I want a horse.......

[Darth_Kitten]

much like Seabiscuit. :) (I just LOVE that movie and that horse!!!!)

[Pert_UK]

1. Oh look Smithers....she wants to join the horsey set!

That is it, isn't it? You're not going to eat it?

:evilgrin:

P.

[ScreamingMeemie]

2. But how would all the kittys react??

[BigMcLargehuge]

3. Take it from me, horses are great but require tremendous work

and expense.

We have a 21 year old Quarterhorse Mare, she's been one of our family for 10 years now. In that time we've spent tens of thousands of dollars on board and care, vet bills, wormer, and tack.

Add to that nearly 11 years of sweat equity, i.e. cleaning wheelbarrow's full of horse shit every two days, building paddocks, barn maintenance, grooming, and general farm maintenance.

Don't get me wrong, if I didn't love Dallas we wouldn't have kept her this long and at this expense, but it's a lot of work.

And she's aloof.

We also have a cat, she's aloof too...

Freakin animals...

[blondeatlast]

4. I heard the author on NPR (this might change your mind, at least a little)

She said they used 7 different horses to play Seabiscuit! One might be kinda fun, but SEVEN?!

Besides, horses don't purr (and can't aim worth a damn)!

On edit: 7

[Rhiannon12866]

5. I love horses as well

but they would be kind of rough on the furniture. When my father was living, he'd take me to the track in the summer and I just loved looking at the horses. Beautiful animals.

I really like Funny Cide. He's from my area, so has a lot of local support. I think he's just magnificent.
:loveya:

[Darth_Kitten]

7. Ok, maybe I'll go SEE horses somewhere....

cause I live in an apartment and have no storage space. :evilgrin:

[Rhiannon12866]

12. The Travers Stakes will be on national television at the end of August

If you happen to catch it, you will see the best horses in the country right now. Funny Cide and Empire Maker will probably be running. It's also held at the track where I used to go with my dad, probably the most beautiful in the country, IMHO.:-)

[Lady Freedom]

17. Who ticked him off?

hehe

Edit: The kitty cat!

[Rhiannon12866]

27. I'm glad you edited that

I was looking everywhere for a disruptor! LOL!:D

[AnnabelLee]

6. Will a horse fit

in your apartment?:freak:

[Darth_Kitten]

10. Nope....

:( I'll have to give up my dream until I meet a rich guy and he can buy me a stable and horse. :) I've come to the conclusion I just don't have enough money or space to keep a horse here with me. I could move Baylee over but he might get snarky. :)

I can dream can't I? :)

[Rhiannon12866]

15. That's one huge problem with owning a horse. You have to board

them somewhere. I have a friend who has two and I always think of her when the roads are impassable in the winter. What can she do? I wouldn't be happy unless my animals were with me. I would worry. Also, it is terribly expensive.

My grandmother's house, which is not far from here, has a barn and stables for horses. Her second husband had them in the late '40s-early '50s. But they changed the law and horses can no longer be kept there; it's right in town and you have to live way out in the country to be zoned for horses.

Of course you can dream. I've fantasized about owning a race horse. And that would be prohibitively expensive.

[inthecorneroverhere]

8. killer kittens preferred LOL

Awwwwww - horses, while nice, are expensive and need major acreage, probably a barn, sometimes frequent vet attention, and daily tending. Are you prepared to be there with the horse on a daily basis, or to hire someone to care for it if you go away for a few days on vacation or business? :D

Killer kittens, on the other hand, are given away for 'free' or at the cost of spay-neuter. They can be left alone in the house for a couple of days, too, although the security of any mice or small rodents that may enter the house is not guaranteed. :D

The only requirement is that one *never* question the killer kitten as to exactly *what* it has been doing when it wants in the door at 1:30 am. :silly:

[LWolf]

9. My horses are the 3rd and 4th generation of horses

I grew up with. They aren't livestock or pets; they are family members for life. They also aren't cheap or easy to care for, and they don't train themselves! Still, I wouldn't be without them.

