Why the long face? (Horses in General)

Member Name: bruffyboy

Product:	Horses in General
Date:	08/10/09 (68 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: loving

Disadvantages: lots of expenses

Claire loves horses, and I quite like them. Here are the pros and cons!

PROS:
1) They are loving and affectionate - their whole faces light up when they see their owners, and they whinny and run their heads up against you. Because they are so big it's really nice to have affection from something so powerful. It's almost like it feels like we aren't worthy.

2) You can ride them - this is just fun, and a lovely fluid motion of movement where you become one with a horse. I love it!

3) You can train them. Monty Roberts' work on join up is fascinating, and basically you can use body language to tame and train a rabbit. I have tried this with wild horses on dartmoor - it's great!

4) They live for ages - twenty years isn't crazy. This is good and bad I suppose.


CONS:
1) The upkeep - they cost at least £50 a week to keep, and that isn't including vets bills. As a pet you're looking at stable costs, food, tack and bridle etc and insurance - not cheap.

2) The initial cost - you CAN get horses for cheap, but you can also pay thousands very easily.

3) They can bite and kick - never forget they are wild animals and they are powerful enough to kill you.

4) All that crap! The amount of poo is pretty hardcore.

5) If they become lame, they are hard to leave. Because they're so big and full of personality they are hard to put down, so bear in mind that connection.

All in all, a great animal but a lot of responsibility to keep as a pet.

Summary: do it