Are horses members of the family like dogs are?

[blitznbobs]

My horses are members of my family — mostly — but it seems to me that many people dont think of them the same way. I rarely hear of people selling dogs but with horses its obviously different… is this because dogs job is generally to be a companion and horses role is
More defined or is there more to it than that?

 

[paddy555]

I regard my horses as members of my family in exactly the same way as dogs.

My horses stay with me until they are PTS. That is PTS because they are old, have lived their full lives and it is at the stage of no alternative in exactly the same way as my dog. Any younger ones who have to be PTS is because they have come to the end of the road with their illness and there is no other choice.

My dog comes firstly as a pet/companion and if he can do something else ie compete in something then great. My horses are exactly the same. I keep horses even if they cannot be ridden for some reason. If they can then that is great.

I feel exactly the same responsibility in trying to give a horse a good life as I do a dog. They are an animal not a winning or a status machine.



.

 

[ycbm]

Great question. I'm afraid they cost far too much to keep when you don't have your own land to be considered a member of my family. Like it or not a sound well behaved horse is also a hugely valuable capital asset and I don't think anyone should be made to feel bad for selling that asset if they want or need to.

 

[JBM]

I’m lucky enough to have my own land and a dad who can’t say no to me so my horses stay with me for life if we suit each other personality wise

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Ours certainly think they are!

 

[MuddyMonster]

Mine's a family member. We're pretty (!) sentimental in my family about animals so I've always grown up with the idea that they are family members so it's normal. My ex didn't like horses or dogs so I did tell MrMM on our first date that it's a case of date me, accept the horse (and they'll increase in numbers )

MrMM often calls himself the Step-Dad with a baggage child but does accept the pony is family - I think he's rather fond of him, he just probably won't admit it!

But I can understand why they wouldn't be pets & family members to everyone - whether that's for financial reasons or other reasons. It helps I've never been hugely competitive and enjoy riding/having horses for the sake of it.

 

[stangs]

Are they like family - yes

Are they like family in the same way that dogs are family - no. Horses have a life and herd outside of their owner, whereas dogs spend considerably more time with their people, and their owners are often their only ‘pack members’.

 

[meleeka]

My horses are members of my family — mostly — but it seems to me that many people dont think of them the same way. I rarely hear of people selling dogs but with horses its obviously different… is this because dogs job is generally to be a companion and horses role is
More defined or is there more to it than that?

I think you are right that most dogs have the job of being a companion, whereas horses are usually kept for us to make use of them. Most dogs share the home, but horses don’t which is probably why they aren’t part of the family in the same way as dogs are
for most people. I’d miss my dog if I didn’t have them at home all day, but can manage a few days without seeing my horses before I miss them.

 

[ponynutz]

I think it's the cost for most people.
Interestingly most people I've met still have or had until PTS their most influential pony... I think that shows we'd all keep them all if we could!

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I do look at mine as lifelong companions I suppose I keep them at home so spend a lot time with them, I don't like the thought of selling them so I'm careful what I buy so they generally stay with me until the end.

 

[Barton Bounty]

Absolutely BB is a member of my family.. how could he not be He is not in a herd, yes he likes to groom over the fence but he is very much attached to me

 

[lme]

I’m with Paddy. Ours are very much family members. We somehow collect horses despite not having our own land and I can’t envisage selling them any more than I could our dogs.

 

[SO1]

Yes Homey was considered a family member same as my parents cat or the many pets my sister has which includes her chickens.

People do buy cats and dogs often as puppies and kittens and there are professionals who breed them in the same way as people breed horses. The difference is cats and dogs are a lot cheaper and different to keep you don't need to worry about livery or financial costs so much.

I think a lot more people are keeping horses most of their lives.

I also think the amount of skill and knowledge to keep a horse is probably more than a cat or a dog. My sister's cat just turned up as a kitten on their door step and with a few days they were about to touch him and within a month he had gone from a ferral kitten to a pet with really no effort. The dog required more effort but was less than training a horse for riding. I could house sit and look after the cat, dog, chickens quite easily and to be fair even people who had never looked after animals could manage them easily whereas horses are way more complex.

