by Matthew Brendal

Created on: November 05, 2011   Last Updated: November 10, 2011

There are few more exciting things than owning a horse for the first time. With that excitement comes many possible paths. The path to enjoying a horse may sometimes not be simple or easy. Horses require a positive relationship to flourish. They are not like a motorized vehicle in that they can’t be put away until ridden. Horses need daily care and feeding. Good horsemen know that proper care for horses is something that can be labor intensive. Learning to ride a horse properly is not an easy endeavor and takes years of practice to do well.

The best advice for a first time owner is to become a life-long student of the horse. The enjoyment of horse ownership comes from learning and mastering horsemanship. There are many great horsemanship mentors that are available in DVD format, television shows and clinics. Having a long-term plan for a horse not only keeps things interesting it also helps both horse and owner grow. Often times new horse owners become bored with horses because the relationship grows stagnant. Horses are capable of great things, and so is the average horse owner if they put a strong effort forward.  

Often times first time horse owners develop problems with their horses. The dream of an awesome partnership wanes due to fear, frustration or confusion.  While some people would look at that as a problem, a horseman or horsewoman should use that as a chance for developing good horsemanship skills. Since good horsemanship is nothing more than learning how to teach any horse how to become a better partner. Good horsemanship not only teaches the horse to become better it also teaches the horseman to become a better person.  

Horses need lots of care, it’s just the nature of the horse. Hoof care, dental care, vaccines, blood tests and the list goes on. It’s important to learn about the horse’s proper care and things that can prevent possible health problems. Most preventions are common sense, but others may only be learned.

The best path to maximum enjoyment with a first horse is to first be able to admit when there is a problem too big to solve alone. Horses can be very dangerous. A horse can unintentionally hurt a human, but it still hurts just the same. The fastest way many first-time owners become dismayed with horses is to get badly hurt. Accidents can hurt horses too.

They bottom line for first time horse owners is to get good skills so that they can enjoy their horses and the horse will become a partner sooner. Horses are great teachers of patience, horse sense and perseverance. When things get frustrating just remember that the horse is teaching us how to be horsemen. Few things in life are as rewarding as the journey to become a horseman. As a first time horse owner the journey has begun and hang on for the ride, may it never end.

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