By eHow Pets Editor
Rate: (19 Ratings)
Farfetched though it seems, it's possible to keep a horse indoors - of course, the idea is not for every horse or horse owner. The author of this eHow speaks from personal experience of the special effort and accommodations necessary and the magical bond that comes from sharing your living room with your horse. Here are a few of the steps involved in a vital part of the process: housebreaking.
Comments
Rebecca said
on 5/16/2007 as a horse lover and trainer i thought this artical was quite funny it brings back the thought of my 13 month old filly coming in to my house and jumping on my bed needless to say she broke my bed as she laid there winnie for her breakfast, you can spoil these animals and before you go on to house break them know this they will get bigger, i think its ok to to walk them in but i would never leave them alone.
Anonymous said
on 6/30/2006 I think it is perfectly crazy to keep a horse inside a house! It may seem fun at the time, but first, look at my reasons why not to keep a horse in the house, and consider them sensibly.
1. There are hazards. Almost everything is a hazard to a horse! China, glass, cutlery? Children? Fancy or valuable furniture? Cleaning products? You will have to thoroughly horse-proof your house before you let a pony takeover! Do you have time?
2. If you have young children, think of them. Sure, It might be enjoyable to have a fluffy, friendly pony in the house, and they might like it, but they could get hurt. Pony could hurt kid, kid could hurt pony! Also, kids might get jealous if you fuss over the pony.
3. Do you really want to have a pony in the house? To have to wake up at midnight to take a pony out for 'elimination' purposes? To wake up to find pony has demolished kid's toys and your best cushions? And what if he grows too big? You may have to put him outside, which may cause problems if he isn't used to living outside in the cold. Could you cope with saying goodbye?
I hope you have considered these reasons sensibly, and I hope they will help you make the major decision of housing a horse!
Anonymous said
on 11/22/2005 Common sense dictates that a horse is not physically or mentally equipped to live inside of a house. It's bad enough that some horses are stall-bound the majority of the day. The next thing you know, I'm going to find a diaper for a horse so I don't have to potty train it.
Anonymous said
on 11/22/2005 Why not give your horse a room of his own. That room can be designed for the horse to live in. To make it even better, why not connect your bedroom to his room with a very short but big hallway. That way, your horse can wake you up with a big slobbering lick and he can even let you ride him in your undies.
Anonymous said
on 11/22/2005 I've only ever heard of guide ponies being kept in houses (they're used like guide dogs). These ponies are trained by experts and are only about 7 hands (very small). There is no reason to keep a horse in a house. Keeping a horse in a house is dangerous for the horse and humans. To effectively keep a horse in a house, a room with direct outdoor access, would have to be horse-proofed. This basically means turning it in to a stable. This type of intensive, time consuming training with a foal is wrapped in controversy. A racehorse is weaned at four months, most others at six, and new arguments say that this is also too young. House training a foal at less than six months means long separations from the dam or early weaning. At six months a foal is about equivalent to a 3-4 year old toddler (depending on breed). Very short attention spans and always looking for their mummies, especially when in a new environment. Scare training and bomb-proofing at this age should only be done with a dam.