• Allison Miles •
• Originally published July 8, 2008 at 4:34 p.m., updated July 8, 2008 at 4:34 p.m.

Hilary Rojas ran her fingers across her horse Misty’s short, white hair Monday afternoon, smiling as the quarter horse lovingly nuzzled up against her.

“She’s like a person,” she said of the 18-year-old mare. “She has personality. I don’t really see horses like I see a dog or a cat.”

Raising horses is a costly pet project, Dr. Tom Moscatelli said, and the spending begins even before ownership.

Moscatelli said he recommends a purchase exam by a veterinarian before buying a horse.

It’s like a physical, he explained, and evaluates everything from the animal’s eyes to its feet and legs. The cost depends on how in-depth the exam is.

Vaccinations against rabies, equine influenza and other illnesses follow, he said, as well as intestinal parasite control.

Ongoing healthcare is important throughout the horse’s life, Moscatelli said, which averages about 30 years.

He recommends deworming the animals four times a year, trimming their hooves every four to six weeks and taking them in for annual veterinary check-ups.

“Prevention is a lot better than treatment,” he said. “They’re like we are. They get old. And some age out earlier than others.”

The animals require a time investment, said Deborah Matusevich, who boards, trains and raises horses near Victoria.

Rojas rodeos with Misty, for instance, and that requires training.

“If you’re rodeoing, you should ride at least three times a week,” she said. “The horse is an athlete. You have to keep it in shape.”

It takes months of slow practice to prepare a horse for the cloverleaf and pole competitions Misty participates in.

“They have to learn the pattern,” she said. “Every horse has its own buttons and you have to learn to work with them.”

Just like everything else, the price of owning horses has increased with time, Matusevich said.

Gas prices make it expensive to get to rodeos, she said, and costs are up for everything from hay to the metal used in horse trailers. She noted she’s increased her boarding prices by $20 to $170 a month to help with costs.

It’s hard to scrimp when it comes to raising animals, Matusevich said, noting she buys about 1,500 bales of hay a year and a ton of feed every two weeks for the 17 horses she cares for.

Stabled horses need about a half pound of sweet feed or grain per 100 pounds of body weight daily, Moscatelli said, and one and-a-half pounds of hay per 100 pounds daily.

At an average 1,000 pounds, that’s five pounds of asweet feed and 15 pounds of hay every day.

A horse on pasture, however, requires between five and seven acres to graze, he said, noting they pull grass up by the roots when they eat.

“If you’ve got four horses on five acres, pretty soon you won’t have a pasture,” he said. “They need room.”

But work or no work, Rojas said she loves working with Misty, a horse with a will of iron when she feels like it.

Misty only rides in certain trailers – she’s been known to kick out walls on trailers she felt were too small – and she loves the chance to roam free.

Rojas is about to roam free, preparing for a move to Austin to begin her freshman year at St. Edward’s University.

She’s excited, but admits it will be difficult leaving the horses behind.

“I won’t take her with me, at least for the first year,” she said, shooing Misty away as she tried to nibble on her belt buckle. “But maybe I can find someone over there who will let me use their horses.”

Allison Miles is a reporter for the Advocate. Contact her at 361-580-6511 or amiles@vicad.com, or comment on this story at www.VictoriaAdvocate.com.

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