Dreaming of an equine house sit?

In the last year, our member Laura has been travelling North America with her husband Joe and her two Springer Spaniels, Albus and Lupin. The wilderness is their thing, and so are horses! During their time travelling, they’ve enjoyed five (horse)sits and have pet parented horses throughout their lives. If horse sitting sounds like a bit of you, know that it’s not a task to be taken lightly. So, sharing some of her equine and horse sitting knowledge, is our lovely member Laura…

1. Be honest about your experience in your profile

When house sitting, it’s essential that your profile accurately reflects your experience with any animal, but none more so than horses. 

Hosts looking for care for their horses will specifically be looking for this information. If your profile doesn’t mention horses you could be overlooked. 

On the other hand, if you indicate you are experienced with horses and this is not strictly the case, you could be putting the horses (and yourself!) in danger.

2. Understand the requirements of the sit before you commit

A horse house sit can require higher levels of commitment than others. Check the listing to understand what the host expects before you commit. 

• How many times per day do the horses require attention? You will need to plan your days around the host’s usual routine.
• Will you be required to muck out stables, paddocks or corrals? This can be a physical job which you will need to be comfortable with.
• How much interaction with the horses is expected? You could be required to catch them in the field, move them from one location to another, pick out their feet, groom them, change their rugs etc. You’ll need to ensure that you are confident completing all the required tasks.

If you have any queries – make sure you ask! A video call with the host can be invaluable.

3. Think about worst case scenarios

Hopefully nothing will go wrong during your housesit, but it’s important to consider what you’d do if something did. 

This is really where being honest with your experience is key. The requirements for a sit may only be to put out hay once a day, but would you be able to notice and care for an injury if it were to happen?

4. If you’d like to ride – ask before you go! 

Never make the assumption that just because you’re looking after horses, you’ll be able to ride them. If this is important to you, ask the host before you commit. 

In my experience, riding horses during a housesit is rare (but wonderful when it happens!). If you do ride it is likely to be with the host before or after your stay.  

Don’t be disappointed if it’s not an option – there’s so much more to a horse housesit than the riding!

5. Pack the right clothes

Last (but definitely not least!), think about what you’ll need to pack. Come rain or shine you’re going to be out in the elements looking after your horsey friends. Whether it's walking through muddy paddocks in the rain, mucking out corrals with the sun blazing or putting out bales of hay in the snow, you’re going to want to be comfortable. 

If you and your host have agreed that riding is an option, then make sure you have all the equipment you’ll need to ride safely – don’t rely on your host to provide for you!

Start your horse sitting adventure

So, if you’ve got experience with horses and feel you’re up to the challenge, explore our equine house sits to kick off your adventure!