One of the most critical questions you need to ask yourself is – do you have time to look after a horse or pony? Horses need daily care regardless of the weather, schedules, or holidays. Keeping a horse on your property is a 365 day a year job.
As we see in the video, horses, and ponies love to share any body contact they can get with their loved ones, and you will often see them trying to lean into other horses when in the wild. They are just as likely to do this to people too. They want to feel tender contact with those that mean most to them.
Even something as simple as bringing its head to face you or towards you is a sign of complete affection. Horses will rarely give attention to something or someone they are not interested in, so if your horse chooses to be close to you or give you full attention, it is a likely attempt to demonstrate just how infatuated they are with you.
When a horse is giving affection, they need to be able to provide it without the stimulation of receiving attention. This is important because your horse likes to be able to both give and receive love. And when we are always showing them affection, it blocks their cognitive ability to reciprocate with us.
Horses can form unbreakable bonds with their owner, which is, of course, what any horse lover would want to achieve. How well this is achieved is down to the commitment you have as a rider or owner. The riding, grooming, and general contact you have is vital in forming a stable bond with any horse. If you ride and groom your horse regularly while ensuring that your connection with them is kind and caring, their attachment to you will likely be substantial. Horses can experience jealousy or be highly protective as well. If you adopt a new horse, they may become jealous, or if they feel that you are being threatened, they will act defensively.