24 hr trial, plan of action please:)

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showpony

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As some of you know I have this Dude arriving to our yard for a 24 hr trial tomorro:)

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Really looking forward to it - and slightly nervous as hope I love him as much as I did when I tried him at the start of the week....

So this is what I plan to do - if any disagreements let me know!!

So he will be arriving late afternoon - so was going to lead him around yard, outdoor arena etc - let him see the immediate surroundings... then was planning on putting him in his temporary stable ( beside my mare which will go down like a ton of bricks as she dislikes me giving other horses attention lol - she is in for a shock)!

Then was planning on hopping up for a potter around the arena for 40 mins or so in company ... let him get used to the place, do some basic flatwork & pop couple jumps but take it very handy...

Then back to stable & dinner & bedtime!

Heading up to yard on the saturday morning post breakfast, then planned on giving him a good groom, followed by a walk down road ( in hand first lol to meet wilbur the pig & the chickens who we would frequent hacking out )

Back up to yard for lesson , then a trot down the road & a canter in the field...

What do you think - does that sound ok or too much??
 
Just remember it will be all new to him. you,sights,sounds, smells. personally 24hour trial to really get a picture of horse is alot to ask BUT i hope goes ok as you obviously like him. keep us posted :)
 
Yeah know its alot to ask but better than just trying him in " familiar surrounding " again..... we will see how much he looks at lol! He is used to a busy environment which is good.

babymare said:
Just remember it will be all new to him. you,sights,sounds, smells. personally 24hour trial to really get a picture of horse is alot to ask BUT i hope goes ok as you obviously like him. keep us posted :)
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Sorry but I don't see the benefit of a 24 hr trial. Isn't it just going to unsettle the horse? I don't think you'd get much more of an idea about him than you would riding/grooming/handling him at the seller's yard, and if you want to see how he is at your yard, a week or preferably two or more would be better?
 
Wk or two is not an option so I have to make the best of it that I can... Am very keen on the horse - its really just to make sure he doesnt have a totally personality transplant!

JenJ said:
Sorry but I don't see the benefit of a 24 hr trial. Isn't it just going to unsettle the horse? I don't think you'd get much more of an idea about him than you would riding/grooming/handling him at the seller's yard, and if you want to see how he is at your yard, a week or preferably two or more would be better?
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I really wouldn't introduce a newly arrived horse to a pig! It is asking too much, if they haven't encountered one before. Some horses are horrified by them and he is only there for a 24hour trial.
I would put him in his new stable, and leave him to settle down, ride him in the arena,if he hasn't had a long journey, and have my lesson next day as planned. Hope it all goes well. He looks a nice sort.
 
Think you may be right! Pig may not be the best introduction to hacking in the area....
Its a 15minute journey in the horsebox so not long at all for him

ozpoz said:
I really wouldn't introduce a newly arrived horse to a pig! It is asking too much, if they haven't encountered one before. Some horses are horrified by them and he is only there for a 24hour trial.
I would put him in his new stable, and leave him to settle down, ride him in the arena,if he hasn't had a long journey, and have my lesson next day as planned. Hope it all goes well. He looks a nice sort.
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showpony said:
Wk or two is not an option so I have to make the best of it that I can... Am very keen on the horse - its really just to make sure he doesnt have a totally personality transplant!
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Unfortunately you won't really be able to tell much in 24 hrs. It can take some horses months to settle into a new set-up. TBH, I'm surprised the seller has agreed to it.
 
i wouldnt do the whole 'walk round and show him things'.... you just want a horse who gets on with it! treat him as if he has been there forever and he is your horse; feed, groom, ride, work around him in the stable.
id just ride him down to the pig and chickens.... either he'll freak - which point you may think hes not suitable... or he may look but carry on walking - at which point you have a good horse...... you never know what you will meet on a hack - and you cant 'test' every situation before hand, so i wouldnt test this one.

althought a 24 hour trial will not show you the relaxed persoanlity of the horse it will show you what he may do at his worst... e.g. very spooky as everythings changed, how nevous, how underconfident...... i think its quite a good idea and gives you the chance to challenge him with diffiucult situations.
 
You have hit the nail on the head.... just want to see how he is in a different environment as the plan would be to be going out doing a lot of jumping in different venues etc... I have my 5 yr old as my project, am looking for something a little more straight forward.

TandD said:
i wouldnt do the whole 'walk round and show him things'.... you just want a horse who gets on with it! treat him as if he has been there forever and he is your horse; feed, groom, ride, work around him in the stable.
id just ride him down to the pig and chickens.... either he'll freak - which point you may think hes not suitable... or he may look but carry on walking - at which point you have a good horse...... you never know what you will meet on a hack - and you cant 'test' every situation before hand, so i wouldnt test this one.

althought a 24 hour trial will not show you the relaxed persoanlity of the horse it will show you what he may do at his worst... e.g. very spooky as everythings changed, how nevous, how underconfident...... i think its quite a good idea and gives you the chance to challenge him with diffiucult situations.
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Well if seller had anything to hide she definately wouldnt have agreed to it! My instructor teaches her aswell as me so the horse is " known" .

