It has been a dream of mine to own horses my entire life. I was not raised in a "country" family and my family had nothing to do with farm type animals, period...I was raised a city girl. But I always felt a strong calling to the country life. I have loved horses for 25 years now and have taken every opportunity to ride them that has been made available.

Luckily, I married a man who knows all about caring for horses and after 22 years, I met my real father who also turns out to be a good 'ole country guy who also knows all about caring for horses.....it seems, country living was always in my blood and I never knew it. My grandfather, whom I still have not met, owns land in the country and has said that he would be willing to let me have a horse or two there if I like.

My husband and I are also considering moving out of the city and getting some land and building a home. While I may have family that knows about horses, I want to learn everything I can before taking on such a huge responsibility. I may not know the first things about caring for a horse, but I do know that it will require a lot of time, work and patience, to say the least. Most of my friends own horses and cows. I ask them a lot of questions as often as I can.

So that is why I'm here. I hope to actually purchase my first horse within the next couple of years. I just want to be sure that I'm in the right place financially and that I have a nice place for it first.

I may be back with many more questions...but for now I'm open to any comments or advice that anyone has for my situation. I would also love any suggestions for books and magazines that could help me learn more and keep up with horse related news.

I checked up on a few magazines and wondering what you guys think about "Horse & Rider" or "Equus"?

 Welcome to the forum. This is the right place to get answers for your questions.  Those maga zines are relly great. What type of riding are you planning on doing? English or western? If you decide on English, I would also recommend Pratical Horseman.  Good luck with the search for horse property and horses. Let us know when you need any help. Everyone here is very frindly.

I have tried english and didn't like it, I have always prefered Western. Would you suggest Horse & Rider over Equus for my purposes?

Welcome!  Lots of experienced people here that are great about answering questions.

I would get both magazines if you can.  Equus is an in-depth health care publication, whereas Horse and Rider focusses on riding, training and day-to-day care.

Welcome to the forum

Welcome to the forum!

Yours is a very heartwarming story.  You sound to be a very common sense person with an addiction to horses that was unwittingly supressed for years

If western is your preference, Horse & Rider will probably suit your immediate needs nicely.

That being said, if you decide to trail ride, you can ride english or western.  If you want to show and throw some trail riding in for relaxtion, you can show western and trail ride in any manner you please

I have been on a horse for 59 of my 61 years and still trail ride without a saddle.  When it comes to trail riding, formality goes out the window.  Just need to be sure your horse's tack fits him correctly and that you are comfortable too.

This is a great place to get started on your learning adventures

Welcome to the board! It's great for you to learn before you buy ;)

I really like Equus. I also get Horse Illustrated. I ride english, so I don't care about H & R.

 For people new to horses, I ALWAYS suggest starting with lessons. Owning and riding your own horse is a lot different that riding in a group trail ride... and many people think they can handle it, only to find out they are scared of their horse becasue they didn't learn to control it properly.

Lessons have other great benefits, too. You can learn out to take care of a horse: grooming, feeding, tacking up, possibly dealing with illness and injury.

Also, a trainer is the BEST way to find a horse for you when you're ready. So by starting lessons with one, you'll develope a relationship with your trainer, and they will know what kind of horse will work best with you.

 Good luck, learn lots, and have fun! :)

Jessi

Thanks to everyone for your replies! I'm really excited about learning more and educating myself on horses. I love learning and reading, so I think sticking my nose in a few books to start with will give me something of a knowledge base for the future.

I have heard good things about "Horses for Dummies", so I have purchased that and will make it my first read. I will also be subscribing to "Horse & Rider" now, and perhaps "Equus" in the future.

 I have the "horses for dummies book" too. It's very good. Yes, I would defenitley get "Horse&Rider". I get that magazine and it does dribble a little bit into english once and a while. But it is a great western magazine that would help you out a lot.

Welcome to the family! I was just like you. I was a city girl who wasn't raised around animals( well, not horses.....)

My husband and I moved from an urban area to a suburban/ horse farm area, and I caught the bug! I am currently taking English lessons, and just love being anywhere horses are!!! 

I noticed that you are interested in Western. That's great! I agree with Chey Aut that you could greatly benefit from lessons. You need to know what to do when they pull a fast one on ya( and they will!). Also, it'll give you a chance to learn grooming, daily upkeep and overall costs.....ugh.

I've only been riding for a short while, but I'm hooked and I'll bet you will be,too. How fortunate that you married a horse guy!

A veteran horse guy told my husband: You can either have horses or money! He said he wouldn't trade his for anything!

Welcome, welcome.

Suzanne

ps Read everything you can get your hands on. It's not time in the saddle, but everything counts!   

Hello and welcome to the forum! From what you've written, you seem to be at the right place. I too come from a non-horsey environment - so it can be difficult sometimes for them to understand my passion. Never had a horse, but I'm nuts about them & have been taking lessons since I was a kid. Are you taking lessons? Personally, I think it's important to start out with a trainer that understands you and is knowledgeable & experienced at what he/she does (& focus on safety too) as they play a very important role in making a student confident in his/her abilities and make it FUN! It's also great that you have lots of horsey friends to hang around with!  

Once you've started riding, I recommend reading "centered riding" by Sally Swift. It's a classic book and helps a lot in developing an effective seat & position. As for magazines, (someone correct me if I'm wrong) I believe Equus focuses more on the horse care/management aspect rather than riding. 

See you around!

I'm in a very similar boat as you are.  Grew up in Detroit, MI, and never really saw a horse except for Girl Scout trail rides.  When I graduated and got an internship in TX I decided that when in Texas, do as the Texans do and signed up for riding lessons.  That was it for me, and I have now ridden several disciplines, both english and western.  I would love to own a horse/mule someday, but right now we are victims of the housing market and can't sell our house in Indianapolis (we moved to St. Louis).  So, I'm currently still showing for my barn in Indy, driving there anytime that I can.  I have my first mule show of the year at the end of April. 

My hope is that once we sell our house and get settled that i will be in a better position to get my own.  The barn in Indy has offered to let me lease one of theirs and bring it to St. Louis so that I can get more accustomed to having my own animal.  This might be  good option for you, to help you learn all that you need to about owning a horse.  I know there are a few barns in St. Louis that offer leasing, so you may want to look around your area. 

As a side note, I get both Horse and Rider and Equus and I think both are valuable for different reasons.  If you plan to own someday, Equus will keep you up to date on current medical research and what things to watch for with your animal.  I used to get Horse Illustrated, but didn't find that I was getting as much out of it.  Although I did give the free posters to my friend's daughter.  LOL

Kristin

Welcome to the Horse World!  You're really gonna love it here. 

Since I write about horses and own a farm, I read pretty much ALL of the horse mags. Each one has something to offer.  My fave for in-depth health and care information that's totally up-to-date is The Horse.  It's a little vet-oriented, but the info is excellent.  I suggest you pick any two and go for a one-year subscription, then mix and match next year.  You can always pick up individual copies of other mags at tack shops and some book/magazine sellers.  I believe you'll find that H&R, Equus, Horse Illustrated, and Practical Horseman often cover the same ground in the same month.

I see from your other thread that you've secured pasture and are ready to roll.  Good for you!  I started riding at 13, but didn't get  my first horse till I was 37.  Paid $800 for the ugliest mare you've ever seen.  I loved her to death even when she was trying to kill me.  I treasured every bite mark and concussion for the whole seven months before I was able to afford to trade up to a sane gelding.  It's been a great ride ever since.

Horses make for a fun journey, just don't take it or yourself (or them) too seriously.  They've got a sense of humor, and you  need to keep your intact to survive it.