Activities with my new horse for the first week

[Heccyd]

Well I found they settle best turned out with a nice, calm companion that knows the ropes of how the yard operates.

I think that it is always wise to state that riding a snorting dragon is not a good idea. Novices don't always know the things that go without saying to more experienced horse (or dragon ) owners and you never know who is reading the thread. I have seen first time owners do some pretty silly stuff because they were following advice to the letter and didn't have the experience to be flexible and aren't confident in their decisions/thoughts/doubts.

The one that springs to mind (at a friends livery yard) is the new owner who bought a horse from the RDA and left it in its stable for two weeks (it wasn't brought out at all) because they were told that she was happy in her stable. The horse got more wound up, they got more frightened but they didn't want to bring her out because logically if she was happy in a stable, she was unhappy in a field or on the yard. I told friend that I would have just turned the poor mare out myself, but that would apparently have been 'interfering'. Horse went back to the seller thankfully.

Ha ha - you should see my post about my first ride today! I’ve got s lot to learn.....

 

[Heccyd]

This sounds very much like my first week at work (not that I was brushed or walked around).But I basically spent my first three days starting at bespoke software system and wanting to cry from boredom. I'd gone through it by the end of day one, but was asked to look at it on day two and three so I 'really understood it' Zzzzzzzzzz. I don't cope with boredom very well, I am always busy and on the go and it drove me mad. I expect that must be what a new horse must feel like, it would much prefer a refreshing hack down the lane to being walked around the yard and 'introduced' to the stables, horses and paddocks.

I'm not taking the mickey by the way as I think its really good that you have put so much effort and thought into getting it right. But horses don't think like us and really couldn't care less as long as their main needs are being addressed.

I

I think this is a really interesting question - how best to settle a horse?

No-one is suggesting riding a snorting dragon who is on his toes and has grown 2 hands. But if that is how your horse is behaving - is leaving it alone in a stable or field or just grooming it going to help?

I personally always work - but what work I do depends on how the horse is. 'Work' to me means the horse has a job to do and direction to follow. That 'job' can be groundwork, lunging, long reining, whatever. Personally I think work settles horse more than leaving them be. It provides structure, directs energy, keeps the mind occupied on the task and not on horse eating monsters etc. If my horse starts getting stressed when I am riding I immediately give her a job to do. Preferably one that take up quite a lot of brain power like lateral movements or complex shapes or tight serpentines. But I would be interested to hear what other people do.

With a new horse I always start with groundwork too. Even if only for 20 minutes before getting on. But I want to check out that they are engaged and listening to me from the ground before I hop aboard.

Ohhhh.... lesson totally learned after today’s fiasco! Thanks for this.

 

[windand rain]

I always do with them what I expect them to do so start as I mean to go on to me means do everything from day 1 as if they have been here forever. It is a bit different for me though as mine are all very young when they arrive. They learn to lead and be groomed within hours of arriving. Can be touched everywhere and are turned out with a fence between or with one field companion my horrid dartmoor is perfect as he is king of the heap but doesnt chase or kick or bite horses, only people, he only has to look and they comply. They are usually caught daily and again handled all over progressing each day with something new feet picking out, loading, leading in trot etc usually after about a week they are part of the group and are caught, in the herd, learned to eat from a bucket, loading sometimes is accomplished by then or that might take a few more lessons and are capable of going to a show if ready. Bathing is weather dependant but usually happens around then too. With a ridden horse I would crack on and ride it the day after you get it home as you have a limited time to make sure it is the horse for you if you wait a week you will soon be out of moral time to return it