SARAH: "What should you know before buying
your first horse?"
And then too-- I think hopefully ensuring
that she got voted in the top-- she said, "Also,
your videos are wonderful."
And I would just like to say, Horse Girl 88,
you are wonderful.
DR LYDIA GRAY: Yeah, those are helpful.
I think it's very exciting when someone's
getting their first horse.
SARAH: I totally agree.
DR LYDIA GRAY: And I try to think back, you know,
but that was so long ago that I can't remember.
So the first thing I think about is, what is your interest?
What do you want to do?
You have to know, at least right now-- it could change,
certainly mine has--
but are you an English person?
Do you ride Western?
Do you want to compete?
Is pleasure riding more your style?
You have to kind of know what you're headed towards so you--
SARAH: I feel like you change yours at least once annually.
DR LYDIA GRAY: At least once annually.
Yes.
SARAH: You've done all of the things.
DR LYDIA GRAY: Yeah, yeah.
Sometimes not with the right tack, but--
SARAH: There was talk of English saddle barrel
racing, which seemed unwise and maybe didn't go well.
DR LYDIA GRAY: Yeah, yeah.
So you have to know what you're-- what you want to do.
And then you have to know your budget.
I think that's huge and I maybe should have said that first,
but it's not just how much can I afford
to spend on the horse-- the initial purchase.
SARAH: Yes.
DR LYDIA GRAY: It's the monthly upkeep.
And let me tell you, the monthly upkeep--
I figured out one year only--
I figured out what I spend each month and got an annual total
and I just about passed out.
And the husband did not see that,
but you have to know going in what it costs to keep that
horse, whether you keep it on your own place or you board
it-- those are two--
another area that you have to consider.
The cost can be just astounding.
Then who's going to work with you?
Whether it's your trainer, and who's
going to be your veterinarian?
And you start with the vet early.
Based on the cost of the horse and what you're
going to do with it, like if you're buying a horse
to show at the top levels of a sport, which she probably isn't
doing getting a first horse, you'd
want to have a pre-purchase.
So you have that, but immediately
when you have your first horse, you
want to have a veterinarian ready and waiting,
because they're like accidents not even waiting
to happen-- there are just accidents, right?
You need to know some basic horse health
and nutrition yourself.
Even if you have a vet and even if you're
boarding and someone's keeping your horse for you,
you need to know the normals so that you
can recognize the abnormal and know when to call the vet.
And even at the beginning, there's
basic basic first-aid kits.
Maybe all you have right away is a thermometer
and some bandages.
You're always going to need wraps
on a horse for one reason or another.
And as you get more experience and knowledge,
your first-aid kit will grow.
I look at the first-aid kit as sort
of a reflection of how long have you been in the business
and what all you've seen.
I don't know if she's done this already,
but I think a really good way to get
into horse ownership is it's not actually owning a horse,
but it's leasing.
So if you haven't done half-lease or full-lease,
that's a great suggestion.
Also, being a working student, you'll
learn a ton-- you work really hard,
but you'll learn a ton because you're in someone's barn.
SARAH: And that's a really great way --
being a working student in particular --
to get exposure to a variety of horses,
because that helps you learn what you like and don't like.
DR LYDIA GRAY: Without having to commit.
SARAH: Exactly.
And so for you, maybe it's really important
to have a horse who is pleasant on the cross ties,
because that's a big part-- if you're this religious groomer
that we had in the last question,
you want to have fun hanging out with your horse.
But if you're looking for an upper-level competitor,
a lot of those horses have strong personalities,
they do not want to be spending time getting hugged
on the cross ties, they want to be able to do their own thing.
So it's important, you really have to know what you like
and what you don't like, because once you have the horse,
you're responsible for that horse.
DR LYDIA GRAY: Correct.
And they live a long time.
SARAH: They do.
DR LYDIA GRAY: That's all the advice I have.
I'm just-- good luck and very exciting.
SARAH: Absolutely.
And let us know how it goes, send us pictures.