[Darth_Kitten]

11. My sister actually had horses....

in the last two years she got a concussion and then a badly broken arm after falling from them. (trying to do something with them? breaking them in, is that it?)

We all thought she was nuts because she's not a horse expert and I think she's sold them, or some of them (she and her neighbours had a few and kept them together, I think)

Oh, I'm sure they are high maintenance.....:)

[MuseRider]

13. I have 7 of them and

3 of them are for sale. Interested? Just kidding. LOTS of work, expensive, but if you want one the prices are really soft right now. That is why my 3 for sale are still with me. Think about cleaning all those stalls in 100 degrees or in -10 degrees. It is a lot of work but very worth it if you love being around them.

[catzies]

22. "Family members for life" how TRUE!

My ex-mother in law gave my daughter a horse for her own when she was 5 (the horse was 7) and they lived on horse property in Central California. My daughter visited every Christmas and Easter break, and every summer when she was growing up.

Eight years ago, they sold the property and liquidated all the horses except my daughter's and he caught a ride down here and came to live nearby at one of the many horse properties in the area. That was when she was in her terrible teens and having her horse in her life made a great deal of difference.

She's 23 now, and works full-time and goes to school and she doesn't ride him anymore, but he's a "school horse" now, and lots of kids learn to ride with him. He's very well-cared for and very loved, and she still sees him from time to time.

[The Lone Liberal]

14. Horses are dumber than dirt

And meaner than a drunk republican on 4th Street, which are also dumber than dirt.

[iluvchicago86]

16. If you choose to get one..buy a spotted horse!

They seems to me a very sad type, because they arent all cute and pristine like the silly ones rich kids get. So do a horse a favor...and give him a home!

[Rhiannon12866]

20. I like spotted horses

I was friends, years ago at summer camp, with a strawberry roan. Please do not encourage me to take rescued horses! I have adopted rescued dogs and cats, as I'm a soft-touch for this, though I have never regretted it. All of my guys have meant the world to me, but, as much as I'd like one, a horse would be a difficult house pet.:-)

[Shanty Oilish]

18. You want a shovel?

Sheesh. I've had horses. Cheaper to rent them. If you MUST, though, get a little one. Those Caspians are lovely.

[belab13]

19. If you meet me at the bus terminal

I'll float you a biscuit, it may not be of the seafaring variety.

[Snow]

21. Bit of serious advice...

go to a stable that boards and offers lessons, and ask about a half-lease. You can often get a deal whereby you can ride somebody's else's horse several times a week, for something in the range of 1-3 hundred per month. For breeds, the thoroughbreds tend to be less intelligent and on the flighty side, the quarter horses (and Morgans) (and Paints/Pintos) are smart guys but often on the small side, the warmbloods are calm, big, and smart, Arabs are small and sometimes too smart for their own good. My favorite horse was a Clydesdale/quarterhorse cross....loved that guy. Go with a gelding, mares are ok but they're rarely spayed (because there's no real problem of stallions running around loose like with dogs & cats) and chestnut mares are sometimes weird, don't even consider a stallion.

Make sure that the horses aren't timid, they look at you when you walk into the stable, that all the riders are wearing helmets and half-inch heels on their shoes/boots, that the tack is in good shape. Give it a shot! I learned to ride dressage when I was in my late 40's; it was a lot of fun.

[Rhiannon12866]

24. I used to ride, also, but started when I was nine

It was at a local college. That would be a reliable option for her. I did dressage and jumping and was sent to summer camp for riding. I spent one summer in Ireland, in my teens, that I will never forget.:-)

It is true that different horses have different personalities. I liked the chestnuts, especially, but my favorites were the greys.:-)

[short bus president]

23. wouldn't you rather

have a miniature donkey?

[Pert_UK]

25. I see that Richard III has reappeared on DU.....

:-)

P.

[Rhiannon12866]

28. LOL! I get it! n/t

[leftofthedial]

26. this site is getting kinkier by the minute