Equines

What to consider before adopting a horse

Every horse and pony has its own distinctive personality and temperament. Equines come in all shapes and sizes and they can live for well over 30 years.

 Taking on a horse is a massive commitment in terms of time and cost. Caring for a horse or pony can be very fulfilling, and you can reap the rewards of hard work and dedication to making sure yours is healthy.

Before you adopt an equine, please properly consider if you will have the free time and money to make sure both you and your horse or pony are happy.

Horses can be expensive to buy and they come with lots of ongoing costs that you need to think about. You’ll have to calculate your spend on essential veterinary and farrier care your horse might need during its lifetime. Plus, good quality feed and bedding does not come cheap and there’s also the costs of renting a livery for your equine too.

Of course, the level of support you get from the livery you pay for will also affect the amount of time you’ll need to keep free for your horse. They need daily care and elderly horses may also need more specialist support.

Where to buy a horse

Well, why not from us? Rather than buying, you could give an equine a second chance in life by adopting one from us. We have facilities at our animal rescue and rehoming centres in Edinburgh and Aberdeenshire to care for horses, ponies, donkeys and other equines. And there’s always plenty of them looking for a new home.

We appreciate not everyone can adopt and sometimes the equines we care for come with challenges that mean they need an experienced horse owner to look after them. Find out more about the horses we have for rehoming HERE.

If you do decide to buy a horse, please do your research before you purchase.

Feeding horses

Horses have sensitive digestive systems and can be allergic to some things. It's never a good idea to feed a horse that does not belong to you.

Click here to find out more