• gamermanh@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    1 month ago

    US government will let you adopt a horse or mule per year for super cheap as long as you can care for them and can pick them up

    My wife and I are considering a mule for tasks around our acre and it’s less than getting most other animals

    • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      That’s all well and good, but I’ve spent years around horses and owners…long enough to know that I’d never want one, at least not one you’d actually intend to use for any sort of riding if I had a choice.

      Animals that can be cranky, bite, kick, needs farriers, training, vet bills, meds, food, tack, trailer, shelter, stable, or barn, land to keep the horse healthy and not too confined, constant work for cleanup mucking stalls…

      Every tike you want to go somewhere you hope the horse is agreeable, feet are ok, saddle it up when it maybe doesn’t want to go, get there at a leisurely walk (can’t gallop or trot the whole time), bring food and hope there’s water for the animal….etc. etc.

      $1750 is not horse money. Not by a long shot. Not in the context of this hypothetical argument where one might trade a horse for a car. How many bags of groceries does one bring home on a horse? Oh, now we have to buy a wagon?

      There’s a reason people traded these magical animals for cars.

      • Echo Dot@feddit.uk
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        1 month ago

        I’m reasonably confident that my car cost considerably less than a horse would every year

      • Sylvartas@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        Tbf a lot of these issues can be mitigated with good training. But yeah it’s still more work than maintaining a car

        Source : gf is a professional horse trainer