HeyMich
Well-Known Member
Hi All,
Not sure if you'll remember, but I posted a few weeks ago about us moving house to somewhere with land so that I can have my horse at home with us. Yeay! All very exciting indeed. However, in true style, I am stressing about the most minute of details - I think it is effectively diversion tactics, to avoid stressing about packing the house and the impending trauma of the actual move!
I have also found a wonderful pony for the kids, who will also be companion to my mare - another Yeay! He's passed his vetting so I'm hoping to bring him home once we've been there a week or so, to give us time to find our feet, check over fences, stables etc. Question is, do I give him time to settle before I bring my mare home, which would leave him by himself for a while, or bring her home the very next day? And how do I introduce them both to each other and the new place at the same time - just chuck them out in a field together, or in adjoining fields to begin with, or stabled next to each other for a while first...? I'll obviously worm the pony in the stable first (my mare won't need doing as she's recently had a worm count of 0) and I'm happy to feed/hay in the stable for a few hours until they settle. The pony is barefoot, so I'm less worried about kicks. My mare is a big gentle giant, but she can stress if she's out alone or somewhere unfamiliar. I very much doubt she would kick/bite but I guess you can never be sure!
Next question is changing routine - at the moment the pony is out 24/7, but my mare is stabled at night at livery. I'm hoping to keep them both out 24/7 all year round at home, with free access to the stables or a field shelter. The 24/7 routine will be so much better for my mare, as she doesn't enjoy being stabled and the increased amount of haylege she's on at the moment has made her ulcers flare up again, so the plan is that more grazing and less haylege in the stable will be a benefit. So... do I just leave them both out overnight as soon as I move them? Or stable them both for the first few nights? The weather is getting quite nippy here, and I'm guessing it'll only get worse over the next few months. Would I be cruel chucking them out at night in mid-December when one of them isn't used to it? Or do I give in and stable them both till the spring?
Sorry for the ramblings, I think the brain is working overtime. This is such a big move for us (physically, emotionally, mentally!) and I just want to get it right!
Thanks for reading this far, if you have! I'd share my grab-bag of Revels with you all, but i might have just stress-eaten them all... Right, off to pack some more boxes and worry about updating the packing spreadsheet...
Not sure if you'll remember, but I posted a few weeks ago about us moving house to somewhere with land so that I can have my horse at home with us. Yeay! All very exciting indeed. However, in true style, I am stressing about the most minute of details - I think it is effectively diversion tactics, to avoid stressing about packing the house and the impending trauma of the actual move!
I have also found a wonderful pony for the kids, who will also be companion to my mare - another Yeay! He's passed his vetting so I'm hoping to bring him home once we've been there a week or so, to give us time to find our feet, check over fences, stables etc. Question is, do I give him time to settle before I bring my mare home, which would leave him by himself for a while, or bring her home the very next day? And how do I introduce them both to each other and the new place at the same time - just chuck them out in a field together, or in adjoining fields to begin with, or stabled next to each other for a while first...? I'll obviously worm the pony in the stable first (my mare won't need doing as she's recently had a worm count of 0) and I'm happy to feed/hay in the stable for a few hours until they settle. The pony is barefoot, so I'm less worried about kicks. My mare is a big gentle giant, but she can stress if she's out alone or somewhere unfamiliar. I very much doubt she would kick/bite but I guess you can never be sure!
Next question is changing routine - at the moment the pony is out 24/7, but my mare is stabled at night at livery. I'm hoping to keep them both out 24/7 all year round at home, with free access to the stables or a field shelter. The 24/7 routine will be so much better for my mare, as she doesn't enjoy being stabled and the increased amount of haylege she's on at the moment has made her ulcers flare up again, so the plan is that more grazing and less haylege in the stable will be a benefit. So... do I just leave them both out overnight as soon as I move them? Or stable them both for the first few nights? The weather is getting quite nippy here, and I'm guessing it'll only get worse over the next few months. Would I be cruel chucking them out at night in mid-December when one of them isn't used to it? Or do I give in and stable them both till the spring?
Sorry for the ramblings, I think the brain is working overtime. This is such a big move for us (physically, emotionally, mentally!) and I just want to get it right!
Thanks for reading this far, if you have! I'd share my grab-bag of Revels with you all, but i might have just stress-eaten them all... Right, off to pack some more boxes and worry about updating the packing spreadsheet...