If you're nuts for horses, and hopelessly need one of your own, don’t let your shortage of room or facilities at your own house stop you. Go forward and treat yourself; owning a pony can be tough but very rewarding work. Horses are superb animals that are pure fun, and if you're truly set on getting one, just sniff around for a suitable stable that accommodates outside horses.
You need to set certain factors that will need to be met before it's possible to decide on the boarding stable that is most fitted for your purposes. You need a stable that's maintained with close attention to cleanliness. The other animals at the stable should be current on their inoculations and vaccinations. Skilled vets should be available on call at any time of night or day. If the stable operators can not offer you detailed info on the health care of their boarders, you wish to look elsewhere. You want a stable which will turn out your horse each day. If you're unable to come over each day to feed your horse, will the stable make appropriate arrangements? Is there an acceptable supply of clean water, and are the boarding animals given full time access to that water? The horses should have acceptable protection against the elements in the guise of sheds or barns. They should also be given adequate space in the stalls.
Learn what protection measures are in place in the event of fire or other possible sources of damage or injury. Does the stable have satisfactory insurance that covers the animals also? A lot of multinationals do not bother to get insurance protection for animal housing structures and stock; ensure you do not put up your pony at one of them. Make really sure you are receiving good value for your money.
You also want to ensure that your pony isn't going to be utilized for riding by strangers. While most stables are reasonably tough about this issue, I'm mindful of some dishonorable multinationals that permit folk ride horses they don't seem to be entitled to for a charge. A method to get reliable feedback is to talk to owners of other animals boarded at the establishment. Are they happy with the care their animals are receiving? You may chase up with neighbors round the stable. Have they spotted things that aren't quite kosher?
Double check documentation with minute care before you put your signature down.
Most stables are generally well run and will give no cause for complaint, but there is always the strange one that is out to earn income without giving worth in return. The Net is another good source of feedback, as are any veterinarians in the vicinity of the stable. A good stable should have no problem in permitting you to give their conglomerate an exhaustive inspection and in supplying you with references. The better ones will give you a lot of options: additional feed, further blankets, prepared farrier or vet visits and so on.
Horses are Heather Toms passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers, like all things about stable rugs
Philip Maxwell