Being a single parent is hard work. There is no-one to share the day to day responsibility for looking after the children and no-one to reassure you when you are making important decisions. There are many mums who have the support of large families, but there are also people who feel isolated and alone.
Owning a horse is a great experience, and they can be very beneficial to single parents who are going through a hard time. If you find yourself in that situation read on, I will try and convince you that buying a horse will be a wise investment.
Children Love Them
When you first introduce a new nag to your children they will be delighted. They will bond with their new playmate very quickly, and a healthy relationship will blossom. Your children will occupy many hours riding their best buddy, and the horse will have friends for life. Introducing children to horses at an early age often lays the seeds for a lifelong passion. When you own a horse, you will tend to spend less money on other things because children enjoy riding in the countryside, which costs nothing.
A Distraction
The horse will provide a distraction occasionally, from the pressures of everyday life. When the children are at school, and you are at a loose end, there is always something to do at the stables. Daily grooming provides an excuse to get out of the house and away from daytime television programs that are the source of depression for many people. The horse also needs basic health care with treatments from www.wormers.co.uk. Taking care of the physical condition of the animal brings a sense of satisfaction to you.
Exercise
Riding a horse is good exercise. With the news full of statistics demonstrating that we are all a bunch of couch potatoes, going for a ride on your horse may ease the guilt you feel after eating a family-sized bar of chocolate all to yourself. What could be more satisfying than bouncing your wobbly bits up and down for all the world to see? However, before you think about using a horse to keep yourself fit, you need to check if your pony is in a good shape. Know that if your horse is affected by diseases like Laminitis (which is an extremely painful and frequently recurrent condition), then it would not be able to walk or run as the illness affects hooves the most. In such a scenario, you would need to find the best treatment for laminitis to treat your animal friend before taking a ride on it.
Social Scene
People who own horses develop active social lives with others who share the stables. Single parents sometimes find it hard to get out there and make friends in their spare time, and a hobby such as taking care of a horse is a great ice breaker. You will be able to enter your horse into local shows or even teach it to leap over obstacles at a showjumping competition.
Make Money
The stables, with your permission, will hire the horse out for people who pay by the hour to ride it. That will pay a lot towards the stable fees and even make some extra money for you to use as you wish. If you breed the horse there is much money to be made from the sale of its offspring too, especially if it has a desirable heritage.
Are you convinced yet? There are few downsides to owning your own horse or pony. Like every other hobby, you take as much pleasure as you want from it. Go to your local stables and meet a few horses, you may get hooked.