You have given the best horse advice! People please pay attention. I am in my 50's and I have loved horses all my life. I had 2 horses in high school and I was on the Equestrian team in college. I sold my horses after 2 years in college because I lived several hours away from home and no one else in my family are horse people. I still have nightmares that those horses were abused with new owners. I was unable to have horses after graduation because I got married and had babies and could not afford it. I ended up getting divorced after 12 years and was a single mom for another 12 years, so I still couldn't afford it. I took riding lessons here and there but I really couldn't afford that either. Fast forward to 2017. I got remarried and we bought a small farm. I bought a 4 year old OTTB and needless to say he was the absolute wrong horse. He actually had never raced and he was very chill but I just didn't have the skill to ride him and his gaits were very bouncy making it more difficult. I thought after a few months my riding skills would just come back but that didn't happen. I also did not know that he had to be ridden 5 days a week or his behavior turned ugly. He was very pushy on the ground anyway and if not ridden enough he would start nipping, pulling me around, etc. He was never 'mean' but since he wasn't hyper he found other outlets. We took him to several trainers and the last one was jumping him and he really loved it. My trainer said that he is really "playful" and he liked to buck and play. She even admitted he was a more difficult thoroughbred. I finally decided to sell him with the help of my trainer and I believe we found the perfect person. After seeing the trainer ride him and watching him jump, I realized it wasn't fair to him for me to keep him. I was so afraid of him going to the wrong home and I realized I was frozen in fear. The new owner has sent me pictures and they both look really happy. We also lost nearly $10,000 dollars on this horse not including normal vet/farrier bills. I say all this to tell people "don't make the mistakes I made." I fell off him a couple of times and broke my tailbone, had a considerable concussion (my helmet busted) and my back hurts although xrays didn't show anything wrong. This was not the horses fault, I fell off because I wasn't strong enough to stay balanced. I got an OTTB because I had read about so many people buying rescue OTTBs and they loved them. These articles should have a disclaimer. I now have the sweetest ever Tennessee Walker and my life is so much calmer. Plus my husband and I aren't fighting. We plan to trail ride when my husband finds a horse for him. In the meantime I am taking hunt seat lessons and if I am still able, in a couple of years to buy an older horse that is trained in jumping and go to local shows for fun. I say all this to show an example of what can happen if you buy the wrong horse or if you don't have the skills to own one.

Oops, I’m buying a horse soon and then this video popped up 😂

Please folks! Volunteer at a horse rescue! It’s so wonderful and you will learn SO SO much about care and what horses need.

In some countries, there is a kind of lease that is very common in stables with no staff. It is a lot of work to look after the horse every day, so the owner takes on someone to help. It's like a half-lease but you are sharing with the owner and you have to do all the stable chores on your days and exercise the horse (even if the weather is bad or you don't feel like it) but it doesn't cost much and it might even be free if it's not a fancy horse because you pay with the work you put in. This is a really good option because you get experience in both riding and horse care but it's very cheap and a much smaller time commitment than your own horse.

As someone who has lived their whole life being "that horse girl" I was definitely chomping at the bit when I bought property I could have my own horses on. I then adopted two pasture pet (some light riding) horses only a few months after starting lessons and leasing a horse, I wouldn't recommend it for everyone, but my focus as an equestrian right now isn't riding and more groundwork so my two old girls suit me just fine. I will say it has slowed down my ability to save money for a riding horse in a few years since one of my ponies cost me almost $1,000 in vet bills scratching her eye, but I'm very fortunate I've saved up money and can continue to put money aside while owning. Horses aren't for everyone, but if you are as crazy about them and as crazy of a person that I am you'll make it work.

My dad thought that I was just going through a phase when I was eleven and wanted to ride/own horses. Here we are almost six years later looking to buy my third horse!!! Ofc it is not all Amy Fleming join up moments but owning horses is so worth it if you are willing to put in the time, work, and funds that are required with this lifestyle.

GIRLLLLL I CAN SO RELATE!!!!! there are so many things you dont realize until you get a horse yourself! this video is very helpful! i should share my whys on not getting a horse! literally the first year of having my horses i was in dept. of course keep in mind people everything has positive and negative things and sometimes the most rewarding things come from the hardest challenges!

