Goat or horse?

twokidsandafarm · #1 01/18/15, 04:21 PM

Ok, so I'd like to have a little "vote". I can't seem to make up my mind. I'm doing something called the 52 week challenge, in where I put a certain amount of money in a jar each week, and by the end of the year I have $1,378 saved up. Now what should I get?

Either a horse(which I've always wanted) or a LaMancha goat kid from Kastdemur's Dairy Goats(I currently have goats, Kastdemur's is my all time favorite herd and has LOTS of National Champion lines). So comment horse or goat to help me out with the decision please!

thanks!

Admins, if I'm in the wrong area, feel free to move this, I'm not on this forum too often.

Raising Dairy Goats for milk, show, and fun! Also raising Red New Zealand and French Angora rabbits!
My website: www.twokidsandafarm.com

dizzy · #2 01/18/15, 05:45 PM

Do you have any experience w/horses? If not, I would advise against getting one-unless you're planning on boarding it. I went from leasing a horse to boarding a horse to doing self care. I had an awful lot to learn B4 I was able to do the self care and it would have been a mistake for me to just get a horse and have it in my backyard if I had had the room.

twokidsandafarm · #3 01/18/15, 05:55 PM

I am currently taking horse lessons from a close friend. Her whole life is horses and she seems to know ALOT about them.

Raising Dairy Goats for milk, show, and fun! Also raising Red New Zealand and French Angora rabbits!
My website: www.twokidsandafarm.com

dizzy · #4 01/18/15, 06:04 PM

Keep doing the lessons, and learning what you can about them and their care. And, if at the end of the year, you still want a horse and are able to care for it, then I say go for it. Just remember, you also need to buy tack, grooming supplies, possibly a blanket and or rain sheet depending on where you are, etc.

Appalachia · #5 01/18/15, 06:07 PM

Goat milk is useful. Horses are not.

Just my opinion.

Muleman · #6 01/18/15, 06:14 PM

The goat has the potential to earn its keep through milk production. The horse will never earn its keep. Farrier care will be an added expense with the horse as well as more feed consumption than the goat. Being you already have goats and I assume infrastructure to keep them, I would vote that the goat makes more sense from a financial standpoint.

I have to say I am a bit biased, I would ride a horse if I had to, but not on purpose!! And not as long as I have my mules. BTW, I do have both goats and mules (similar to a horse, just smarter and look better cause they have ears) but that is beside the point. The truth is the mules or horse or any equine will come with a much higher maintenance cost than a goat by far. I agree with the posters above, as long as you can borrow one and take lessons, I would not buy one. You may find after a year or so of lessons, or should I say You WILL find your idea of the perfect horse will change quite a bit. And if you ever get a chance to ride a really good mule!!! Well, then you will change your mind again!! Good luck which ever you decide, let us know.

Neat website you have by the way!!

Wendy · #7 01/18/15, 06:16 PM

I have to agree with Appalachia. Yes, horses can be fun to ride, but around here we call them hay burners. Unless you have a lot of extra money to stick in them in the way of feed, hay, wormer, hoof care, tack, etc., you will not make any money on them or get a lot out of them. Goats on the other hand give you milk & meat. They also do not eat even close to what a horse will. Hoof care is something you can do yourself.

Of course I am looking at this from a homesteading standpoint. I have animals that will give something back to me in the way of food.

krische1012 · #8 01/18/15, 07:16 PM

Despite being thoroughly horse addicted myself and owning 6 of them...I vote goat. If you were planning to keep the horse at home you really shouldn't only have one. And the amount you have saved will get you a very nice goat, but not necessarily a very nice horse. The cheapest part of a horse is the purchase price.

Goat all the way!

ad in wnc · #9 01/18/15, 07:39 PM

I vote for the goat. You can ride at your friend's place but a horse of your own requires more pasture, different fence, plus feeding/grooming time. It is hard enough to get everything done without adding an animal just to play with.

farminghandyman · #10 01/18/15, 08:11 PM

in our area unless you know some one, it would cost a lot more than what you have to get a good trained younger horse,

and around here you could buy a good herd of goats for the money,

since you have goats I suggest more goats,

and milk them for your own family's use,

unless your a trained rider, most novices can ruin a well trained horse in a short time, in to a barn sour, balking horse, horsed take time and a lot of money, to keep up,
a good trailer or pay extra to get a trimmer to come to your place, they can founder on most any thing and never be able to used for much of any thing,
I had two horses just founder on the grass greening in the spring, even tho they had been well feed and cared for, it is hard to see a $2000 become a pasture ornament.
some are much finicky,