People sell horses for all different reasons but I think they are costly to keep and being such big animals it is easy for people to get nervous around them and loose their confidence. Having said that I don't know any adults on livery yards who have sold their horses it has only been parents selling children's ponies that are outgrown.

 

[Titchy Reindeer]

Someone once asked me one of those stupid dilemma questions: "if you could save only one, would you save the dog or the horse?". My (joking) answer to that was it depends what I saving them from. If it's from drowning, I'd save the dog, I can't carry the horse!
I think the answer can be compared to more realistic lifetime issues. Most people, if in hardship, could probably scrape together enough money to keep the dog, a horse is another matter, especially if it's on livery.
I think other posters also have a point, my dog lives in the house, sleeps in my bedroom and I'm the centre of his world (though I do have him because some else gave him away, and not as a puppy, but as a dog who had lived for a year in their home). The horses, though at home, live in a field, have each other and I'm only useful when they need a scratch or when I bring food. I like to think they like me more than most other comparable humans, but honestly, they're both well adjusted and could take me or leave me.
I don't ever plan on selling either of the horses, but I've seen enough life-changing events in relation to horses to know that you don't always have a choice.
I think in answer to the original question, I was family to my dog by the time we got home from his previous owner's (it took me a little longer to open up completely!). My horses are perhaps more like housemates that become best friends. They were both taken on for a purpose, but I'm incapable of not loving or at least liking an animal I've got sole care of after a while (and I wouldn't have it any other way).

 

[Mimi2005]

Mine are my babies and will be with me for the rest of their days. I really struggle having them away from home at livery, desperately want them at home with me like my other pets but I've got them at a yard that's as close to home as I could find. Hopefully one day I will find a house with land and bring them home where they belong.

When I was young I used to dream that my parents would convert the front room in to a stable for my pony - it never happened but he was only next door in my grandma's garden and maybe that's why it seems alien to me now to have mine away from home.

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

I've had some that are and some that aren't. It depends on the horse and what the purpose of the ownership is. Horses invariably live longer than dogs and are more costly to keep so sometimes it's not as easy to keep a horse if money is tight. I'm not competitive and mine are part pet lol, the two boys I have now I think the world of and I'd rather never sit on a horse again than part with the older one. I love mine just as much as my dogs but I'd likely put the dogs first if necessary.

 

[Lurfy]

Mine is definitely part of the family

 

[SEL]

Mine are and I'd say the same about most horse owners I know well. Even a couple of local yards that breed & produce have a collection of older family ponies or horses that have proved particularly special still at home.

A couple of friends have sold horses to more suitable homes - especially when they've been over horsed - but fortunately I'm not surrounded by the type of people who just move one on because they want something different / younger / less wonky etc etc

ETA - no dog here. I have a cat and I am her slave but I know full well if something happened to me she'd find a new slave!!

 

[splashgirl45]

My horses were part of my family and I have never sold any of them. They are with me until their quality of life is not what I feel it should be. They have retirement as long as they are able to enjoy it and I would never PTS just so I could buy something to ride. I have never had land so always DIY livery . I was browsing freeads and pre loved yesterday and was saddened to see so many older dogs for sale , so some people seem to treat their dogs differently as well

 

[rabatsa]

While they are with me they are part of the family. However I am a realist and know that life happens. I have turned down big money for both a dog and equines. I have sold on equines when necessary and rehomed a couple of dogs. One of each so that I could go to college.

As I have got older and life more stable I have not had to move anything on for a fair few years.

The sheep are family until they go. I expect all the sheep to have to be sold on or put in the freezer. While I do have some land I do not have that much. It is nice when the sheep go to homes where they are starter flocks for others and I keep in touch with their new people.

