Welcome to Kates Horses. If you are considering buying a horse and want to learn the basics or are just interested in these fascinating animals than this is a good place to start. This information is by no means complete nor is it all inclusive but it might give the reader a little insight into the things that horse owners should know. Admittedly, this is just a review for the experienced horse person but the novice may find some points interesting. There are more specific and in depth, articles available all over the web just waiting for the anxious reader so if you need clarification on a topic just do a search and I am sure you will come up with the desired particulars.

   Horses have been part of our family for 20 years now and it has gotten so I don't remember not having a horse. They are generally the most benevolent of companions, cautious of you until they get to know you and then willing to relax in your presence and really enjoy your company and the attention you offer them. They are also, at least in my experience, some of God's most stubborn creatures. They seldom seem to get mad at humans but they do get mad at each other quite often and you don't want to get between them when they do. They also don't seem to understand why you get frustrated with them for their seeming lack of cooperation. They just look at you with this "why are you getting mad at me" face, as if what you are trying to get them to do is unimportant. Well, to a horse, the trainer's agenda is pretty unimportant, unless, of course, it involves a cookie or some other reward. Remember, when dealing with horses, safety first and patience first! There is always tomorrow. Try not to let your frustration show because loosing ones temper rarely helps in obtaining ones desired results. There are plenty of books written and training videos available to help guide you through the training process. But remember the old saying about skinning a cat. There are different philosophies on horse training technique. Find the method that you are most comfortable with and have a go at it.

    When it comes to feeding your new horse there are plenty of choices out there. Most horses, depending on their level of activity, do well on a diet of hay and a half pound of grain or processed feed 2 or 3 times a day. I have always thought it wise to error on the side of underfeeding rather than to overfeed. When in doubt, give'em a little less. Many horse owners feel their horses need only hay unless their activity level is extreme. You do your horse no kindness by overfeeding. Remember that horses are pretty much always hungry and it is up to you to monitor their fitness. Fat, out of shape horses,  just don't seem as happy or energetic as lean well conditioned horses. Caution should be exercised when adjusting a horse's feed and any adjustments should be made gradually over a couple of weeks. Also, horses need to be wormed regularly. Every 8 weeks or so horse owners administer a worming (actually deworming) paste orally to their horses. This stuff is readily available at your local farm store at a  reasonable cost. Instructions are on the box.

   You'll need to look after your horses feet. It is a good idea to clean them with a hoof pick once a day. Loose stones or debris can get lodged in the crevices of your horses feet and lead to more serious complications if not cleaned regularly. Your horses hooves will need trimming regularly although just how regularly depends on the horse and how quickly he/she grows them out. Your horses teeth also need attention regularly. Hoof trimming and teeth filing are chores usually left to the professionals.

   Horses are loosely categorized into 3 divisions. Those are the light horses or hot-bloods, the draft horses or cold-bloods, and the warm-bloods. These terms have nothing to do with the actual temperature of the horses blood but are terms used to describe the horses' temperaments. Hot-blooded horses are generally smaller, more nervous and excitable animals while cold-blooded horses are usually larger and more laid back. The warm-bloods are generally a cross between the other two with moderate temperaments while being taller than hot-bloods and less heavily bodied that the cold-bloods. Many Europeans (and some Americans (I suppose)) consider the warm-blood to be the perfect sport horse. Certainly their accomplishments in jumping and dressage competitions can not be denied.

   Within the hot-blood division are several sub-divisions or types. They are the "stock" type, the "hunter" type and the "saddle" type. Within the cold-blood division are the "draft", the "light
draft" , the "harness" and the "light harness" horse. The warm-bloods are generally quite similar to each other and tend to be named for the area of Europe where they were developed. Most were developed as sporting horses by crossing light harness horses with Arabians and Thoroughbreds. This type of horse is usually classified as a "hunter" type of light sport horse although warm-bloods tend to be larger and heavier than the light sport horse.

  These divisions are further broken down by breed and there are lots of them. The warm-bloods are not generally classified by breed but more by type, although this is changing as more and more  breeders (particularly in North America) strive to have their particular favorites reclassified as a breed. For instance, the name Swedish Warmblood refers to a sporting horse developed and born in Sweden. If you import a breeding pair of  Swedish Warmbloods to the U.S. and they have an offspring, what would you call the offspring? It can't be a Swedish Warmblood because it was not born in Sweden. It is technically (I suppose) an American Swedish Warmblood. Have we created a new breed or type of horse?  I guess we have, and so a whole new registry is born with it's own stud book, and it's own membership and it's own breed standards, and if you want to call it a new breed, who am I to say that you can't? And so it seems the list of horse breeds keeps getting longer. If you like you can visit our  Breeds of Horses page for a brief description of some of the more popular breeds and types of horses in North America and around the world. Do the research and carefully decide on the breed of horse that best suits your needs based on the type of riding you would like to do. Dressage, Western,  Hunter/Jumper and Trail riding are the most popular activities in our area.

