advice re arrival of new pony

[Firehorse]

my new boy arrives this afternoon. he's gotta get to know 7 other field mates. there is somewhere i can put him so they can meet over a fence first.

what wud others do? leave him in there a couple of hours first or maybe leave him till the morning?

and when do you think i should ride him for the first time? i usually hack out with a friend on tuesdays, that should be ok shouldn't it?

 

[Fizzimyst]

I'd introduce them over the fence first, let them graze side by side. I'd do that for at least a couple of days, ideally longer and the first time I turned him out with anything else make sure I was there and stayed for a few hours.

Depends on the ned really but personally I'd give them at least a week to settle in and get to know you (and you them) before I did any riding

xx

 

[Paint it Lucky]

On the first day if he arrives quite late i would probably leave him in so he can have a rest and get settled rather than having loads of new horses hasseling him. With turnout i would initially try to just put him out with one horse from the seven, ideally a middle ranking one who is fairly friendly and quiet. Give him a few days to get friendly with them then turn them both out with the others, ideally introducing them gradually and make sure the field is a decent size so he can get away from them if needs be. Probably put some boots on all of them just in case. Hopefully it should all go smoothly though.

Riding is up to you, I would probably ride him the next day so long as journey wasn't too long and he's not to unsettled. Play it by ear a bit and see how he is but generally i ould ride sooner rather than later as it gives him something to think about andshows him that life here won't just be about eating grass or hay all day! I'm sure your tuesday hack will be fine.

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

Isn't he staying in anyway while he's wormed?

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I would put him straight out onto grass over a fence from his companions to recover from the journey. IME horses are less stressed when they can see/hear/touch others than being shut up in an unfamiliar stable . It is a myth that horses should be kept in after worming and anyway he has most probably been on a regular worming programme, there is little to be gained from over-worming. After that you will need to play it by ear. All horses react differently and need different regimes. I once had a mare who went in with the only other one she was to share the field with after 1 hour as they had stood touching over the fence all the time and also have had one that had to be kept separate for a week, the others all fitted in between these 2 extremes.

It is always nerve-wracking and exciting! Good luck!

 

[Firehorse]

the horses live out 24/7, we have no stables. they are still in the winter paddock which is absolutely huge. It'll be an hour's journey for him. Ben has been travelled all over the country doing pony club events, so is well used to travelling and seeing new places. we have a donkey who is chilled and sensible. i shall probably introduce him first so ben has a little friend before he meets the rest. i know they'll settle eventually, as they did when my mare arrived. its just so scarey and stressful those first few days. i'm worried about the others getting injured, i feel like i've caused a disruption. one 27 yr old mare is gonna be moved out the field to start with to keep her safe. she wudnt bother with ben anyway. there's a tb who's forever going lame or getting injured, i'm terrified he'll do something, having just come sound after a recently problem. he's a bit crazy and is the boss, so he'll be in the thick of it. the owners all live within walking distance, luckily. i shall close my eyes when they all meet. wish i cud fast forward a few weeks........