Bought a pony and feel totally out of my comfort zone

Theocat said:
You're not a muppet - this is totally normal!

I'd treat the isolation as an opportunity to get to know her. Walks in hand, grooming, groundwork, long reining, riding, horse massage, carrot stretches ... Even just pulling manes or practising plaiting! It will all help the relationship and will keep the horse happier and occupied :) x
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Thank you Theocat. Tomorrow I will have the afternoon to spend with her and then my son is having a lesson on her. She seemed to enjoy being lunged, but the lunge line scared her a little bit.
Also, as I am now off work until Monday, I will be more relaxed when I go up to the yard.
 
Honestly, I've owned horses for more than 25yrs and getting a new one still gets me all wibbly! Current boy I've owned since he was 2.5yr old and hes now 6yr old. I moved yards yesterday and am back to feeling like a clueless idiot! Bearing in mind I worked with horses for a living full time for more than 10yrs. There is just something about a new horse and specifically about a new yard that turns confident, competent people into quivering wrecks! :lol:
 
FrankieCob said:
Honestly, I've owned horses for more than 25yrs and getting a new one still gets me all wibbly! Current boy I've owned since he was 2.5yr old and hes now 6yr old. I moved yards yesterday and am back to feeling like a clueless idiot! Bearing in mind I worked with horses for a living full time for more than 10yrs. There is just something about a new horse and specifically about a new yard that turns confident, competent people into quivering wrecks! :lol:
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:D. I was hoping to be really chilled out and cool, but they already know what I'm like so I would never have got away with it anyway!
 
Sounds like you are on a fab yard with lots of helpful people. That always helps :)

I agree - we want pictures!

Let us know how your lads lesson goes too :)
 
WanderLust said:
Can I upload photos from my iPhone? I did have a look but I couldn't see a way to do it
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I think you have to upload them onto something like Photobucket first and then use the 'add image' button to put in the URL (or just copy and paste it in the post and people will be able to click)
 
You'll get there. QT is a pain, but necessary. I had to do it with my yearling when we moved yards, who was about 8mo at the time. I made sure to give her time in the school to bomb around and have fun, and would take her for little inhand walks too.
I got her a likit, and a treat ball (such a godsend) as well as a jollyball on a rope (prefer the rope haha), and I would hide treats in her hay, and she coped well, got a little silly when out towards the end, but for a baby she was fantastically behaved all in all. Just little things to keep her mind ticking over will help. You can stuff a bit of hay in the treat balls to make the treats harder to get out, making the fun last longer.

And don't worry, I think most of us probably though 'oh my god, what have I done' when we bought our first ponies, heck, I felt the same when I bought my second haha!
 
Nasicus said:
You'll get there. QT is a pain, but necessary. I had to do it with my yearling when we moved yards, who was about 8mo at the time. I made sure to give her time in the school to bomb around and have fun, and would take her for little inhand walks too.
I got her a likit, and a treat ball (such a godsend) as well as a jollyball on a rope (prefer the rope haha), and I would hide treats in her hay, and she coped well, got a little silly when out towards the end, but for a baby she was fantastically behaved all in all. Just little things to keep her mind ticking over will help. You can stuff a bit of hay in the treat balls to make the treats harder to get out, making the fun last longer.

And don't worry, I think most of us probably though 'oh my god, what have I done' when we bought our first ponies, heck, I felt the same when I bought my second haha!
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Thank you Nasicus, I might pop over and get her something tomorrow.

Today they lunged her and gave her a wash so she was all clean and shiny for my son to have his lesson on. Oh my, she was an absolute dream in the school, I feel really lucky.

I still need to sort out the photo thing....
 
