What advice can you give me for the first day with my new horse?

[amandaparry1994]

My new horse (and the first I've owned myself as before I've only loaned from my yard owner) will be arriving at the end of April, I've already got my livery yard sorted but I wanted to know what advice people had for the first few days he's in his new home. Should I avoid riding him? Should I just spend time bonding with him on the ground or just turn him out or leave him in the stable? Would it be best to get his hooves teeth and back done within the first few days too? Also what equipment should I have ready for him when he arrives?

Any advice would be fantastic! I just want to make it as smooth and comfortable for him as possible.

 

[rsw200]

I would say just keep things calm but get him settled into the yard routine as quickly as possible. I would defo turn him out if the others go out as that is a good way for them to see their new surroundings and blow off some steam. In terms if avoiding riding- my policy is always to just crack on with it but I would probably say give him two days to settle in with no riding and then I would personally start with giving him a good lunge for the first time and then try riding the day after. In terms of feet, teeth and back checks these are all good things that you should get checked in the short term but don't fret about getting it all done in the first week. Give him time to settle and relax and then maybe book to have them done. Things like getting his shoes done though if they are in need of doing then get onto as you want to keep his feet in good condition and having the farrier is something he should be very used to!
Good luck and most importantly enjoy him! Make sure there is always someone around you that you trust to ask questions and advice from!

 

[smja]

I'd look at what his current routine is, and what it will be when you own him. Try not to make any drastic changes
i.e. if he gets ridden every day, then ride him every day for the first week. If he gets ridden once a week, then there's no harm in leaving him for a few days. Same with turnout.

If possible, I'd turn out in a field next to his future companions/tape off a section of the field so they can greet each other but not be in danger of kicking each other on the first day. Most livery yards have a procedure in place for introducing new horses.

Equipment - just the basics really, e.g. headcollar and lead rope, basic rug if clipped/cold/tipping it down, bucket, grooming kit. The rest you can pick up as and when you need it. What does he come with?

Congratulations on your first horse - and don't overthink it too much

 

[irish_only]

I always think you should get on a new horse and ride it straight away. See if you can arrange with someone else on the yard to accompany you on a ride. If we take them to an event we don't give them a week to settle in Have fun.

 

[Thesnowbones]

I actually have a new horse who's moving to a new yard tomorrow too. I plan on giving her the weekend to relax before starting riding again on Monday! X

 

[Sukistokes2]

I picked my new horse up on the Saturday, settled him into his new stable and really just let him eat and see his new buddies. On the following day I groomed him, and then rode him, not far but just to show him what the place was about. He then got turned out in his new field , with the other horses each side of him. After a week he was put in with his field buddy. He seems to have settled well and seems happy.

 

[abbijay]

It very much depends on the horse.
How far will he have travelled? If it's a long journey and he's not used to it I wouldn't ride the same day.
What workload was he in before coming to you? IF he's ridden everyday you may be in for trouble if he has a couple of weeks off!
Has he 'seen the world' much? If he's been to lots of shows and had a variety of homes I would treat differently to a homebred that had never been off the property it was born on.

 

[Whizza]

I got my new horse 2 weeks ago. She is the first horse that's ever been 'mine' I took her straight to her field and turned her out. The next couple of days I walked her all round the livery and farm and we had a walk along the lane where her livery is. I've also spent a lot of time on her paddock with her and also grooming and just being with her.
We are now onto riding around the village and also a bit further out of the village around the local lakes etc. She's been brilliant so far. The first time we went out of the village we had to go over a scarey bridge which she wasn't to pleased with at all. She did eventually go over it. Since then I have taken her back to the bridge in hand as we have been over it numerous times.
Just take your time and enjoy!
That's what has worked best for me anyway. Every horse and owner is different

 

[applecart14]

My advice would be to let him settle on the day of arrival and then ride him the next day, take him out on your own so he doesn't start getting nappy or clingy - nothing too serious, just a little amble for an hour around the lanes let him have a nose at the neighbourhood. Don't make a big deal of it though by showing him too much or you might make him anxious. Make sure you take a phone and tell someone where you are going first.

I have always started as I mean to go on and have just got on with things, competing within a fortnight of owning them, taking them out different venues and to do different disciplines. That's me though. I can't see the point of pussy footing around for twelve months first.

