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Bringing Your Horse Home

September 13, 2020
Posted by Diane E. Rice

Before you bring a horse home, there’s a host of things to prepare and much to consider. Our sources share their recommendations for owners making the transition to at-home horse care.

Topics: Article, Farm and Barn, Fencing, Horse Care, Nutrition, Nutrition Basics, Pasture and Forages, Pastures, Safety, Waste & Manure Management, Water & Electrolytes, Welfare and Industry

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You'll need to provide adequate turnout space for each horse on your property. | Photo: iStock

How to prepare yourself and your horse for backyard living

You’ve yearned to keep a horse in your backyard for years. You’ve dreamt of looking out the window each morning to see him grazing contentedly in his tidy paddock. You’ve pictured yourself going out anytime you want to feed him, groom him, ride him, and just be with him. Now you’ve found that this can be a reality. It’s time: You’re about to bring a horse home.

But before you do, there’s a host of things to prepare and much to consider, from the structures you need to build/have built to the equipment you’ll need to use to complete barn chores.

Read on to learn what horse extension specialists Karen Waite, PhD, of Michigan State University, and Fernanda Camargo, DVM, PhD, of the University of Kentucky, recommend for owners making the transition to at-home horse care

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Written by:

Diane E. Rice

Diane Rice earned her bachelor’s degree in agricultural journalism from the University of Wisconsin, then married her education with her lifelong passion for horses by working in editorial positions at Appaloosa Journal for 12 years. She has also served on the American Horse Publications’ board of directors. She now freelances in writing, editing, and proofreading. She lives in Middleton, Idaho, and spends her spare time gardening, reading, serving in her church, and spending time with her daughters, their families, and a myriad of her own and other people’s pets.