4,777 answers about horses & farm animals
Horses and farm animals run on routine — feeding schedules, hoof and health care, safe fencing and calm handling, in all weather. This page gathers the horse and farm animal library of KinsLe Answers in one place, organized by topic from daily care to travel and senior animals. Every answer is original, written by KinsLe, and tied to a real KinsLe feature.
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687 answers in Choosing & Adopting — page 26 of 29
Yes. A trained, middle-aged Quarter Horse is one of the most sensible first horses you can buy: the breed was shaped by ranch work, so most are level-headed, people-oriented and forgiving of a novice's unclear aids. The practical catch is that training matters more than breed papers, so shop for a horse already doing…
Yes — the Quarter Horse's easy-keeping nature is one of the breed's trademarks, because most Quarter Horses, built for ranch work, maintain condition on good hay or pasture with little or no grain and are more likely to need their intake watched than increased. Rich spring grass is the standard hazard, since weight…
Pigs can be rewarding first farm animals, but they are not the easiest place to start, and they punish under-preparation faster than chickens or goats do. They are intelligent, strong, and determined, so fencing must be genuinely pig-proof, they need a wallow or shade-and-water setup because they cannot sweat, and as…
Percherons have the temperament for it and the size against it: they are famously gentle, patient, and slow to react, and a calm, trained Percheron can carry a child quietly under close supervision. But a horse this tall and heavy cannot be a child's own horse to catch, lead, groom, and tack up, because those jobs are…
In temperament, often yes; in practicality, only for some beginners. Percherons are famous gentle giants — calm, patient, and willing — and a trained Percheron can be reassuringly unflappable under a nervous rider. The complications are physical: a horse weighing around a ton is a lot to lead, groom, and hold for the…
Relative to their size, yes: Percherons were bred as French draft horses to work hard on farm rations, and like most draft breeds they are efficient feeders who typically maintain condition on good hay or pasture with far less grain, pound for pound, than a light horse would need. The catch is scale, because an animal…
Yes — Paints are a longstanding favorite for young riders, because their stock-horse temperament is typically calm, patient, and people-focused, and the breed's popularity means many mature, well-schooled Paints on the market have already carried children. Choose the individual carefully, since an experienced gelding…
Paints are one of the most popular beginner choices, and for good reason: the breed was developed from stock-horse bloodlines valued for a calm, willing mind, and most Paints are steady, versatile horses who take new riders in stride. The individual matters as much as the breed, because a mature, well-schooled Paint…
Generally yes: Paint Horses come largely from Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred bloodlines selected for stock work, and most are efficient, thrifty horses who hold condition on good hay or pasture with little or no grain. Plenty of Paints are easy keepers in the cautionary sense too, rounding out quickly on rich grazing,…
A trained, quiet Mustang can be a lovely child's horse, since many are compact, hardy, and sure-footed, and a well-started one is often sensible on trails and in the arena. The caution is firm: a child should only ever be paired with an individual who is thoroughly gentled and schooled, never a recently adopted horse…
It depends entirely on which Mustang you mean: a saddle-trained Mustang with real riding miles behind him can be a steady, sure-footed partner for a beginner working with an instructor. A newly adopted, untouched Mustang is a different proposition altogether, because gentling a wild horse is a skilled trainer's…
Yes — easy keeping is the Mustang's defining trait, because generations of surviving on sparse, coarse range forage produced horses who hold condition on hay and grazing that would leave many domestic breeds thin, usually with little or no grain. That thriftiness has a sharp edge, since rich pasture and generous…
Yes — a well-trained Morgan is one of the classic children's horses: compact and sturdy at roughly 14.2 to 15.2 hands, people-oriented, and generally sensible rather than flighty, so a child handles a horse closer to their own scale. The breed label alone is not enough, though, so choose an older, schooled individual…
Yes — the Morgan belongs on any shortlist of best beginner breeds: famously people-oriented and willing, sensibly sized without being slight, versatile enough for lessons, trails and driving, and a hardy, thrifty keeper who forgives a novice's feeding mistakes better than most. Morgans are intelligent and can be…
Yes — the Morgan is one of the original easy-keeping breeds, expected as America's all-purpose farm horse to work all week and stay in good flesh on plain forage, and modern Morgans still hold condition on hay and moderate pasture with modest hard feed. The talent comes with the usual easy-keeper duty: watch the weigh…
They can be — for ground-level fun, not for riding, because a Miniature Horse must never be treated as a small riding pony and even a light child is quickly too heavy for its back. What children can do is everything else: grooming, leading, in-hand games, obstacle courses and learning proper horse care at a size that…
Yes, with one defining condition: a Miniature Horse suits a beginner whose ambitions are on the ground, not in the saddle, because Minis are unrideable for adults and if your dream is riding this is the wrong breed entirely. For someone who wants equine company, grooming, in-hand showing, obstacle work and eventually…
Yes, Haflingers are among the better full-sized options for children — with the usual condition that it must be the right individual, not just any member of the breed. Their modest height is far less daunting than a tall horse's, their temperament is typically steady and kind, and their sure-footedness inspires…
Yes — the Haflinger is one of the strongest answers to this question: a sensible size rather than towering, famously calm and steady in temperament, sure-footed, hardy and cheap to keep. Most Haflingers are forgiving of novice mistakes, happy to turn a hoof to riding, driving or hacking, and long-lived with it. The…
Very much so — the Haflinger is one of the easiest-keeping breeds in the horse world, developed in the Austrian mountains where grazing was sparse, and it typically needs little or no hard feed even in regular work. The flip side is a real talent for obesity: a Haflinger on unrestricted rich pasture will become…
Yes — goats are excellent first farm animals, provided you build for the goat you actually get: a clever, sociable escape artist. Choose two or more, because a lone goat is a noisy, unhappy one, and give them a dry shelter, browse or hay, goat-specific minerals and goat-proof fencing: they are hardy, friendly and…
For small children, generally no — not because Friesians are unkind, but because of scale: a Friesian is a tall, powerful horse with a big, lifting trot, and a small child lacks the strength to handle one on the ground and the seat to sit that movement comfortably. Most Friesians are gentle and tolerant, and an older,…
Honestly, a Friesian is not the usual first recommendation for a true beginner — though the reason isn't temperament, since most are kind, people-oriented and willing. The difficulties are practical: they are expensive to buy, strong if they set their neck against you, their high-stepping movement feels very different…
Yes, Friesians are classic easy keepers: shaped by Dutch farm work on plain grazing, most hold their weight — and then some — on good hay or moderate pasture with little or no hard feed. That thriftiness cuts both ways, because rich spring grass and generous rations put weight on them fast, and excess condition raises…
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