Contemplating getting another youngster

[LadyGascoyne]

Mim (83% arab mare) will be five this year, and she’s been with me from rising three. She is hacking out nicely and will start schooling properly soon. Our older mare (18yo Spanish mare) is going to do the occasional hack but is effectively retired, and does have health (dental) issues.

I’d like to add another horse to the herd. I prefer not to have them in pairs, leaving one at home when I ride, and if I have to make difficult decisions with my older mare, I’m not in a situation where I am trying to find another horse.

I’d prefer a youngster, it’s just a personal preference and I’m in no hurry to ride. I also like to let them grow up slowly, hence Mimosa is only beginning to do any work now, at nearly five.

I’d be happy adding a two or three year old to the current mix but I have a couple of options which might come available and they are younger.

One would be a yearling when she arrived, and the other is yet to be born but if it’s a filly, it could be available as a weanling (colt will be retained by breeder).

I’m conscious of providing age-appropriate company. If I was shopping for anything under 2, would I need two babies? Is two enough?

That would be a herd of one older mare (fab nanny and ex broodmare herself), a playful 5yo, and two weanlings/ yearlings. All mares/fillies.

I’d probably have an option to borrow a second baby rather than buy.

Does anyone have this set up? Does this sound sensible?

 

[Meowy Catkin]

It would be similar to what I had at one time which worked very well. I had an old retired mare who was an excellent nanny for youngstock, my riding horse (mare) and two youngsters (the grey is a year older than the gelding). It was a nice little herd that worked really well.

 

[LadyGascoyne]

Brilliant, and even more interesting that your youngsters were a year apart. Thanks so much for the reply.

How old where they when you got them?

 

[Lammy]

When I got my yearling he lived in a herd with my older mare who was 15 or 16 at the time and then a friends 3 rising 4 year old gelding. Worked perfectly, the boys roughhoused and my mare told them both off it it got too much. I think as long as there’s something there that’s younger and a bit playful then a yearling/two year old would be fine.

 

[ycbm]

I kept a yearling with a couple of young ridden horses and he grew up fine. He was a very cheeky over-bold 2 year old, though, he even put out a bonfire!
.

 

[ownedbyaconnie]

My friend has a very similar set up. She bought two youngsters at the same time (half sisters, same age) and popped them in a field together with a nanny. They're now in from the field and starting ridden work and from what I hear are nice characters and willing. As above I think as long as you have something that will play with them and satisfy that need, then an older one who will teach them manners then think you're good! Plus horses show us every day that they are all different and what works for one is disastrous for another so I'd go with your gut/what works for your set up.

 

[Xmasha]

our 2 yo is out with the 4yo and the rest of the herd. The pair of them play very well together. But they are a very similar height. In fact the 2yo is bigger and has much more bone, so she can hold her own. You dont want a small weanling in with a playful 5yo without some form of protection. Our old broodmare usually keeps an eye on them when they are small. But anything weanling/under 2 i do believe should have age /size appropriate company.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Brilliant, and even more interesting that your youngsters were a year apart. Thanks so much for the reply.

How old where they when you got them?

I bought both as yearlings (I had put a deposit on the grey when she was a weanling, but she wasn't delivered straight away).

I lived in England when I bought her and after I moved to Wales I bought the gelding. He was 18 months then IIRC, she was 2 and a half and utterly unimpressed.

 

[milliepops]

my foal weaned with a rising 3yo but he is an old hand at foal-wrangling and does a nice mix of playing and gently battering her they make a happy pair. if he was more boisterous it possibly wouldn't have worked out, so I think personalities must be quite key when there's an age gap.
it's a bonus for me because I won't end up with 2 to back at the same time.

 

[LadyGascoyne]

Brilliant, thanks so much for the reply.

One of the two I am looking at is Mimosa’s half sister out of the same dam, who is a yearling now. She’d be on loan with an option to buy but her breeder could use the space.

And then there is a weanling filly by Mimosa’s half brother, who is quite lovely and may be a little taller than Mim.

Both are high % Arab and both coloured. The colour is actually the only thing that I’m unsure of as I’m very keen on solid coloured horses. Mim is about as colourful as I’d usually consider.

On the flip side, Mim’s dam is one of the loveliest creatures I’ve ever seen and she’s coloured so maybe it’s just in my head.

The wildcard is that the breeder who has Mim’s dam has foals due this year, and I could potentially have a filly if there is one.

These are the photos of Mim with her dam, courtesy of Silvabak stud:

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Would the breeder keep the weanling for a while? They really are fragile when they are that young and could be so easily injured by accident.

This pic shows my grey at 12 months. She was really as young as I was comfortable with getting. This mare was an ex-broodmare and really gentle, so a safe horse to turn out with straight away.