If you have a friend rider theirs. it will save your pocket book,

BlackFeather · #11 01/18/15, 09:10 PM

Horses get lonely if it is the only one, we ended up running ours with the cattle to keep it happy. If you had a ranch and needed the horse to go and fetch cattle and such so it did work for you then it might be worth it, Unless you have a use for it, horses are a hole in the pasture you throw money into. My sisters wanted one, it was cool for about a year, then they graduated from school, needed a car for their jobs and it grazed by the way side, we ended up selling it.

Paumon · #12 01/19/15, 12:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twokidsandafarm

....... I'm doing something called the 52 week challenge, in where I put a certain amount of money in a jar each week, and by the end of the year I have $1,378 saved up. Now what should I get?

Either a horse(which I've always wanted) or a LaMancha goat .....

Honestly, if you have to save up money in a jar every week for a year to come up with $1,378 then you can't afford to buy a horse because you won't be able to afford its maintenance. Its maintenance costs will cost you more each month than what you were able to save up each month just to buy it. Horses are for well to do people with extra money to spare who have hundreds and hundreds of dollars to throw away on a hobby and at expensive vetrinarians.

Lennard1974 · #13 01/19/15, 02:53 AM

Goat. Absolutely.

Jennifer L. · #14 01/19/15, 07:59 AM

It depends: Are you looking to improve your goat herd that you are making money from? In which case, I'd go goat. If you have a so-so goat herd for personal consumption so that they really nice goat would be for fun, then having the horse and goat are kind of on level ground and it's just a matter of personal wants.

But if you are making a living or trying to make a living from the goats, then I'd certainly go with the goat.

Good on you for doing the saving every week!

RedSonja · #15 01/19/15, 08:32 AM

Despite being another hopelessly horse-addicted gal, my vote would be the goat. Especially since you can buy from Kastdemurs! Love their bloodlines.

We have 7 horses and they are expensive pasture ornaments even though most were free for the taking. I'm about to drop another $600 on hay to get them through the rest of the winter - I could buy a pretty nice doe for that! Since you already have goats, go with the goat.

-Sonja

trulytricia · #16 01/19/15, 08:47 AM

It does not sound like you can afford a horse right now. Buying one is not the problem. It's the maintaining that will get to you. Even a fairly minor accident for your horse could result in huge vet bills, and a horse that could be unridible for a long time.

I'm voting goat. But keep going on trail rides, learning all you can, you have a real interest there that's a good thing . And you never know what the future holds, be prepared.

twokidsandafarm · #17 01/19/15, 02:22 PM

Thanks everyone! You definitely helped me out with my decision!

Raising Dairy Goats for milk, show, and fun! Also raising Red New Zealand and French Angora rabbits!
My website: www.twokidsandafarm.com

jennigrey · #18 01/19/15, 03:12 PM

Maybe take that money and lease a horse for a while?

twokidsandafarm · #19 01/19/15, 04:13 PM

I have made the final decision...I'm going to buy a less expensive(but still expensive lol) Kastdemur doeling, and use the extra money to buy another quality LaMancha doeling. I WILL get a horse some day, in the meantime, I will do as much research and lessons as I can to be prepared for the day I do get a horse. I want to be ready.

I'm going to look into reserving a 2016 kid now!

Raising Dairy Goats for milk, show, and fun! Also raising Red New Zealand and French Angora rabbits!
My website: www.twokidsandafarm.com

manygoatsnmore · #20 01/19/15, 04:18 PM

I have a pasture ornament (horse), and even though I don't spend the kind of money on her that it is possible to spend, it's not cheap to keep a horse, especially if you have to buy all the feed and hay, can't do your own hoof care, can't do any of your own vet care, etc. Farm calls are expensive if you don't have a trailer to haul to the vet. There are teeth that need floated, hooves that need trimmed (unless you keep them barefoot and ride a lot over rough enough terrain to keep them naturally short), worming, shots, and that's just the bare basics. An injury can happen at any moment, and chances are, you don't have the skills to numb and stitch a wound, much less treat a more serious injury.

Personally, I'd not buy either animal, but would put the money into farm improvements or keep it in savings as an emergency fund.