Pearlsasinger said:
Unfortunately you won't really be able to tell much in 24 hrs. It can take some horses months to settle into a new set-up. TBH, I'm surprised the seller has agreed to it.
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Actually I think you'll be able to tell a lot about him in 24 hours, especially if he's an older, more experienced horse who's used to travelling, staying overnight at shows etc.
I bought a new horse a few weeks ago- a green 5 yo ID. Only tried him once in a hilly slippy field before I bought him`! Anyway he arrived late afternoon, was left settle in the stable, lunged him in the arena that evening, turned out overnight in a paddock next to the others (obs wouldn't do this if on trial!) Next morning I rode him in the arena- basic schooling and a little jump and then hacked out that evening with another horse. He met other horses, chickens, sheep, dogs, traffic. In 24 hours I learnt a huge amount about him- basically he's a really easy, straightforward horse with a good initial education and quite a lot of ability- a little unsure hacking in front but nothing major. He was easy to handle on the ground and fine about being groomed, trimmed, mane pulled (again not if on trial!) feet picked out, stood quietly tied up etc.
He has since proved this easy in everything I've done with him so far. I find how they act in the first few days is an indicator of what the horse' temperment is like and what their reaction will be to new situations. I've also had very nervous, tense horses who havn't really settled quickly and this is also seen in their behaviour in training and at comps and outings.
Good luck with the trial anyway- I'm sure you will learn loads about him and if nothing else it will give you an idea of his personality and temperament- he looks a lovely sort, is he a connie?
 
I would never have a horse on 24hr trial, but then I am a novice looking for a happy hacker who I can have fun on.

I can see the benefits of it though if you were looking for a competition or showing horse, and obviously if you are experienced enough then as buzzles says you will learn a lot about him in 24hrs.

I am way down the ladder lol! 4 months into a 6 month part loan before we decided he was the one for us, we are now 5.5 months in, and waiting for confirmation on stabling/grazing closer to home. Both us and owner were always upfront though, about experience, ability etc. And when Boyo moves to us, barring something catastrophic happening, he will be here for life :)

Good luck OP, I agree the pig might be a bit much, but please come back and update us afterwards :)
 
Than you :) Yep he is a full up connie with bundles of scope - would be bought to be a confidence giver jumping- he has jumped lots of 1m10 tracks with scope to go higher. very uncomplicated ride when I tried him initially in the thunder & lashing rain lol!

buzzles said:
Actually I think you'll be able to tell a lot about him in 24 hours, especially if he's an older, more experienced horse who's used to travelling, staying overnight at shows etc.
I bought a new horse a few weeks ago- a green 5 yo ID. Only tried him once in a hilly slippy field before I bought him`! Anyway he arrived late afternoon, was left settle in the stable, lunged him in the arena that evening, turned out overnight in a paddock next to the others (obs wouldn't do this if on trial!) Next morning I rode him in the arena- basic schooling and a little jump and then hacked out that evening with another horse. He met other horses, chickens, sheep, dogs, traffic. In 24 hours I learnt a huge amount about him- basically he's a really easy, straightforward horse with a good initial education and quite a lot of ability- a little unsure hacking in front but nothing major. He was easy to handle on the ground and fine about being groomed, trimmed, mane pulled (again not if on trial!) feet picked out, stood quietly tied up etc.
He has since proved this easy in everything I've done with him so far. I find how they act in the first few days is an indicator of what the horse' temperment is like and what their reaction will be to new situations. I've also had very nervous, tense horses who havn't really settled quickly and this is also seen in their behaviour in training and at comps and outings.
Good luck with the trial anyway- I'm sure you will learn loads about him and if nothing else it will give you an idea of his personality and temperament- he looks a lovely sort, is he a connie?
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TandD said:
i wouldnt do the whole 'walk round and show him things'.... you just want a horse who gets on with it! treat him as if he has been there forever and he is your horse; feed, groom, ride, work around him in the stable.
id just ride him down to the pig and chickens.... either he'll freak - which point you may think hes not suitable... or he may look but carry on walking - at which point you have a good horse...... you never know what you will meet on a hack - and you cant 'test' every situation before hand, so i wouldnt test this one.

althought a 24 hour trial will not show you the relaxed persoanlity of the horse it will show you what he may do at his worst... e.g. very spooky as everythings changed, how nevous, how underconfident...... i think its quite a good idea and gives you the chance to challenge him with diffiucult situations.
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I totally agree. This rubbish about horses needing months to settle, what? Do people that think this is acceptable never want to take them to shows, compete away for a few days, PC/RC camp. Come on! My 5 yr old mare travels about five days a week, I leave her at various new fields, yards and things on her own!

