Customer Reviews

Your First Horse: How to Buy and Care for Your First Horse

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I can't imagine a better book for first-time horse buyers. It's a straight-forward and common-sense guide to the purchase and care of your first (or any) horse. The thing that I like and value most from this book is Jacqueline Dwelle's emphasis on the responsibility involved with caring for your equine friend. I can highly recommend this book.

For anyone new at buying, caring, and generally knowing horses this is a must read! This book is very straight forward and easy to read and follow. Step by step guidlines are given for those who need them, and for those who don't, Jacqueline Dwelle gives readers a quicker approach. This book gives everything you need to know for buying and taking care of your first horse. It has everything from developing an equine profile to foot care, health problems, and so much more. I highly recommend this book!

Before you buy any horse you should also be aware of the
USDA program that may put more work/burdens.cost on you than you want...

The USDA has a program supposedly designed to track animal disease but will affect every last animal owner in the US just so corporate agriculture can benefit and sell their meat globally. While corporate ag gets a free ride, those who own even one livestock animal will have to register their premises (thus losing property rights), microchip each critter (cost $$$$) and file birth, death and movement reports within 24 hours or face huge fines. If disease is suspected in an area the USDA can come in and kill the animals. (BUT Big ag gets JUST ONE lot number per group of animals.) Called NAIS, (national animal identification system) it will put livestock owners under more surveillance than illegals, terrorists or sex offenders. You will not find news of this program on mainstream media. See [...] for more info.

Personally I felt that if you're "horse savy" enough to understand the terminology, then you wouldn't need this book. It doesn't explain what cribbing is, although it tells you to avoid buying a horse with this habit. Avoid a horse with ewe neck or an overly cresty neck. It would have been really nice if these words were in the glossary. Even a diagram of a horse with the names of the different parts would have been nice.

My 11-year-old loves horses and is planning to get a horse someday. This was fun to get to look forward to the day she will get the horse. It was full of information about how to find the right horse for you and how to care for the horse.