If you have young children, particularly a young girl, then you’ve probably had to deal with them ask for a very particular pet. Kids love this idea of having a pony as a pet, they want a pony, and they want it to grow up to be a horse that they can ride and have lots of fun with.
Understandably, you’re probably going to dismiss this idea as horses are fairly big for a pet. If they’d asked for a pet dog or cat, your answer might be different. We just think horses are too much work, but is this the case? Can they make good pets, or should we continue to deny our children and get something smaller? Here are a few thoughts I have on the matter:
Horses Lead To Hobbies
It’s hard for some of the most common pets to lead to hobbies. A cat just likes to be stroked, and dogs want as much attention as possible. Horses are different in that the only way your kids can play with them is by riding them. As a result, a new hobby is born. They can enjoy horse riding and start taking it up as a regular hobby, which might lead to them getting into different equestrian sports too. One of the many benefits of this, as outlined here https://www.muminthemadhouse.com/new-experiences-horse-riding-for-kids/, is that your children get to exercise. They’re active, they’re getting out the house, and it can be very good for their health.
No Mess In The House
The weird benefit of horses is that your house doesn’t suffer any mess at all. They’re too big to live indoors, or even to live in your garden. As shown here https://www.texasliving.com, you’re probably going to have to look into a horse farm if you want to own one. Admittedly, this will cost money, but it makes life at home easier for you. There’s no fear of your pet treating the hallways like a toilet or carving up your sofa and using everything as a scratch post. You won’t have pet hair everywhere which triggers allergies, it’s actually a very good benefit that a lot of people don’t think about.
Less Constant Maintenance With A Horse
If you compare a horse to, say, a cat, there’s a lot less constant maintenance. Cats need to be groomed regularly to stay healthy. I wrote all about the things you need to do in this article here; http://www.losangelesmammablog.com/keeping-beloved-pet-beautiful-healthy/. With a horse, you’re not around them all the time, and they don’t need as much maintaining or looking after. What’s more, they’re easier to groom too because they’re more relaxed and static. Cats don’t like having their claws trimmed or taking baths, horses don’t mind getting their coats brushed and washed.
So, having a horse as a pet might not be as bad as you first thought. There are certainly some good benefits that come with it, so maybe you should be more open to the idea when your child next asks?