Thank you for making this. Too many awful stories out there, even horror stories for the horses. You make terrific content!

My horse phase is continuous. I always want one, but sometimes, like right now, I want one more than other times. I cannot afford it, watching this video was helpful in convincing me that volunteering is all I can do at the moment. I agree with you as well on that being a way to learn what it will really be like to take care of a horse. After I volunteer for a while, I will be able to make a decision, is this really what matters to me or should I leave it be for now. They will always be beautiful and a joy to be around, I just don't know how I can take care of one qt the moment. I feel like I am actually approaching this subject in a more proper way than most things I have in the past, and that is to research and taking my time educating myself so if that one day does come, and I do purchase my own horse , I will be prepared to give it the life it deserves and it in turn will be a joy, instead of a burden. That's the last thing I want to feel about a horse.

OMG THANK YOU!!! I can’t count the times I wanted to intervene and tell certain ppl to not buy! For the horse! When I got my girl 4 years ago I knew she’d be with me until death - mine or hers, whichever came first. Just share or lease until you know you can commit to them, and it’s a massive commitment. Thank you!

I agree with this but I'm also a person who did exactly this! X'D I've wanted my own horse my whole life. I was in riding lessons for 1.5 - 2 years. I had a two year break after I moved across country and didn't know where I could take more lessons. I ended up buying a mustang who I love with all my heart. He's the sweetest boy. The girl who was selling him took good care of us. She kept him on her land till we found a place for him, gave us everything she had for him to help us along and taught me a bunch before I took him to his new home. His new home is great too and has a wonderful trainer that we take lessons with. (He's on a break right now because he has some arthritis and we're waiting for join injections to kick in.) Starting next month she's going to be riding him twice a week and doing lessons with me twice a week. I'm so excited! But it's been hard! I was lucky because I had so many people willing to jump in and give me a crash course on everything I needed to know and watch out for. I was lucky! I got sooooo lucky with my boy and all the genuine people who jumped in to help me learn! I think about that a lot how I could've totally been scammed and taken advantage of when I did this but I lucked out. Learn first, work at barn, muck out stalls and talk to people and just learn first! It'll help so much more than what I did. Lol!

Great advice! My 14 year old daughter is currently a working student at a friends stables and it’s been so great. She does want her own horse one day however, so she just opened a bank account to start saving. She also understands she can’t buy it if she doesn’t also have a paying job. It should take a couple years or so and by then she may have changed her mind. At least she will have some savings though! So many kids parents come to the stables to learn riding and in a few weeks ask about buying a horse for their child whom, as you said, is a beginner and still growing. Many could not even pick hooves yet bc they aren’t strong enough! I understand the desire bc horses are amazing, but they are not living toys to play with whenever the child feels the desire.

thank you so much for this video ❤ much love for you and ur horses ❤love you 💕

Heh, sometimes I wish I'd seen a video like this before buying our hucul pony. Don't get me wrong, she's a part of our family and we love her to bits but she's not the easiest horse and she's mostly meant for my kiddos. It was more of an impulse buy because the owner was looking at getting her sold somewhere else once our partial lease expires. We - being my daughter and I- have made so many mistakes in the two years we've had her... but, again, she's family now and we are responsible for her well being. Even if that means selling her to someone who will give her an even better home.

Thank you so much for this video, very helpful advice!

Great and informative I really appreciate your view on this topic. Thanks for sharing! :)

Every nail hit on the head…! GOOD job girl, everyone thinking to adopt/buy a pony should watch this.

Very well said.good.thanks. well done.

Such a good video! I'm in a horse phase (again) and I'm in my early twenties with nooo idea what life is gonna bring. So buying a horse is too much responsibility. But when I'm ready for it I'll look into leasing

Free/full leasing in my barn is basically the same. You still have to pay for everything but other than that, you can do whatever you want with the horse like it’s your own. Which is great. Because it’s basically owning but without the commitment. But when it comes to money, it’s more expensive in the long term. Because if you have to pay for everything as if you were owning, as well as the lease istelf. So in the long run, it’s cheaper to just buy a horse at that point. Because especially in my barn, but if you ever get too busy to ride, you could always partial, or full lease it out. Or if you really need to, you can sell it.