As my gelding was 6 months older, he was much more strapping and tough just with those few months of extra growth. Those first introductions are always a worry, so I was extra cautious.

 

[milliepops]

Ah yeah, mine were introduced with mum around still, so she policed things until foal approached the newbie for herself.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I'd have loved to have had both dams along to help...

... and keep them. It's good sign though I think, if you really love the foal's dam (and sire if you get the opportunity to meet them too).

 

[ihatework]

I wouldn’t put a weanling in straight with older horses.

I’d either leave the weanling at stud until late yearling/early 2yo or, if the stud is willing, bring mare and foal to yours, integrate them (carefully), then when naturally weaned and yearling is independent, remove the dam.

I mean, personally I prefer babies to be in a baby herd, but if you are going to do it I’d approach it one of those two ways.

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

I put my then yearling Welsh D in with my friends 18yr old WB gelding (16.3hh) and they have been firm friends from the get go. Always playing together but the big guy tells him off, probably a bit too soft mind you, I like an older mare for teaching herd manners ?

Before that he went out as a weanling with my old boy Kia for three weeks quarantine then Kia has to be PTS so he went in with two other geldings who were teens/20s. He hasn’t been with other youngstock and I don’t think it’s done him any harm ?

He has started to be introduced to the big gelding herd (10 horses) over the winter and it all seems to be going fine now he’s rising three and 15hh. He isn’t the bottom of the pecking order and he has playmates.

In summer he will just be with his big pal in their field but will be out and about in hand with various of the other geldings so it’s been good getting him used to them and them him.

 

[Lammy]

The two I am looking at are Mimosa’s half sister out of the same dam, who is a yearling now. She’s be on loan with an option to buy but her breeder could use the space.

Both are high % Arab and both coloured. The colour is actually the only thing that I’m unsure of as I’m very keen on solid coloured horses. Mim is about as colourful as I’d usually consider.

On the flip side, Mim’s dam is one of the loveliest creatures I’ve ever seen and she’s coloured so maybe it’s just in my head.

If it helps I just had a sneaky look and the Roxy filly (which I think is the oldest one?) is a smashing looking filly. I think her and Mim would make quite the pair!

 

[LadyGascoyne]

If it helps I just had a sneaky look and the Roxy filly (which I think is the oldest one?) is a smashing looking filly. I think her and Mim would make quite the pair!

Isn’t she lovely! She’s the older one.

The other one is a Xiviers baby and is also exquisite.

 

[Clodagh]

How exciting!

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I love fames Dakota all the youngsters look really lovely as well I think I would be tempted to have them both lol!

 

[LadyGascoyne]

This is the sire of the other filly - and Mimosa’s half brother:

https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057027236531

 

[LadyGascoyne]

I love fames Dakota all the youngsters look really lovely as well I think I would be tempted to have them both lol!

Isn’t he gorgeous, and he looks so lovely under saddle.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Isn’t he gorgeous, and he looks so lovely under saddle.

He looks like his going so well do you know if has any foals from him this year?

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

This is the sire of the other filly - and Mimosa’s half brother:

https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057027236531

His nice as well do you have any pictures of the 2 youngsters? I couldn't really work out who was who on Facebook.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

When I went to a lot of the Arab shows some years ago there was a lovely chestnut and white gelding I always saw, I think he was bred by silverdale stud his name was Sas I feel frisky he looked almost purebred but coloured but did really well in the past bred classes.

 

[Cloball]

Oh I'm so jealous I would love a high percentage Arab in a loud colour but not capable of bringing on a youngster.... They don't seem to come up as adults which says something.

 

[LadyGascoyne]

He looks like his going so well do you know if has any foals from him this year?

I think there are mares due but not their own mares. The breeder has scaled back quite a lot since she lost her dad who was very involved.

 

[LadyGascoyne]

Oh I'm so jealous I would love a high percentage Arab in a loud colour but not capable of bringing on a youngster.... They don't seem to come up as adults which says something.

I was looking for an older one myself and they are so hard to find. I was lucky to find Mim at rising 3 and that was only because her owner had a baby and didn’t have time for a youngster.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

When I was a child I was given a copy of 'The Arabian Horse Times' and it had loads of stallion adverts in it. Was was for the most beautiful piebald Pintabian, plus a gorgeous skewbald at the same stud farm (they might have been related). It was the first time I'd seen that combination of tobiano colouring and arab body type. Really eye catching... and now I want one too...

 

[Marigold4]

My youngster is the same as yours. Other horse is his mum. Elderly companion pony very sadly PTS last autumn, so I was in the same position as you potentially will be in, not wanting to leave one on its own. I bought a 2 year old New Forest (she will be 3 in May). Although pretty feral on arrival, she's shaping up well and they get on nicely as a little herd - she plays with my youngster and the older mare puts her in her place. I personally wouldn't go younger though.