The realities of Bugging Out

[Cheesehead]

Stay away from horses, due to the cost of maintaining them and their upkeep requirements.

When I was a young man, an older co-worker advised "Never invest in anything that eats". His advice has served me well.

 

[jpk1md]

I'm guessing you never kept horses before???

Horses eat and shit. Unless you're using them regularly or really, really like horses, as in they're a money pit. Concentrate on something you can eat... unles you're French.

Might want to use a bit finer of a brush

Some horses are money pits while others are real easy keepers and require very little provided you have enough property for them to graze.

The US Army bred/used Morgans for exactly that reason.

And horse crap is excellent for composting and contributing to fertile soil for that garden.

But you are correct in that horses are work and if you plan on using them for transportation or work then you need to work with them regularly

 

[oupa]

Might want to use a bit finer of a brush

Some horses are money pits while others are real easy keepers and require very little provided you have enough property for them to graze.

The US Army bred/used Morgans for exactly that reason.

And horse crap is excellent for composting and contributing to fertile soil for that garden.

But you are correct in that horses are work and if you plan on using them for transportation or work then you need to work with them regularly

No offense intended Beau. My point was that your previous post sounds as though you're not planning on much of an active role in this "farm" plan. That don't work well where horses are concerned. That and as I said, "they eat..." They eat stuff your cows would otherwise be eating! Cows you will eventually be eating... Consider winter = hay. Long or hard winters = lots of hay. Horses eat lots of hay your cows could otherwise eat.

If you want the horses for work or transportation, that's different but as you acknowledge, that takes work as well. Yeah, Morgans are terrific all around horses. Developed locally I might add, so they're well adapted to the area as well.

 

[Numidian]

If you have a pasture and a water source, horses are hardier than you'd think. My brother has 4 or 5 that basically just live with his cattle. No brushing or blankets or whatever else. Just good hardy horses. They don't get ridden often.

And in a pinch, I'd have no issues eating a horse LOL.

 

[NakedSnowman]

We had 4 Appaloosas on 6 acres. It cost us vet bills (shots), ferrier bills (trims no shoes), tooth floating bills (every few years), and around two hundred 75lb bales of hay a year to keep them fed through the winter. No grain, and they were very smart and docile. Every one of them you could shoot a high powered rifle from their back and they wouldn't so much as flinch. Cut that number in half, or double the acreage and I'm willing to bet you wouldn't need to hay them.

Choosing the proper breed is the foundation, you have to build on that foundation with training. It is unlikely you will be able to train a Thoroughbred to stay calm, cool, and collected (not impossible mind you) because the breed is so high strung, but you can't race a Quarter horse and expect to win. My Appaloosas could cut cattle with the best, and I wouldn't hesitate to put a 6 year old child on any one of their backs and let them loose.

 

[PapiBarcelona]

a family member has 7 horses on their Farm, but with several hundred acres it's very easy for them to chill out all day. Nothing messes with them, and they are happy. I always refer to them as big dogs.

They also cost an owner a lot of time if you plan to ride them, because you have to basically keep riding them once they get used to it.

When winter comes, horses cost even a little more.