Just had to reply to your thread although I can see so many people have already shared their experiences. I got my first horse at age 40, was a late learner - started learning only 18 months previously. My childhood dream and I am not joking, I think I was In shock for at least a year haha! The first night my mare was in quarantine, I left the hay store open (in the quarantine field, it was full!!!) and gave her chaff without any water (no one told me it needed water in it!)! I didn't brush her tail properly for about two months as was so scared she would kick! (She hasn't kicked any human on purpose as far as I know!). She was a bit nippy when I first had her too, but I actually think it's because I wasn't brushing her hard enough and was tickling her! Forward seven years, and our bond is incredibly strong, we have learnt so much together, she is teaching my complete novice partner to ride and is a one in a million school mistress. It DOES get easier. I now have her daughter too, who is two, and it's funny, I'd forgotten all the fears I had when I first got my mare but they have come back to me now I have her daughter, which is a whole different ballgame! I think I must be mad! Good luck. I think it took my mare and I three years to really bond, but I can safely say that groundwork really does make a difference, just being around my mare helped me and my confidence. I was also lucky in that I had lots of help round me, I do think that's important initially because I had to ask the most basic of questions. What a learning curve in the first six months, I think my brain was constantly smarting from all the information I was ingesting daily about horse ownership!
 
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I was exactly the same and still am at times. I am neurotic anyway and also worry about the smallest of things. I am getting better though he has gone almost the whole of summer without a rug on despite me wanting to put one on at times and he has survived. He loves his new yard really so despite worrying about moving him he has been fine other than reaching his stage in life where he thinks he can get away with everything.
 
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Thank you so much for all your kind words!! Really pleased I signed up and I think I've linked the photos properly. Let me know if not. :o
 
Amye said:
She looks lovely and your son seems very pleased with her too :) They look like a very good fit together!

I love the last photo with the cheeky smiles :D (from your son and the pony!)

How was his lesson yesterday on her?
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Awww, thanks! His lesson went great, very relaxed and she responded to him really well. His instructor asked if he wanted to canter but he said not yet as he's not used to riding her. I knew he wouldn't as he's very cautious. She really looks after him and doesn't seem bothered by anything around her.
 
Smashing pony and lovely photo of your boy outside her box!

It really is natural to feel nervous - but you're obviously aware of the fact it is a huge responsibility, which is good! Too many people buy a pony, chuck it out in a field, play with it when they feel like it and mentally shrug their shoulders, abdicating that responsibility to ... who knows? The Yard Fairy? The God of All Small Ponies?

Anyway. It will get easier, you will pick things up quickly and she'll become a member of your family. There really are NO silly questions and it sounds like you have a good set-up and a good instructor, so don't be worried about asking them stuff.

You'll also learn whose advice to listen to, in time. I have ridden & owned for coming up to 50 years and I'm still learning every day.

So how do I choose who to listen to, on a yard? I look at how an owner/rider interacts with their horse. Their demeanour (plural), how they look, how they work as a team. The ones with a happy, calm, workmanlike & contented relationship with their horses are the ones I want to learn from, as that's the type of partnership I'm always striving for too.

But even THEY ask questions. There are folk on these boards who are vastly more experienced/knowledgeable than me and who are generous in sharing what they know ... so when I see they've posted a question, I prick up my ears immediately ... not just to see what they're asking, but to see what others suggest. And I squirrel that information away, to mull over it and apply it in future myself, should the situation ever arise. (JanetGeorge is one such poster, as an example. Sorry if that made your ears burn, JG :p )

Good luck, keep us posted, have fun with her and you really will be fine, especially when she's out of quarantine ... :)
 
Mrs B said:
Smashing pony and lovely photo of your boy outside her box!

It really is natural to feel nervous - but you're obviously aware of the fact it is a huge responsibility, which is good! Too many people buy a pony, chuck it out in a field, play with it when they feel like it and mentally shrug their shoulders, abdicating that responsibility to ... who knows? The Yard Fairy? The God of All Small Ponies?

Anyway. It will get easier, you will pick things up quickly and she'll become a member of your family. There really are NO silly questions and it sounds like you have a good set-up and a good instructor, so don't be worried about asking them stuff.

You'll also learn whose advice to listen to, in time. I have ridden & owned for coming up to 50 years and I'm still learning every day.

