ended up having to put him down and I’m telling ya, it was one of the hardest animal losses I’d ever had even to this day. For just having him for a year, I had a bond with him that I can’t explain. His death bothered me for months.
And so we continued to be horse owners and bought a couple here and there at different times and learned from trial and error. We owned a Standard Bred/Quarter horse, a Tennessee Walker, Haflingers, Quarterhorse and a mixed breed pony.
What we realized is that the Haflingers, hands down, are the easiest keepers. Not only do they keep their weight on, even to the point of being a little overweight in the summer, they do not need grain. Wintertime food consists of hay and a mineral block. That’s it. And they do just fine with a farrier twice a year(an average horse gets their hooves trimmed every 6-8 weeks).
My kids show them in 4-H and they have a blast! But we’ve had our ups and downs with the other breeds. Keeping the weight on them without breaking the bank was a big issue with a couple of them. They were a lot more finicky too. After losing a Quarterhorse to bad genetics and the mixed pony to colic, we needed another horse for my son who was outgrowing the pony sized Haflinger. Although they can withstand adult weight, for showing purposes it’s not good to have an adult-sized kid on a pony. My husband agreed to getting another horse, but he made it clear that we could only get a Haflinger. They are so much more hardy and require less intervention.
I found a Haflinger that was tall enough to be considered a horse. Most of her life was with the Amish. And, she was pregnant! Although she did become underweight while she was pregnant, putting her out on spring grass was all it took to bounce her back to an acceptable weight. We had a Gypsy Vanner/Haflinger cross be born on the farm two years ago. And this gal is proving to be just as hardy. In fact, Gypsies are known for their hardiness and friendly personalities. I also like that both breeds are strong enough and are actually bred to pull heavy loads. That just might come in handy one day!
It is key to find those hardy breeds if you are thinking of owning a horse, but not wanting to go bankrupt.Another way we keep costs down is we aren’t your typical horse people. That might sound strange but I don’t know a whole lot of horse terms or riding know-how and a part of me wants to keep it that way. I think the more I dive into that side of horse ownership, the more difficult things can get. My kids love showing them in 4-H and I love watching them compete. For not getting formal lessons, they hold their own and do quite well. I just like to keep things simple.
My horses don’t have their own stalls and they don’t get preferred treatment. I think that’s hard to understand for those whose life revolves around their horses. We give them a good life, a free life on the pasture. We give them good loving and companionship. But we don’t coddle them.Now that you know that horses don’t have to break the bank, I can tell you that they are also good for the garden! Yep, horse manure is the bomb-diggity and it is easier to shovel up in the wheelbarrow than goat manure. Horses eat all the hay that has dropped on the ground, which leaves just manure to scoop up in the barn. Goats on the other hand, don’t like to eat hay next to their manure. Can you blame them? So cleaning out their area is a lot more difficult because we have to scoop out the hay along with it. In the garden areas where we need a concentrated dose of black gold(manure) we throw on the horse manure. It does wonders! Keeping horses on the homestead can be rewarding. They are emotional creatures and sometimes it just does the body good to go love on them and go for a ride. After all, we need a little break here and there and they can sense when we are down in the dumps sometimes. Therapeutic you might say? Yes, they are.
So if you are thinking about getting a horse, go for the hardier breeds, ones that don’t need much grain or none at all, can withstand cold winters, have healthy hooves and of course, ones that are great with kids! And as an added bonus, prior Amish horses make great potential workers on the farm. You never know, when the crap hits the fan one day, we will have the horse power to keep this farm going!