Leasing is the best thing they've ever invented. I'm probably going for a partial lease soon, with the advantage of the horse being too small for adults and too spooky for kids to ride (he's a good boy, he just might have those famous 5 minutes, even with all the running and lunging in the world) so 42kg me won't have to share him too much.

Very good advice. If only I had heard it seven years ago before I became a horse owner! After leasing for almost ten years I really wanted to own my OWN horse. There were many wonderful things but she took all of my extra time and money (as you said) and I recently decided that it just wasn't something I wanted to sacrifice for anymore. She is now in a new home but it was heartbreaking to come to that decision. (p.s. another thing to consider before buying a horse is that they live a long time (compared to a dog/cat) and selling them to a good home is not always easy).

I'm getting my finances sorted before I get my next horse. However I will say that when I had my old horse, I was so deliriously happy, I didn't care about the sacrifices. Older car? No vacations? Do my own hair and nails? Fine with me. Oh! And I lost weight because I didn't eat out of boredom anymore. I did have a breed of horse (Morgan) that tends to be hardy.

Great video

Where I'm from (hunter/jumper show/lesson barns), it's pretty common for leassors to also be responsible for footing the vet bills. Wondering how common this practice actually is?

Good info

I haven't had the best time with 'leasing' The leaser needs to be responsible and get the right tack etc. You would think that they would be, like I did, then I ended up in hospital with serious facial fractures because the saddle slid round while riding and we later found out she didn't get it properly fitted and the horse had mouth ulcers too 😮 I'm beginning to feel like I'd be better getting my own because you can't always trust other people to be responsible. At least I can make sure things are being done properly if it's my horse.

Ive owned horses for over 45 yrs My best advice is if you have land you can board them at your property that is the best scenario...or friends who has land close by ......

Can you please do a vid about how to teach an older horse to jump

All true! I agree. I leased my horse for 7 years, then he was for sale, so I had to buy him; I couldn't let him go. It's more stressful to own him 😅

Thank you for this video! It feels funny being in my 50s and writing to you because it seems like your videos are geared towards children and teens, but here goes. I am finally at a point in my life that I have the time and money to dedicate to my interest in country living. That means having animals and maybe eventually having a horse or two. But here’s the thing because of my age I am really self-conscious of approaching any barn for lessons. I would just like to know how many people my age are starting out on this journey. Thanks!

Wait so would Volunteering for a Ranch that is a Horse Rescue a good option even if its an Hour away?

Amen!!!

I'm so glad my parents didn't buy me a pony/horse. My parents considered getting me a horse or pony when I was a kid. I'd been riding since I was 6, and I part-leased a pony when I was about 8-12 for a few years already. I was ready and had time, but they decided not to because they were worried I'd grow out of it in my teen years or young adulthood, especially since I had dropped a couple of other hobbies I did for years. I'm so glad they didn't. As a teen, I was still into horses, I *never* grew out of that phase, however as a teen to early adulthood I was very experimental and explored so many different things, and got to really grow into myself socially without the constant, daily responsibility I would have had for my would-be horse. I didn't ride at all during college and due to money and other personal reasons (emotional trauma) for a few years. Looking back, this was really good for me for my own personal development. I'm 27 now, and I'm still very much a horse girl. I've been part-leasing again and I'm now at the stage where I'm planning to buy a horse. I have the money, the training and the responsibility. I have a steady career. The only thing I'm missing is time. In the near future I will have more flexible hours for work so I have "daylight" hours to ride and care for a horse and I also have the money to do a full board if need be. I'm just saving up to buy my dream horse (a lusitano!). You're never too old! ANOTHER IMPORTANT THING TO CONSIDER... There needs to also be a contingency plan for if something happens to you. What if you die in a car crash or something? Is there a plan for your horse? If I buy a horse now, I will have my will in place and organise a contingency. I'll speak to my trainer about it and decide what would be best, and this is so important. The last thing I'd want after I die (if I die before my horse does), is for my horse to be destitute and sold to some random person who won't appreciate and take care him, or worse, he ends up in the "glue factory" so to speak. My parents don't know much about horse care at all, so it would be unfair for them and the horse if he were to fall in their hands. They wouldn't know what to do! My sister rides but lives far away and she isn't the most experienced with horse care either. If my parents bought me a pony, I would have outgrown it and they would have definitely sold it (they wouldn't keep a pony I can't ride) - and I fully believe in not selling a horse or pony even if they're retired or too injured to ride anymore. Horses are a commitment for their entire lifespan, up to 35 years! If my parents bought me a horse, it wouldn't have been suitable for what I now know I need. They know nothing about horses, and even my trainer wouldn't have been able to predict the future in terms of what I will want and need in the future. Not to mention the fact that it's all well and good a tween/teen gets a job and pays for horsecare themselves... but what's their plan when they need to leave "the nest"? Will they have a plan to pay for horse care and emergency vet bills AND rent/food/medical aid etc etc in this economy? Most young adults straight out of high school can barely afford rent alone.