   Ok, now that you have a little bit of information about modern day horses let's take a look at where they came from. This is pretty easy since we really don't know where horses came from except to say that God made them. There are however some other ideas as to the origin and evolution of horses so let's see what the experts say. The Origin of the Horse is a summary of the most widely accepted theory about the evolution of the modern equine.

   Now that we know what they are, where they came from and what they are used for and assuming you still want one, it's time to talk from a more practical standpoint.

    If you live in the country, and have had horses for years, since you were a child in fact, you probably know more about these critters than I do and for that matter you are probably not even reading this. If, however, you are relatively new to the world of horses and are wondering about the challenges and rewards of horse ownership then read on as I rather longwindedly try to relay to you what I have learned.
 
    First the rewards.
This is difficult because not all horse owners have a practical need for a horse. There are religious groups that shun modern machinery in favor of less modern methods of transportation and there are farmers who plow their fields the old fashioned way because they just can't afford a tractor. Most horse owners in the U.S. however, are sportsmen and sportswomen who enjoy competing in equestrian sports and the process of training and bonding with their equine partners. Others just like horses. They like riding horses, or maybe they just have a psychological need to be near horses. Some people believe that horse owners and their horses have similar personalities and are somehow drawn together by some unknown force that seems to govern the universe.
   Horse people love their horses and truly enjoy being in the company of horses. Horses seem to have an intuitive connection to their masters and bring a kind of unexplainable joy and fulfillment to their lives. If you ask them why that is, they don't really know how to answer you. I guess it's like asking someone why they like the taste of celery or chocolate. Hey, I just do!

  The challenges of horse ownership are a little more involved and easier for me to identify.
Horses are obviously not like house pets. They are simply too large to keep in the house like a dog or a cat. Even Mr. Ed slept in the barn and since most of us don't have the room for a horse on our property we rely on a boarding barn to provide our beloved horse with a place to live. This serves to create another problem. Horses, just like any other pet, (by the way, since one should never refer to a person's horse as a pet I will rephrase that.) Horses, just like any other non human companion, require exercise and attention so we now have to break away from our busy schedule, hop in the car, and drive to the barn to spend quality time with our horse. Never mind that the husband is hungry or the kids are sick, I have to go to the barn. We hear on the television all the time of some abuse of animals on some dirty farm somewhere and this is obviously a terrible thing, but there are other forms of abuse besides failing to keep your horse clean and fed. To put a horse in a stall and ignore one's responsibility to pay attention to the emotional as well as physical needs of the horse is just as bad. Horses won't roll over and wag their tails like a dog in an effort to get your attention but they crave it just the same. It's far better to hook a horse to a plow than to not use it at all. Horses simply cannot stand in a stall, even a clean and healthy one, day after day, without becoming a little crazy and a little dangerous. After all, these animals are not like an automobile, waiting patiently to serve your needs. They need to be exercised and if your busy schedule won't allow you to get out to the barn every day to look after your horse's needs then you will just have to hire someone else to exercise that horse, or better yet you should probably just buy a cat.

  Horses are large and powerful and anyone who has been around horses for very long knows of several people who have been seriously hurt by horses. Probably more that have been kicked, pinned up against a stall wall or fence or bitten. It happens all the time. Horses are big and dumb and that means dangerous. Still interested? 
 
  So, you say, okay, horses are dangerous. Now tell me what else is required in order to be a responsible horse owner.

  Okay, I'll tell you. Money, and lots of it. Money for stabling, money for the vet (those annual shots aren't free) money for wormer every 8 weeks, money for the farrier, (even if your horse doesn't wear shoes those feet still need to be trimmed regularly), money for the horse's dentist (those teeth need attention), and how about your horses education. Many people have their horses professionally trained. Don't forget about Saddles, bridles, blankets and a never ending selection of grooming and riding supplies.
 
  Speaking of money let's now take a peek at some of  The Ailments that your new horse can come down with. Vets aren't cheap either.

   Horse people are very special people who are eager to do the things necessary to be responsible horse owners. Horses require a lot of hard work and dedication but the rewards make the effort worthwhile.

  Still interested? Great! You might just have what it takes to be a horse owner. After you get your new horse, drop us an email. We would love to hear from you.