 

[Errin Paddywack]

I have only ever bought 8 horses/ponies and of those, 6 finished their lives with me. However because I was breeding I have owned somewhere in the region of 30 I would guess. Of those 4 stayed with me for life. Now I cannot imagine selling a horse on hence not getting another as I am at an age where I know I am unlikely to live long enough to give it a home for life, or to be physically able to look after it or afford it. One or two have been very close friends but those were from the days when I had only one or two and did a lot with them, later ones were much loved but not quite such close friends. My dogs however are my best mates, they work, play and live with me, why on earth would I regard them as anything less than family members. Have to say that apart from Michael and my sister no human has meant more to me than my dogs.

 

[scats]

I’m going to be honest, I buy horses to ride, not to have as pets.

That being said, I do make a commitment to that horse once I’ve bought them and even if they can’t be ridden anymore, they have a home for life with me (I’ve had 3 in recent years who’ve had to retire young). I will always have a bigger bond with a horse I can ride and do things with, which is why Millie will always be a bit higher in the love stakes to me than Polly. I hope that doesn’t sound awful, but the reality is that horses are a huge commitment both financially and time wise, particularly if you aren’t fortunate to have your own land. I have 3 dogs, 2 cats, a Guinea pig and a tortoise at home, so they fill that ‘pet love’ need I have. The horses are something else to me, but I still love them.

 

[Lexi 123]

I think it depends if you only love the sport or do you genuinely love horses. Before someone bites my hand off I saw this on tictok I found it very interesting. I considered my horse family and will never sell my horse but unfortunately I have met people who have mocked people for having this opinion. https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGJHQW446/

 

[SadKen]

Yes, but in different ways. My horse can function perfectly well without me. I think she would miss me a bit if I wasn’t around any more, but she’s fine for the average 21.5 hours a day she’s not with me. If I thought it was in her best interests (and to some degree in mine) I would find her a new home, and if that home met her needs, I know she would be happy. If she had everything she physically needs and another horse, she would be happy enough without seeing humans again. She has a job to do, if she can’t do it I’d need to make a decision (mine will only get full retirement if they have done a lifetime of service, otherwise it’s summer in the field because I can’t look my husband in the eye and tell him I’m spending a fortune on a pet that I only see an hour a day). It would be different if I had my own land, but I don’t.

I would live in the woods before I gave up my dogs. We spend all our time together, they are dependent on me for more than just physical needs, and I am fully responsible for them. You can’t put a dog in a field, leave it there and it be happy. Dogs have evolved to codepend with humans. Horses work with us, but it’s not the same relationship.

Both relationships are equally valuable to me, but I’m very practical and logical by nature, and they are different for logical, practical reasons.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Mine is "family", deffo so. She lives with me (and the rest of the livery-herd) at home so I can pop out to her whenever I want to.

We spent a lazy afternoon in the sunshine on Saturday just sitting & snoozing together. Us and the dogs too. All family. Then the cat joined us. That's how it is here.

 

[southerncomfort]

Ours certainly think they are!

Bo would definitely move in to my house if I let him!

 

[SEL]

I love

Mine is "family", deffo so. She lives with me (and the rest of the livery-herd) at home so I can pop out to her whenever I want to.

We spent a lazy afternoon in the sunshine on Saturday just sitting & snoozing together. Us and the dogs too. All family. Then the cat joined us. That's how it is here.

I love this!

 

[equinerebel]

Mine is a member of my family! She lives in a different place to my other fur kids and we have a different relationship as a result - but it’s still a meaningful, loving relationship and she’ll be with me till the end of her days like the rest of my animals will. I couldn’t have a horse and invest all this time and money and not think of them as a fur kid.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

My horses are members of my family — mostly — but it seems to me that many people dont think of them the same way. I rarely hear of people selling dogs but with horses its obviously different… is this because dogs job is generally to be a companion and horses role is
More defined or is there more to it than that?

I regard my horses as family and would put it in front of the dog any day. If something happened to hubby I would sell or give away his dog. (I got history with it)

 

[julesjoy]

I've been having this discussion with my partner. To me, they are like dogs, my hopes and dreams. However, I do have to pay to rent the yard,and that is expensive and I am having to face that I can't afford to do that anymore. It's honestly heartbreaking, but it's reality, unless I can find some mega cheap grass livery.