Sound advice. Some don't know a horse is not a dog. A childhood friend's parents bought her a foal, thinking the evolution into horse & rider would just happen naturally. Of course it didn't. It's a working relationship. It's hierarchical. It takes skill. She waited years for it to grow up, and when she finally rode she was too terrified to go beyond a walk, because neither had any instruction. If you have kids, give them lessons, and if you buy, get something old and safe to start with. If your child wants only the pretty, flashy animal, she's not serious about riding.

Leasing is a good option

Not me being the parent of a 5 year old that just bought her a horse for her birthday present. 😆 Thankfully he should be good for her until she’s well into her teens. We love him. 🥰

Would Carmella Abel consider training a guide horse--or seeing eye horse for me and other blind people who would want them?

Oops, too late....

what if you're totally blind like me, and you want a miniature horse as a guide animal instead of a dog? I am afraid of ann not too fond of dogs. I get along very well, with the miniature horse at the farm where my son works at. As a result, I think that a guide horse would work very well for me.

I have been going through a horse phase since I was 5 years old, I am 55 almost 56 now. Is that long enough to buy one?😅

I am blind, I do not work, I am on Social Security, I do not go on vacations, I have all the time in the world to take care of a guide horse. Or even a miniature horse as a pet. Ideally, I would like it to be a guide instead of a dog.

Me watching this when I bought a horse a couple months after I started taking lessons 😂 he’s a thoroughbred though, so it’s not like I’ll outgrow him lol

My horse faze started three years ago and so far it has not changed, I got my first horse this year and he is 7 now but we have been together for 3 years now so I think we are a grate duo and somehow I still get As on my report cards so I am happy with my life so far and we are developing together

Or be like me: take on a non-broke 3yo for 3 months and work with it. Take care of it. Start them undersaddle. Gives such a good reality check (now I want my own horse even more!). No but in all seriousness, don't be like me unless you have a ton of experience. I've been riding for 12yrs, working with greenies for 5.

When I was 2 months old the first horse I rode was 16.3 at 4 years old I was terrified of ponies to this day I have never ridden a pony (I'm to tall now)😂😂😂 I'm 12 and own 2 horses a yearling quarter horse and a 12 year old thoroughbred. It was definitely not a faze

I'm getting a horse anyway, Carmella. Although I don't know enough about taking care of them yet, and I currently don't have the space in my life to give a horse the life they deserve. I have been riding for 6 years, but I fully acknowledge that it'll take at least a couple more before I actually get a horse. (Here before 50 views btw)

Every responsible horse owner I know (including myself) outside of people who professionally train and sell horses is always trying to convince people not to get horses 😂😂

Lol oops just bought my first horse🤭🤣

if I do get a mini horse, I will not be riding it, and nobody will be riding it. I will be using it to guide me like a guide dog guides people.

Have 6 horses 4 of them are worth 10 of your sorry butt thinking you might have to work at that point you will never stop

Who else loves the smell of horses of horse poo

I am leasing a horse whose owner/boarder left for college. My teacher wants to keep her, but she needs a person. She asked me to lease her, so I am.