First Horse

[Country_gal]

I will hopefully be buying my first horse before the year is out and just looking for some general info. I have been riding for over 20 years so very experienced and capable on that side of things. I have also loaned a couple of ponies over the years but never owned my own one.

The horse will be kept on land at home. We were initially going to buy 1/2 an acre which I know is do-able with good land management but will now be looking to buy slightly more. Where I live is on a farm with many paths for riding but also plenty places for leid rein grazing which my Dad will do most days and I will ride at least once, if not twice, a day.

My main questions are -

Companionship - I had initially thought goats or sheep but would a companion horse or Shetland pony be best? Aware this would cause an issue with land management which brings me on to my next question -

Land Management. Aware that under an acre could cause land management issues. I would be looking for a relatively hardy horse but would most likely stable overnight and turnout during the day with year long hay. Is this the best route to help control churning up the land?

I also want to know if I am expecting too much in my horse search - I would like something at least 15hh (prefereably16) and relatively "easy" ie I don't want a project horse. Although I am experienced I would like something just to enjoy - hacking, some schooling and possibly some small scale local show jumping.

I also wanted to ask - possibly jumping the gun as still in early planning/research stages - When I first bring the new horse home how long should it be left to get used to its new surroundings before I can start spending time around it, doing some groundwork etc to build a bond and then eventually to start riding?

I'd really appreciate any help and may be back with more questions.....

 

[be positive]

1/2-1 acre however well managed is not enough for a horse to live properly, I don't even like keeping them so restricted when it is done to limit the grass intake, living alone in that environment is not an option in my view, sharing such a tiny area with anything else will mean even less space and grass to go round, you could probably manage short term but it will be very hard to keep well maintained once the horse has been there some time. I am not sure you can keep sheep on such restricted land, goats are difficult to keep in and a shetlands requirements are very different from a 16 hand horse so they are likely to need to be kept apart most of the time .
Unless you can buy a couple of acres I think you would be best looking at a livery yard so the horse has company, more space and you have support and back up with your first horse, without wanting to put you off completely I would actually not want to sell a horse to you unless you could provide a better set up, some people will not ask or care but many will and I frequently turn away people who do not have appropriate facilities for a horse I am selling as I know what they need and want to ensure the best possible home, a few are happy alone but I would rarely sell to a home where the options are going to be so restricted.