A horse or pony requires a check at least once a day. It must have access to clean fresh water at all times, and grass or hay too. If a horse cannot be visted by its owner every day, there is the option of keeping it at a livery yard, where the staff will care for the horse for a fee.

Livery yards are very varied, you can keep your horse on full livery, part livery, DIY livery or working livery. Full livery involves the livery yard doing all the work and the owner just riding. Part livery involves the owner of the horse only doing part of the work and DIY livery is where the owner does all the work. Working liveries are particularly common on riding schools and it involves the owner paying a discounted fee so that the livery yard have the right to use the horse in lessons etc.

The minimum requirements are that the horse/pony has plenty available to eat and drink at all times unless it has special dietary requirements, has regular farriery/dental/veterinary care and its feet are picked out daily to prevent thrush/lameness. It should also have some form of regular exercise whether it is being ridden, lunged or turned out in a spacious field.

The horse or pony will need a field and possibly a stable. For those who do not own their own land, fields can be rented from a private land owner or a paddock and stable may be rented from a livery yard. As horses are herd animals it is advisable for the horse to have equine company. However, this is not always possible and it has been known for special bonds to be developed between horses and other species. There are always exceptions as some horses prefer to live on their own as they do not get on with other animals.