horses, you may want a horse, but the upkeep is expensive. If you cannot afford to buy one, you probably cannot afford to keep one. You need to provide the right food, as well as afford a farrier every 4-6 weeks (at least $50 each time), veterinary work, as the horse gets older make sure the teeth are floated regularly, make sure you have insect protection in the summer and warmth in the winter. You will need grooming supplies, a halter, lead, bridle, and saddle and blanket at the least. You will need to go out there EVERY day to groom, clean hooves, and exercise the animal if you are going to be a responsible owner.
After you have the tack and other permanent supplies you need, figure a minimum of a hundred dollars a month per horse for simple upkeep.
That is not to mention the hours involved -- figure a minimum of two a day, sleet, snow, rain, heat, -- no matter.
I've raised horses. I helped my kids do rescue work with horses. We are setting up a three stall barn right now to continue rescue work. You know where a lot of the horses who need rescue work come from? From families who got a horse for their son or daughter, who then lost interest or moved away to college or whatever a year or two later and no one really paid much attention to the animal after that.
I suggest you take a summer job on a ranch or something before you try for a horse of your own. It's not a romantic thing. It's a sweat-filled, expensive, time and money-consuming thing. It's mucking out stalls and sometimes getting accidently stepped on. It's falling off and hurting for days and going in anyway to take care of the animals. It's fighting thrush in the hooves and picking stones out. In short, it is a giant, giant babysitting job first and foremost. No vacations from it unless you are willing to pay someone to take your place for a week or so.
Please, please work with someone else's animals for a number of months first so you can learn enough and hurt enough from the constant work to decide whether or not this is really something you want to take on. How will you earn the money for upkeep? How will you have time for your homework? How will you have time to help out around the house? Think of these things and talk about them honestly with your parents.
