How to take care of a pony?

Question

Ok so Im thinking about getting a couple of ponies to go on my animal farm lol. so far i have chickens, which i have owned since i started kindergarden. And goats add in april, and 1 pig. And dogs and cats. And rabbits. I was wondering how to take care of a horse and what tyype of meds to give them and how often to reshoe them. I figred id see if there alot of work or not i know my goat are. Thanks

Answer 1

first of all before you get a pony you must make sure that you have tho propor shelter for it.  will you keep it turned out, or will it have a stall and get turned out often so that it can roam and graze?

     because there is so much to know about owning a pony/horse you should probably get some books or videos on how to care for them.  but you will also have to consider how much time gets put into caring for these animals.  you must groom them, feed them about 2 times a day, give them fresh water everyday, exercize them, clean up their p**p in its stall (if it has one) every day, deworm them reguraly, make sure that they are seeing a vet reguraly, over see that it is getting reshoed every 6 weeks(which should be done by someone who is trained to do so called a farrier), and sooo much more!!!

     if you think that you could care for a horse/pony go for it!  but just to let ya know a horse is a lot of work and can be very costly!

     because you want a small horse that you wouldn't ride i would recomend a miniature horse, because miniature horses are extremly friendly and they are also very cute!

     some grooming supplies you would need are: a rubber curry comb, a dandy brush, sponges, hoof pick, metal curry comb, a body brush, comb, and hoof oil.

     for food, hay cubes are a good general feed.  they vary in the amount protein they contain acording to the purpose required.

     some extra equiptment you would need are lead ropes and halters (one for each horse), food buckets, water buckets, pitch fork, and more

     also, it is said that each horse you have requires one acre of land, but minis probably require less since they're so small. be sure you have at least two ponies/horses because if you keep one by its self then it can get lonly.

     because you do not want to ride and minis arent good horses to be riden you can train them to jump over small jumps while you run with them using a lead rope and possibly even compete with them.

     be sure to keep in mind how much work horses can be, but im sure u can handle it!

Here is a link to some books and videos on horses:

http://www.horsekeeping.com/horse_books/...

p.s. be sure to do more research before you make your final decision!

hope this helps!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 2

Wow thats alot of animals! Well to start off if I were you I would only get 1 pony...see how you like it and if it will work out. Horses/ponies are alot of responsibility. I worm my horses with a paste wormer at the begininning of every month, get them shod every six weeks, clean stalls at least twice a day, brush them every day, let them out in the pasture or ride them every day, and you have to get a vet to pull a cogins on them, get there shots, and alot of other stuff. So yeah there is alot to do. I don't see how you are able to give all of your pets the attention they need right now as it is! You might want to consider giving some to other homes if you really want a pony. Good Luck!

Answer 3

Ponies and horses are definitely alot of work. They require alot of attention. If you're considering riding, you'll be paying for saddles and riding gear, along with taking time to train and care for them. If you're just thinking of adding them for the sake of having them, reconsider.

Answer 4

You shouldn't get a horse/pony if you don't know how to take care of one...

And if you think GOATS are hard to take care of...deffinatly DON'T get a horse/pony. They're 10x harder to take care of.

Answer 5

Before you invest in ponies, you should read my blog about considerations of horse ownership on my 360 page.  There is a lot involved in owning ponies/horses that people don't think of.

Answer 6

If you find a goat difficult to take care of..then a pony would be more difficult.  They have definite needs on a regular basis..like trimming of hooves, worming, grooming, floating of teeth, proper nutrition.

Should you decide to go ahead with this..please look into adopting a rescue or one that NEEDS a home.  Also, some ponies can be nasty little buggers...

But before you venture into this..go pay a visit to a barn or stable and read up on proper equine care..it is a lot more demanding than your other animal farm members.

Answer 7

Honestly, if you don't know anything about horses, I wouldn't even get one, I'd read up first, do you research, and then see if you give it a go. Horses are expensive. They require a lot of space, they require shoes ever 6 weeks if they are shoed, they require special feed, wormer every 6 weeks, they need vet checks, their teeth floated, ti's a lot of work.

Answer 8

I also have ponies and goats. The first thing you will need is good tight fences. Second a good horse vet can become a valuable ally. and thrird depending on the type of things you will use your pony for will dictate whether or not it will need to wear shoes or can be by with regular trimming by a farrier.

Answer 9

Wormer once every 6 weeks.  Foot trimming is a must about every other month, although shoes are not necessary most of the time.  You have to pick the dirt out of their feet at least 3 times a week, and you have to groom them at least a couple times a week to prevent fungal infections of the skin.  They are a lot of work.  I spend probably 10 hrs each week on each horse.

Answer 10

If you are getting them just for the sake of having them, you might want to look into mini ponies (they are more like pets). It is a waste of a real, healthy pony that has potential just to sit at the farm all the time. If you don't know how to take care of them, maybe you should not get them. See the first answerer- they gave a great medical overview about horse care. Hope this helps! :)