So how do I choose who to listen to, on a yard? I look at how an owner/rider interacts with their horse. Their demeanour (plural), how they look, how they work as a team. The ones with a happy, calm, workmanlike & contented relationship with their horses are the ones I want to learn from, as that's the type of partnership I'm always striving for too.

But even THEY ask questions. There are folk on these boards who are vastly more experienced/knowledgeable than me and who are generous in sharing what they know ... so when I see they've posted a question, I prick up my ears immediately ... not just to see what they're asking, but to see what others suggest. And I squirrel that information away, to mull over it and apply it in future myself, should the situation ever arise. (JanetGeorge is one such poster, as an example. Sorry if that made your ears burn, JG :p )

Good luck, keep us posted, have fun with her and you really will be fine, especially when she's out of quarantine ... :)
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Thank you, I just came back from seeing her, got her out of her stable and let her graze. She DID NOT want to go back to her stable! My instructor asked if I'd rented two stables, one for me and one for the pony as I'm always there! :D
When she's able to go out in the field I think I'll definitely relax a lot more.
 
My son had another lesson earlier but the pony was really wound up and spooked then bucked him off!:(
Currently sat in the waiting room at the hospital. I cried so much!! I don't want to let him back on her now. In fact, I don't want her at all, it sounds horrible, but it was quite a dramatic fall and he banged his head. I don't know what to do now!
 
WanderLust said:
My son had another lesson earlier but the pony was really wound up and spooked then bucked him off!:(
Currently sat in the waiting room at the hospital. I cried so much!! I don't want to let him back on her now. In fact, I don't want her at all, it sounds horrible, but it was quite a dramatic fall and he banged his head. I don't know what to do now!
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Firstly breathe. The pony has been stuck in a box for days, she's going to have a lot of pent up energy but I'm sure that when she is allowed out in the field she will revert to the lovely chilled out pony you brought home. Lastly you have to remember that sadly falling off is a part of riding, although it is difficult to see your child hurt. I hope he's ok but if he carries on riding then he will fall off every now and again. Big hugs xx
 
Try not to stress in front of him, I hope he is fine but children do fall off ponies.
If it makes you feel better my son broke his arm falling of out hunting and I didn't take him to A&E until the next day. Bad mum!
She needs turnout, perhaps don't ride her until she has turnout and learn to do a good lunge. She will be fine, calm down. (Said kindly, and as a mum).
 
Mince pie is soo right, your pony has been stuck in a box for days and sometimes we forget that our horses do have minds of their own and occasionally will 'rebel'. There is generally a reason for our horses to be naughty and I think Mince Pie has hit the nail on the head.

My own mare has put in a massive Buck with me today, she scared the living day lights out of me, but I know she must have a reason for doing it as its out of character for her (back man is booked!). At the time I was petrified, but now looking back on it I can see she must have had a reason, also discovered she's lame :(

Really hope you and your lad is ok, things will soon settle again once your pony can get out in the field and burn some of that energy off xx
 
Whizza said:
Mince pie is soo right, your pony has been stuck in a box for days and sometimes we forget that our horses do have minds of their own and occasionally will 'rebel'. There is generally a reason for our horses to be naughty and I think Mince Pie has hit the nail on the head.
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Mince Pie is speaking from experience! Took my lovely old boy out for a hack after he'd been on box rest, took him for a trot and he galloped off and started fly bucking sending me flying.. A few days back in the field and he was back to his lovely self :)
 
Mince Pie said:
Mince Pie is speaking from experience! Took my lovely old boy out for a hack after he'd been on box rest, took him for a trot and he galloped off and started fly bucking sending me flying.. A few days back in the field and he was back to his lovely self :)
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This is why we love them so much, they keep our adrenaline pumping and keep us on our toes :) love them! X
 
Thank you everyone! It really terrified me! We're at the hospital as he was sick a few hours after and they said he would need to be seen. I think he's ok, we were brought by ambulance!
 
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