Do You Want To Own Horse Property in Eastern Pennsylvania?

You own a couple of horses that are boarded at a nearby horse farm.  It is getting to be too much of a drain on you to commute to the barn regularly and on your pocketbook.  You feel it is now time to find a property so that you can have your horses in your own backyard cutting costs and being able to see the horses more often.

Sounds great, doesn't it?

Before making the dive into buying a horse property, there are some things to consider.

When you own a property, any property, whether it is one acre or several acres, there is always upkeep and maintenance involved.  With a horse property, there is much more to do.  

Barn maintenance.

Horses are like little children.  If there is something they can get into, they most likely will.  The barn and stalls (as well as fencing) must be checked regularly for any protruding nails or sharp objects horses can get hurt on.  Check for loose or broken boards.  (If a horse kicks a board, it can cause quite a bit of damage, not only to the structure, but a horse can get hurt also.)  

You should thoroughly clean the barn at least every six months, to get rid of cobwebs, dust, old hay laying around, etc.  If a fire starts, these things will help spread it quickly.

Pasture maintenance.

Not only will you be maintaining your lawn, the pastures will also need regular maintenance.  The horses tend to graze down areas of the pasture, but there will be other areas where the grass and weeds will end up growing tall.  The ungrazed areas are usually the areas the horses use as bathrooms or the weeds are poisonous.  Every few weeks, depending on how quickly these areas grow, it will need to be mowed to keep down the growth.  Mowing will also help spread the manure, allowing the sun to kill any parasites and parasite eggs which can be found in the manure.

Fencing maintenance.

No matter what type of fencing you may have, it is a MUST to check it regularly, daily if possible.  Anything can happen to break a fence.  For example, a tree could have fallen on a portion of the fence, breaking it, a short in an electric fence, boards kicked off by a horse, etc.  The possibilities are endless,  If the fence is not repaired immediately, the horses will find it before you and decide to visit the neighbors, which the neighbors may not be fond of, especially if it happens quite often.  Or, the horses can wander out on the road, where an unsuspecting driver may end up hitting the horses while rounding a curve.

Winter maintenance.

Winter is a dreaded time for any horse owner, especially when severe weather hits.  (In the past few years, Pennsylvania has been hit with severe winter weather.)  Not only does the snow need to be plowed from your driveway and walkways, but it is a good idea to make a path to the barn as well as the manure pile, making your life a little easier.  (Remember, the wheelbarrow has to be pushed through the snow.  I can tell you from experience, that is no easy task.)  You have to make sure the footing in the turnout is safe for the horses.  If it is slippery, they can seriously get hurt.

Check for ice in the water supply.  If there is ice, it MUST be broken up.  Horses need to drink in the winter, too, in order to keep the food moving through the digestive system.  Make sure the heat tape is working so the pipes don't freeze.  Frozen pipes means lugging water buckets from the house to the barn.  That is not a fun chore.

Caring for the horses.

In addition to the property maintenance, time needs to be taken into consideration to groom the horses, clean tack, riding and training time, and much more.

While the winter winds are howling and the snow is blowing, or during the heat and humidity as well as thunderstorms of summer, you will have to go out to take care of the horses, feeding them, checking on them to be sure they are doing well and are comfortable.  You will find yourself going out several times per day, braving the elements.

If you are ready to commit to put in the time and work into having your horses on your property, then go for it.  You will be glad you did.