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Are You Ready To Own a Horse? Basic Essentials of Equine Ownership Guide B-715 Jason Turner, Patrick Torres, and Tom Dominguez1

Cooperative Extension Service • College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences

INTRODUCTIONMany people are intrigued with the idea of owning their own horse, yet responsible equine (horses, mules, and donkeys) own-ership may not reasonably fit your lifestyle or financial resources. This brief guide describes essential ele-ments of responsible ownership. If you don’t feel you can commit to owning an equine responsibly, you should seek alternatives. Some worthy activities that can be fun alternatives to owning your own horse include riding lessons at a lo-cal stable, a guided trail ride from businesses that specialize in that, getting involved with an equine interest group, or volunteering at a local equine res-cue, horse show, or other equine-related event.

NOTE: Informational values in this guide are based on an adult 1,100-lb horse.

OWNERSHIP COSTS “Buyin’ the horse is the cheap part...ownin’ him is the real investment.” - An old adage

A responsible owner provides adequate feed, salt, water, shelter, and hoof and healthcare on a routine basis (Figure 1). While costs can vary depending on your own circumstances, the following figures pro-

vide a reference point for what it costs to adequate-ly care for one horse in New Mexico for one year.

• Feed:Expecttopay$1,000to$2,000

• Hoofcare:Expecttopay$200to$550

• Basichealthcare:Expecttopay$150to$300

Annualcostsofhorseownershipcanbe$1,350to$3,000/horse,andincludingstart-upcosts(shelter, fencing, tack, etc.) for the new owner, the totalcanexceed$6,500—withoutincludingtheprice of the horse.

1Respectively,Professor/ExtensionHorseSpecialist,DepartmentofExtensionAnimalSciencesandNaturalResources;ExtensionAgricultureAgent,SantaFeCountyCooperative ExtensionOffice;andExtensionAgricultureAgent,OteroCountyCooperativeExtensionOffice,NewMexicoStateUniversity.

Figure 1. A well cared for horse in acceptable body condition with access to adequate pasture and forage. (Photo by Jason Turner.)

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SAFE FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENTIn addition to daily care and observation by the owner, some minimal requirements to own a horse include:

• Ashelter(naturalorman-made)ofsufficientsize(atleast150squarefeetperequine)thatoffersthe equine a means of avoiding severe weather (extremetemperaturesover100°Forunder20°F,freezing rain, etc).

• Anareafreeofhazardousequipment,refuse,orobstacles that allows the equine ample space to exercisefreely.Manycityand/orcountyordi-nances in New Mexico may require at least 1 acre of land to legally own livestock. Fences for these areas should be constructed of materials that minimize the chance of injury to the equine, and thesefencesshouldbeatleast4.5to6fttall.

• Disposalof,onadailyorweeklybasis,the50lbof manure per day the horse produces in order to maintain sanitary conditions and prevent prob-lems with odor, flies, etc.

• Accesstoavehicle(pickuptruckandlivestocktrailer) to transport the equine in an emergency.

• Hayandgrainfeeders,watertroughs,stable-cleaning supplies, grooming tools, tack, and enough space to store all of these safely.

ROUTINE CARE FOR ADULT HORSES• Ahorserequires10to12gallonsofclean,fresh,

drinkable water each day.

• Anaverage-sizedhorsewillrequireatleast16to22lbofhayand/orgrainperdaytokeepitselfingoodcondition.Thisisabout1/4to1/3ofanor-mal2-strandhaybale.Feedinglesscanseverelycompromise the health and wellbeing of the horse.

•Thefeet,orhooves,needtobetrimmedevery8to 10 weeks to ensure proper hoof care.

• Horsesharborinternalparasites,sotheyrequiretreatment (deworming) for these at least once ev-ery6monthsormore.

• Horses,likemostanimals,requireannualvacci-nation to prevent contagious diseases.

• Somehorses,especiallythoseover10yearsofage, may require annual dental care and a physi-cal exam from a veterinarian.

• Noviceownersshouldhavemalescastratedbyalicensed veterinarian as an aid in managing the horse and for the safety of others.

• Ownersshouldbeawareoflocal/countyordi-nances (zoning, number of equines allowed per acre, care requirements, etc.) that may apply to equine ownership in their community.

A LONG-TERM COMMITMENTTheaveragelifeofahorseis20to30YEARS!So,the commitment to own and provide for an equine should not be made without considering how stable your financial resources are for caring for that ani-mal.Atayearlyexpenseof$3,000,thefinancialcommitment for care of the horse over its life can exceed$60,000.Inyearspast,thereweremanyoptions for selling an unwanted horse. Today, how-ever, there are few options for owners to be rid of an unwanted horse, and many times well-meaning equine owners sadly find themselves in a spot where they can no longer care for their animal. Significant expenses are tied to euthanizing a horse, and this often leads to horses being abandoned on public, private, and tribal lands, which creates problems for allNewMexicans(Figure2).Thisandotherformsofneglectarecriminaloffensesthatcanleadtohefty legal fees, fines, or jail time for violators. See NMSUCooperativeExtensionGuideB-714,Crimi-nal Consequences of Equine Neglect and Abuse in New Mexico(http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_b/B714.pdf),formore information.

Guide B-715 • Page 3

Jason L. Turner is Professor and Exten-sion Horse Specialist. Jason was active in 4-H and FFA while growing up in Northeastern Oklahoma. His M.S. and Ph.D. studies concentrated on equine re-production, health, and management. His Extension programs focus on proper care and management of the horse for youth and adults.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONThese contacts can answer questions or direct you to resources on equine care.

LocalCountyCooperativeExtensionServiceAgent,aces.nmsu.edu/county

LocalNewMexicoLivestockBoard InspectororOfficeoftheStateVeterinarian,www.nmlbonline.comor(505)841-6161

NewMexicoStateUniversityHorseSpecialist,horses.nmsu.eduor(575)646-1242

NewMexicoVeterinaryMedicalAssociation,www.nmvma.orgor(505)867-6373

AmericanAssociationofEquinePractitioners“Get-A-DVM”Resource,www.aaep.org/info/getadvm

Figure 2. Thin, unthrifty horses that may represent criminal neglect or abuse. (Photo courtesy of Shawn Davis, New Mexico Livestock Board Area I Supervisor. Used with permission.)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTTheauthorsthankthe2013EquineWelfareWork-ingGroupmembersfortheircontributionstothispublication.

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NewMexicoStateUniversityisanequalopportunity/affirmativeactionemployerandeducator.NMSUandtheU.S.Departmentof Agriculture cooperating.

March 2014 Las Cruces, NM

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