New Horse... First once since a teen! ADVICE PLEASE!

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ILikeThemHairy

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So, i've been reading through the threads and you all seem really helpful and non-judgemental so thought I would ask some advice!

I'm about to have my first adult horse, a lovely 14.3 WPB coloured boy who is 15 ish and from a trekking centre (though not your usual ploddy trekking centre - he was my old guide horse so goes from a lovely 0-60 with a squeeze of the knees!). I've worked on and off at the centre since a child, they have 70 horses and ponies from a stallion fallabella up to a 17.1 Cleaveland Bay. I've gone through the ranks and gotten all of the 'trekking' or 'tourism' qualifications up to BET Ride Leader (whilst im not the prettiest of BHS riders my horsecare and management is pretty decent so im not concerned about knowing how to look after a horse once he is mine).

BUT... It's been so long since i've had my own I forget everything i'm going to need and budget for. I literally have my own riding gear and nothing else. So any help is welcome! I'm hoping to find 24/7 grazing he has only ever lived out all year, but what else do I need and how much does it cost for you? Worming / grazing / rugs / tack / suppliments / etc...? Is it okay to go for budget items or are there some that you really shouldnt scrimp on? All help and advice is welcome :)
 
Wow!! How exciting!! The first thing i would do is see what they're feeding him already. If he's doing shed loads of work then you can probably cut the feed down when you get him or swap for lower energy. Ibudget 200 a month for absolutely everything. If I know I need hay or bedding soon then ill save the leftover to pay for it. It goes into a seperate account each month and I know that's what I have to pay for him. Good luck Xx
 
murphysmummy said:
Wow!! How exciting!! The first thing i would do is see what they're feeding him already. If he's doing shed loads of work then you can probably cut the feed down when you get him or swap for lower energy. Ibudget 200 a month for absolutely everything. If I know I need hay or bedding soon then ill save the leftover to pay for it. It goes into a seperate account each month and I know that's what I have to pay for him. Good luck Xx
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Thanks! Do you stable yours? How much is your stabling p/w?

At the moment he is kept out all year and strip grazed with the large herd (pretty much all of the horses are there from babies or bred there so its a really established group and nobody ever really leaves!). He struggles keeping weight on as he's more gentle than some of the bolshy others so when fighting over the grass at mealtimes then sometimes misses out so they take him to a 'getting fat' field for a couple of weeks to get back to weight :)
 
Assuming the centre has decent standards, speak to them about what stuff he has now. In general I go for good quality (often second hand) over low quality. But it depends how long you need it to last. If he's tough on rugs, its better buying cheap or second hand if one rarely lasts two seasons. Same with other stuff too.
 
Here he is! In case anyone wanted to see him :)

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littlelegs said:
Assuming the centre has decent standards, speak to them about what stuff he has now. In general I go for good quality (often second hand) over low quality. But it depends how long you need it to last. If he's tough on rugs, its better buying cheap or second hand if one rarely lasts two seasons. Same with other stuff too.
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The centre's standards are great to be fair, they're BHS, WTRA, NVQ, BET approved and WTRA, NVQ and BET examination centres so they should be good for advice. He's never been rugged before though so that will be a new one, and I was thinking second hand might be a good idea too. What about leather V synthetic saddles? Any views? x
 
What a lovely looking boy ! And yes, we need a name :)

I would buy the best quality that is a reasonable price and does the job you want. Sometimes 'buy cheap' can be 'buy twice'.

Enjoy, when do you get him ?
 
If he's never been rugged then I wouldn't bother buying any. I prefer leather tack, but that is just a preference. There's loads of reasons synthetic is more practical, so really its up to you. Other tip would be avoid stuff labelled as horsey. Buckets, yard tools, sponges etc are much cheaper from hardware or cheap shops like Asda, b&m etc than from tack shops.
 
Aww thanks guys, I have my fingers crossed too! Lots of cuddles and carrots from me :)

Littlelegs that is genius - probably just common sense for most people but as its been so long since I bought stuff I would've gone to Robinsons when the ASDA down the road probably has buckets etc for next to nothing. Great help!

I've never ridden in a synthetic saddle, do they feel much different? x
 
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