Expect good behaviour and he will be fine.

The pig might be a step too far, so if he is 100% everywhere and freaks at the pig I wouldn't worry about that bit!
 
I hope you learn a lot about him and it works out. It just depends on the character of the horse doesnt it. We bought a pony after trying him once (he is 15) been there and done it, raced , MGA, hunted etc. He was totally freeaked by our smallholding. Spooking so bad at everything we were a bit worried to start with but my daughter dealt with it , two months later he is as cool as a cucumber and I can actually see him going hunting. We havent done our first show yet so we will see !!!. BUT 24 hours in we woudnt have kept him if we hadnt bought him.
Best of luck
 
;) I really won't mind him " looking " at things etc, little spooks etc but it will be a good test for both of us! Taking on a second horse the polar opposite of my 5r old needs to come without significant issues lol as being considered as a total confidence giver!

OTE=FfionWinnie;11979343]I totally agree. This rubbish about horses needing months to settle, what? Do people that think this is acceptable never want to take them to shows, compete away for a few days, PC/RC camp. Come on! My 5 yr old mare travels about five days a week, I leave her at various new fields, yards and things on her own!

Expect good behaviour and he will be fine.

The pig might be a step too far, so if he is 100% everywhere and freaks at the pig I wouldn't worry about that bit![/QUOTE]
 
just have fun do lots of different things to find out how versatile he is and if he listens. could i ask you a very big favour on behalf of the horse, raise that flash, it looks awful sitting so low down and shouldnt be right over his nostrils. thanks and good luck
 
I would treat it like an away competition, warm up with others and jump a course put into to stable and bring out again for "class 2". Very generous to get this trial so make the most!
 
Pleased to say today went amazing! He Arrived in the middle of pony club mayhem lol. Settled into his stable as if he had been there forever. . He is such an affectionate chap! Loves attention.after pony camp over tacked him up and went up to arena which was busy with lesson and other liveries and yo schooling. Let him have a good look around and then did some flatwork and popped some jumps! What a dude he was fantastic,And I rode around with a huge grin on my face the whole time. He is totally uncomplicated despite scary fillers he was so happy to jump as was I. Yo loves him and half the yard wants to buy him Lol. Roll on tomorrow:)


FfionWinnie said:
How is it going Showpony?
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Have pretty much come to the conclusion that once tomorrow goes well & no reason why it wont based on how great he was today will get vetting sorted asap & buy him.... totally confident about him - he is really what I need:)
 
See this always tickles me, yes horses are different and some do need time to settle, but we expect a horse to box up, turn up at a show and perform... We do not turn up for the show a week early so our horse can acclimatise... Depending on what I wanted to do with my horse in the future being able to pop on the same day he/she arrived would be a deal breaker for me. My youngster came back from being backed and rode out the next day from a brand new yard having only been under saddle for less than 3 weeks, my old mare, she was sharp, feisty and a diva but I could still move and ride the same day. Sometimes I think we make too much of this 'settling time'
 
showpony said:
Pleased to say today went amazing! He Arrived in the middle of pony club mayhem lol. Settled into his stable as if he had been there forever. . He is such an affectionate chap! Loves attention.after pony camp over tacked him up and went up to arena which was busy with lesson and other liveries and yo schooling. Let him have a good look around and then did some flatwork and popped some jumps! What a dude he was fantastic,And I rode around with a huge grin on my face the whole time. He is totally uncomplicated despite scary fillers he was so happy to jump as was I. Yo loves him and half the yard wants to buy him Lol. Roll on tomorrow:)
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This is all fantastic, so very pleased for you :D
 
Certain horses really do need settling in time, especially if they aren't used to travelling, going to shows etc... Also some people can keep stressed horses calm and contained, especially if they know the horse well (and are pretty darn good riders that can adjust their riding to suit the horse/situation).

Stressed horse + new yard + new field mates + new owner who can't read the horse or is nervous = don't rush things IMO.

Of course, the more you take a horse out to shows, the more it will get used to the whole process.
 
I know some need a lot of time it took three months for my mare to let her new rider near her I had to catch her and give her to the girl She adores her now but a first she was hard to catch (I cant get rid of her) wouldnt eat from the girl, was tense ridden and generally a pain in the neck Now she adores the girl but is still wary of strangers and wont take food from anyone else. She wont eat grass at other yards either unless it is clean and sweet. She does go to shows it isnt the change of venue that upsets her it is the change of handler/rider
 
Nice little horse OP and I'm glad everything went well. I travel my horses around and often they stay overnight at unfamiliar stables and they're all fine and ready to work the next day. Enjoy!
 
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