Horse or ATV?

We have ATV's and motorcycles. Our theory is when you're not using them, you are not feeding them. Here in NY during the winter the motorcycles are stored away in the barn; no care, no feeding, no mess. We also have snowmobiles for the winter. Again, during the summer, snowmobiles get put away with no fuss, no muss.

I don't own a horse yet, but I'll chime in too. My dh has an atv, I hate the thing. I've only used it a half a dozen times, it's loud, it's too big for me, it scared away animals when your riding, repairs can be expensive... My husband likes it because it lets him get around our mountain side property quickly, it sips gas, it handles steep terrain, and basically he's too lazy to walk, lol.

I would love a horse, so would my two daughters But not just for riding, though the thought of being able to "sneak" along our trails sounds great. I really want one for pulling logs out of the hillside that the truck or atv can't get to. For working the garden, for the manure they produce, for companionship. I've also never looked at a four wheeler and thought about how beautiful they were.

All things being equal an atv is much easier, just turn it off and walk away.

Comfortablynumb, your house sounds really neat! Was the barn attached when you bought it or did you do it? It seems like the ultimate convenience, but what about smells, flies etc in the summer? Anyway, I'm jealous, my barn is a couple hundred yards away because that's where the next flat spot is

If it was for pleasure and I had the money....I'd choose the horse anytime. Riding is pleasurable, relaxing and horses are just fun. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to ride anymore, so a horse is just an expense I can't afford.

Here is my last horse.....she was a TN Walking Horse and she was such a good filly. I'd reccomend a gaited horse if you do decide to go with a horse...its much more comfortable....Missouri Foxtrotters are very nice with a good gait....they don't tend to cost as much as TNW horses.
My little brother was enjoying himself as you can tell.

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Emily Dixon
Ozark Jewels
Nubians & Lamanchas
www.ozarkjewels.net

"Remember, no man is a failure, who has friends" -Clarence

ATV...hands down. Even if you can get an older "free" horse....you cant just put it in the stall and go away for a few days....fixing an ATV is easier on your heart/wallet than fixing an animal....

If noise is an issue consider a muffler/silencer...I think we got ours at Cabela's and it makes the ATV very quiet/tolerable.

I'll choose the horse. Oh wait, I already have LOL!

I've already got chickens and plan on other animals, so the being tied to the homestead is something I already deal with.

Now, if it was just for riding around, I'd pick the ATV. I don't ride my horses, but they provide a means of keeping my sanity. I grew up with a horse (on a farm) and didn't have them for quite a while once I became an adult. They are so much more than a posession or a pasttime, they are my ground (as in an electrical definition).

Think of the movie Phenominan (sp?) and the part about the woman's chairs. My horses are my "chairs". My head says it is silly for me to have them, but my heart needs them. My DH and I have talked about this a lot, so much of the way we live is so that I can have the horses. We love our homestead lifestyle, but a main reason we did it in the first place was to be able to afford the horses.

here they are, doing what they like best- eating!


Cathy

ATV. 10 yrs ago a new horse decided he was tired of me and put me in the ICU with 10 fractures (4 in the spine), collapsed lung, and ruptured spleen. My ATV will not decide to take me out, I have to do something stupid myself.
A horse may restore your sight however.

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbc...130326/-1/NEWS

I have both and we actually go trail riding with some of us on horses and some on the 4 wheeler. It is lots of fun. Sometimes though we do run into places that the horse can get to easily but the 4 wheeler has to find a different route. If I want peace and quiet and a nice ride where I can look around and see the scenery I take a horse. You get going a lot faster on the ATV and miss a bunch.

This is really apples and oranges.
Most horse people will say horses and non horse people will say atv's.

Horse people are just that, they will have them, love them, hate them, support them as they would a member of the family.
Cost would have nothing to do with it.

An ATV is a tool.

What a great story.

OzarkJewel.......looks like a cousin of Mr. Ed..."WILBUR!"...

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Infowars
Endtime
SWRC

If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.
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HI! I love horses(and have the land to have them), but my family has dirtbikes(by the way, whwat do you mean by ATV--quad or bike?).

On Horses--if you love horses you know there is something about a horse that will never be duplicated in any other thing. Riding a horse, in the boonies especially, connects with a primal wild ancenstral part of you...being with a horse connects you to nature in a different way than walking does, by your partnership with the animal. It reaches down in your gut and grabs you, satisfies a hunger you didn't know you had. A horse is quiet, you can enjoy the scenery, and the slow pace is wonderful. I even like the "threat" of the unexpected that goes along with horses. BUT to really "get" what a horse is all about you must learn their ways...you can't be all mushy and coddling, you'll get hurt. Cesar Milan of "the Dog Whisperer" actually started out with horses, learning from his grandpa(pleeeeeeaaaase National Geographic, let him make a horse show!!)--anyways, watch his dog show to get a feeling for what I mean about living with horses, it's the same thing, discipline, exercise, and then affection.

On dirt bikes(when I am an old woman I will wear purple and then ride a quad...). We ride in wilderness, and I love it too(not as much as horses, but I admit I pretend it is a horse ). I love riding the trail, exploring and getting tired. I'm not a speed demon(someone has to be able to make it back to camp). We camp with friends as we ride, and I love the fellowship. And getting dirty. And we have a great time as a family.

My husband won't let me get a horse because "they are too dangerous"(and he's the one with a laundry list of dirtbike injuries). But I think he doesn't want to be tied to feeding them every day(which of course I would do). He doesn't get the horse thing.

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I have both and I'm definitely a horse person. But an ATV is a lot more useful than a horse and a whole lot cheaper.

By ATV I meant quad Wyldthang and I agree with your comments.

LisaInNIdaho......you're cute.

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5 Stones Workshop

Infowars
Endtime
SWRC

If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.
~ James Madison ~

I like horses, but I choose ATV.
When it's 10 below and the wind is blowing and you don't want to go outside, an ATV will be just fine for a while.

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Enforced tolerance is oppression

ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

I have several quads that I use the heck out of. They do more work than play. Put a trailer hitch on the back and get a utility trailer.

Got to be a little careful when really loading the trailer though.

What's this I've been hearing that ATVs are not really good for the property because they cause property damage that is not really fixable in the long run but I think it's the same thing for the horses.

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Ted H

You may all go to Hell, and I will go to Texas.
-Davy Crockett

We went for a cow instead, and are training her for riding and Lady Ox work. Most of our land is too steep for an ATV, and there's sections of slopes that get so muddy that and ATV or horse would not be safe. Our choices were mule or cow power.

We need her for pulling the wood chipper to the top of the hill when the ground is slick, helping us move downed trees or free partially downed trees that are still hung up, and we'll have her at the ready for ambulance work if either of us gets injured on the least accessible terrain.

She's also much quieter and uses less gas than the lawn mower. And no matter how bad you are hurt, an ATV won't come when you call!

Lynda

I prefer horses, but CH has a good point.

your cow goes where a 4 wheeler cant i gotta see this cow

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She was raised with goats and climbs the same 60 degree slopes they do. Not much different than what you'd expect from a yak.

Lynda

If you have to ask - get an ATV. Horses are a passion and a love for most people.

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