Equines

My parents' neighbour used to own a couple of horses. For as long as I can remember, there were always a few of the animals in the area I grew up in. The last pair spent as much time at our fence as they did nearer the stable.
I've often thought to myself that I would like to have the money and space to keep a matched pair, broken to a carriage. I used to love getting into the saddle, but that isn't something I could really manage on my own anymore. With a little cooperation on the part of the horse, I could hitch one up well enough.
Horses are such magnificent animals. They have that natural beauty and grace of movement. Some guys look at a car and see the ultimate ride. Not me. I see a well muscled horse and dream of taking the reins up. There could never be a real comparison, as far as I am concerned. Practicality be hanged.
It is very expensive to keep horses, of course. They must be seen by a vet each year, and a farrier every couple of months, especially if ridden as often as they should be, or driven over modern roads. Feeding a horse is not a cheap proposition either. Good grain is at a premium just now. It's not like you can just turn a working horse into a field and say, "There you go, eat up!"
Horses are a great commitment too. They really need to be tended to properly every day. Brushing your steed gets him used to your smell and voice. Some cold dark day, you might need to calm the animal, and if all it knows of you is hard work, that just isn't going to happen. It is every bit the relationship that most people have with their dog or cat.
One of the biggest bonuses of a horse and carriage for me would be taking my wife and mother-in-law for Sunday afternoon rides. When she was a girl, my mother made trips to and from her parents' farm each week when school was in. Buses couldn't get to the farm, so she stayed with her grandmother. The idea of sitting behind a hitched team appeals to her in a big way.
Now, I cannot afford the extravagance of horses, but it is one of the nicest dreams that I might have of an evening.