You've studied, researched, taken test rides, and finally, your dream horse is coming home. You've sunk every penny into buying it. You may only have one acre, you may have 100, and maybe you don't have one of those million-dollar stables with fancy stalls, lights, an indoor arena, and pretty tack rooms. That doesn't mean you can't give your horse a fabulous home! Everyone has their own opinion, but today I'll share a few things I think are of immediate importance.

As a trainer and someone who has helped many children acquire their first horse, the one thing I try to emphasize, is work with what you have. A stable or pasture where a horse is kept, should be in good condition. This is your new best friend you're bringing home, right? Then it just makes sense to do the best you can for him or her!

The one thing that I cannot stand to see, is debris lying around. Buckets on the ground, old pieces of timber or wood... what about nails? It doesn't take that much effort to clean up a small area of pasture for your horse, take a load of junk to the dump and increase your property value all at once. Even just a loafing shed or walk-in shelter for the pasture can be made a little nicer for your horse.

A shelter made out of steel panels, can be made a little more healthy and comfortable for your horse. If the structure already exist, simply frame the inside with 2x6's around the outer edge. Grab a level and be sure its flat or slightly angled to flow out the door, have some chip gravel delivered to fill up 4 and a half inches. Pack it down as best you can, and add stall mats to fill the area. If you can trim off the entry with wood, even better! No sharp edges!

Shown here: a few examples of these shelters from: https://www.greatmats.com/horse-run-in-shed-mats-at-taylor-farm-testimonial.php

Clean it out daily, and you now have a comfortable shelter where your horse can stay out of bad weather, not be buried in mud or muck (which is unhealthy for the hoof). If you look at some of the beautiful photos on line of other teens with their horses, you'll notice some of the best are not necessarily the fancy stables, rather they are older farms that are clean and give off a shabby chic vibe; perfect for photos with your new best friend.

Follow along with our students as they begin the journey of a lifetime, learning the work and reward that comes with the love of a horse! In the next several blog posts, we'll discuss how to store feed, how to set up a training area, and many other helpful hints done on a dime!