Why do you want a horse?

ALEX: I think the first thing is to decide what you want to do with that horse. What type of recreational sport or competition, if there’s something involved like that. And that would probably be enlisting somebody to give you advice, possibly a trainer in a local area.

I know when I started, I started with formal riding lessons when I was young. So I had people I could go to that were experts in their field that could say, “here’s the kind of horse you need,” or “here’s what you want to do,” or “here’s how you want to compete.”

STEVE: The purchase of a horse is something you need to plan for. It’s not something that you should go into idly. It’s not like getting a pet where they can be self-sustaining. I’ve always likened owning a horse and being involved with horses — because I was born and raised on a horse farm, so I know every aspect of it from as far back as I can remember until the present — and it’s not a non-occupation or a non-participant situation where you just kick them out and go visit them when it’s convenient.

ALEX: And don’t you think that’s a lifestyle? If you bring on the responsibility of having a horse on your property, it’s a lifestyle change because it’s something that has to be tended to on a daily basis.

STEVE: I’ve always reckoned – or connected horses with raising children. You basically take care of them every day, but unfortunately they don’t ever grow up and leave. If you’re going to have a horse around, you’re going to take care of it for its entire life.

ALEX: So it just takes a little bit of research to see what you want to do and how you want to do it.