I recently made the decision to take on the responsibility of another horse.  I've taken the better part of a year to come to this decision, and I'm still leaving it open as to whether I'm keeping him long term, because I don't want to feel bad if I decide that owning two horses is not the right thing for me.

I've had the luxury of taking my time with this decision despite the fact that I've had a specific horse in mind, primarily because my in-laws have the horse I'm considering, and were able to continue caring for him until I made up my mind.  They rescued him as a yearling last summer, but they haven't had the time (or, admittedly, the know-how) to train a young horse from the ground up.  Having done this once already with my current horse, though, I started working with the new guy -- and fell in love.

They were trying to find a home for him anyway, and were having no luck -- who wants a big, virtually unhandled young horse in an economy where fully trained, kid-safe horses are available for under a grand?  So I decided to take him, train him, and if I feel like it's not working out, rehome him.  With some training, and my contacts and a more central location, I feel I should be able to find a home for him if I change my mind.

Taking as much time as I did to decide may seem excessive, but it's not a decision that should be made easily or quickly.  Horses are expensive, and I don't mean $50 here and there kind of expensive.  In my city it costs several hundred dollars a month -- minimum! -- to board a horse.  Even if you have your own horse property, you still have expenses like hay ($100 a month -- or more, lately, with the hay shortages in Texas -- per horse), farrier ($40 or $50 every other month per horse, minimum; double or triple that if you shoe them or need special work done), twice yearly vet visits (vaccinations, floating teeth, etc.), and plenty of incidental costs such as dewormer, tack, etc.

There are far too many people out there who get too many horses and then starve them when they can't afford to feed them, let alone trim their feet and keep them in good health.  Before you say, "That'll never happen to me," keep in mind that the majority of these people probably had good intentions -- I imagine very few people want to neglect their animals, or feel good about seeing a sack of bones out in the pasture every time they step out their door.  But no matter how much you think it won't happen to you, it can happen if you overextend yourself.  If you are barely able to afford the horses you have now, all it will take is a lost job, medical problems (yours or the horses'), or some other unexpected expense to put you in the red.

So before you choose to get another horse, think hard about whether you can afford it comfortably -- that is, with money to spare for emergencies -- and if you are willing to get a second job, sell your TV, or do whatever it takes to make ends meet if something comes up.