I am almost 70 and can handle up to 5 horses by myself, with all else I need to do caring for the place, mowing, maintenance and improvements and looking after the cattle.
If you manage your time right, chores can get done quickly.
Feeding can be just handing over medication or supplements individually and throwing some hay flakes out twice a day, while checking them over, a quick brushing and fly spraying and looking at the water and fencing, if horses are living out to pasture.
I have three now, older geldings, 12, 14, 16, that stay out 24/7 in horse traps about 100+ acres, so there is not that much to clean in the pens, other than their one designated spot and they don’t use it that much.
I lost my two oldsters, one was 30, in the last three years.
When we have bad weather and in blizzards, they choose to stay under the matted barn/shed all the time and then there is considerably more to clean, but still rarely they go any other than in their spot.
Some times the piles freeze in their designated bathroom spot in the corner and I have to wait several days to even be able to clean that, which doesn’t hurt, anyway, just takes longer one day.
There was one local farmer that always bred horses, really good ones that did very well cutting.
He kept buying more broodmares, keeping fillies back and, before he knew it, he had way too many, several older mares that were looking poorly one winter.
His horses were looking so bad, for what I heard, animal control was called and some horses were taken away from him and he was given a chance to do better.
Thankfully he cut way down and is taking good care now, with animal control coming by and checking on him and his son taking over some of the care.
No one here understands why he let things get that bad.
Everyone was surprised it happened, you never know about people.
It is so easy to get over your head with horses or, really, any animals.
We owe to those we care for to do it right and if we can’t, see that someone does.
Also, provide for when we can’t be there and that someone is watching that we are there to care for our charges, in case something happens to us.
I have a neighbor I text every morning, so he knows all is ok and two others that check on me on their own.
If your animals depend on you alone, you have to manage so they are cared for well, the care is easy to manage by someone else and have a very good backup system.