But each to their own. I know some people like to get to know their horse first but sometimes this can extend to three or four months and I think that they use this as a bit of an excuse because they lack confidence, which is fair enough if they admitted this and did something about it.

 

[LHIS]

It's quite a personal thing as you can see from the responses you've received so far.
When I got my pony I did pussy foot about him a bit, took things really slowly, did loads of ground work (I should say he was also very green and just backed) and started riding him regularly about 3 months after getting him. I'm not a confident rider so I have regular bad battles with this and it has held me back, but there's no rules, do what you want at your own pace and do what works for you, be that getting on the day he arrives, or taking your time.
Good luck and most importantly enjoy! X

 

[gina2201]

I moved my mare recently expecting some unsettled behaviour after what she was like when I first got her. But she was great, I chose to move her early afternoon, so she spent that afternoon and overnight in the stable and was then turned out first in the morning to explore her new field and boundaries. we then we introduced the other three horses one by one allowing some time for them to get used to each other but there was no real dramas and she has settled very quickly. Infact after being here just shy of two weeks I would go as far to say she is more settled here than m previous yard she was on for 18 months since buying her!

I first rode her two days later on a hack but that was down to the weather more than anything, had the next day been fine I may have rode her that day.

Good Luck

 

[WDBRAdora]

I just brought my first horse too, she moved yards literally 3 days ago! I have a history of loaning so it was very daunting moving a new horse. The best advice I can give is bond with your horse before you move him if possible. Where my mare was originally kept there was a lady who was basically a walking natural horsemanship bible! She gave me lots of tips and tricks on making sure the horse is calm when moving, which proved invaluable when it came to settling her in. If you are able to, have some lessons with your boy before you move him so you can establish a bond and he will recognise a friendly face when he steps off the lorry.

When he arrives settle him in his stable. I brought my mares salt lick and haynets with her and had them waiting in the stable, so there were some familiar items. I let her chill in the stable for a few hours and then I walked her round the menage, just letting her take all the new surroundings in. I would highly advise doing this before riding your boy to avoid spooking, etc. The menage has mirrors in which she had never seen before so was very confused by them, it was actually quite funny seeing her reaction!

Before riding him, definitely do some ground work whether thats lunging or just walking about and bonding together in the menage. Licking and chewing is a fantastic sign when you are doing things with him, it's actually an indicator that he is processing information and thinking about it. When he does this, reward him by giving him a good rub on the neck and tell him he's a good boy - this will build your bond.

When riding, use a long rein to aid relaxation. Don't do any hard work before he breaths out when trotting. This can take from anywhere between a few seconds of trotting or 10 minutes! Just be patient and wait for the big sigh and let his belly relax around your legs. The big breath out means he is fully relaxed and ready to do whatever. I never knew this until I had a lesson with the lady who was very familiar with natural horsemanship, and it definitely makes a difference because now I find it a lot easier to ride on the bit and getting the horse to ease up.

Feed is also a really big factor in getting your horse to settle in. Find out what he normally has and try and accommodate that in the first few weeks of his arrival before weaning him off if you want to change feeds. My mare was on Top Spec, very expensive (also not that suitable to her work load given that she was being lightly schooled) and wasn't stocked by the yard I was moving her to, so I'm beginning to wean her off and get her onto Baileys. Changing feed all of a sudden can be quite stressful for horses and can put them off food altogether, so try and minimise change by keeping it relatively constant.

Make a note of what he is coming with; rugs, haynets, tacks? My mare came with full wardrobe so I didn't have a lot to worry about - but make sure that he has a fly rug, lightweight and medium turn out - Summer is coming so don't worry too much about getting a big heavy weight rug! A quilt rug is also a good idea, just in case it gets a bit cold at night you can throw it on underneath another rug.

Find out what bedding he is best suited to as well! Omg..my mare is SO messy on shavings! If he's a very wet horse then go for straw. However you MUST clean out the wet straw on the bottom otherwise the poor things feet will get thrush which can cause lameness.

In terms of farriers etc, wait until he's settled...no doubt about it. Nothing worse than having a fizzy horse who doesn't have a clue what's going on and then getting prodded by a stranger! Make sure you've got insurance all sorted too, for you and your horse.

I guess you have already moved him, but there's some extra bits and bobs I've included above which is good just for general things to do with your new horse! Have a brilliant time with him xxxx