Do you dream of having your horses in your own backyard? Having your own barn is a dream for many horse owners, but how do you know when it’s time to bring your horses home and build a barn? Consider these factors when making your decision.

Horse Care Knowledge

One of the most intimidating factors about bringing your horses home is the fact that you must know enough about horse health and care to be able to keep your horses safe and healthy. Ask yourself whether you have the experience to be able to deal with horse health emergencies such as colic or founder.

Remember, too, that continued learning is part of a life with horses. You might not be a veterinary expert, but if you have a strong base knowledge of horse health and care, you can always continue to learn. Resources like your vet and trainer will be available to help you, too.

Lifestyle Flexibility

When you bring your horses home, you are assuming full responsibility for their care. This means horse stalls need to be cleaned daily and someone needs to be available to feed horses two to three times per day. And if a horse gets seriously ill, you may need to quickly change your plans so you can stay home with the horse.

In some cases, building a caretaker apartment and hiring someone to help care for your horses can relieve you of some of the responsibility. Having a caretaker on site frees up a lot of your time which would be dedicated to barn chores. If you will not be hiring a caretaker, then make sure your lifestyle is flexible enough so that you can commit to caring for your horses.

Resources to Build

Finally, it’s time to think about what resources you have available to build a barn. Building a barn can be a big project, depending on the size of the barn and the features you want to include. In addition to having the financial resources available, you should also consider where on your property you could locate a barn. Don’t forget that your barn needs to be easily accessible for hay deliveries, veterinary appointments and manure pile removal.

Additionally, consider how much acreage you own. Horses will need adequate turnout space to keep them healthy. As a rule of thumb, you should provide at least one acre of turnout per horse that you have. If you want to be able to take advantage of pasture grasses during the summer to cut down on your hay bill, you will need larger amounts of acreage to support multiple horses.

So, what do you think? Will you be bringing your horses home in the near future? If so, contact Classic Equine Equipment – we would love to help you make your dream barn into a reality.

Original Source: Knowing When It's Time to Bring Your Horses Home