Horse ownership is a huge responsibility. Before you acquire that adorable pony or wonderful horse, consider that horses and ponies:

• Require an ongoing financial commitment. The least expensive part of horse ownership is usually the purchase price;
• Require a great deal of time and physical labor just in daily care;
• Require a great deal of specific knowledge for proper care;
• Can live a very long life, sometimes up to 40 years;
• Usually prefer the company of other horses over people;
• Need food, water, stall cleaning (if stall kept), and looking after daily, 365 days a year NO EXCEPTIONS;
• Can cause accidents without even trying;
• Need a lot of exercise.

Horses provide numerous, positive benefits though.

Horses:

• Are wonderful companions;
• Can become a lifelong hobby;
• Can help create a wholesome environment for children and adults;
• Can help enhance self-esteem;
• Provide an opportunity to develop enduring friendships;
• Provide a method for teaching and learning important life skills,
  including responsibility;
• Help develop a compassionate approach to life;
• Are an excellent form of exercise & recreation.

Decisions to make if you want to own a horse:

Will you keep it at home or board it someplace else?

If you board it at home, do you have a safe place to keep the horse?

Who will be responsible for maintenance (fence repair, pasture management, etc.)? Does the zoning in your area allow horses?

If you plan to board it at home, are you aware that you will be responsible for that horse 365 days a year? The weather, your health, and your vacation schedule do not mean anything to your horse.

Who will be responsible for daily care? Can you find back up help to care for your horse when you go away?

Have you considered how and what you will feed it? (No two horses have the same nutritional requirements, and the grass in your pasture
may not be suitable to the horse you have in your barn.)

If you board it someplace else, will you be responsible for caring for it daily, or will someone else?

Do you want to purchase the horse to teach your children responsibility?

Horses cannot teach responsibility to children, they can only help parents teach responsibility. Responsibility for a child's horse always falls to the parents.

If you have read and considered these factors seriously, and are ready to adopt a pony, please continue to the Application Form.

For Parents:

You might consider sponsoring the pony you want to adopt for your child first, especially if your child has never owned a horse or pony before. You and your child can get to know the pony so that he will trust you when you do take it to a new home. We will teach you thouroughly about proper care and riding while you sponsor. You can determine if your child will continue to be responsible and passionate about caring for the pony after time passes, rather than get tired of it and feel that it's care is 'just a chore' and possibly even grow to resent having to care for the pony, as many children often do.