Help needed

gra456

Hi just bought a 4 years coloured 15.3 hh mare and i havnt owned a horse in 12 years.So as u can imagine i am very rusty and would love some advice.She has 8 weeks work done and is quiet.Guys where do i start and mostly importantly what do i not do with her.We are based in killegar area enniskerry and any advice would be gladly taken.:)

Ave Sodalis

Gra, did you think about this before you jumped into buying a horse with such little work after so long a time?

I don't know how much you remember, how much you did before or how much the horse has done in the last 8 week (very little I'd imagine) but I would advise giving the horse to someone to school and getting yourself lessons to freshen up, assuming of course, that you haven't rode in the 12 years you haven't had a horse.

Learn the basics in feeding, grooming, first aid, bedding, rugging etc by going to a yard and asking to help out, possibly in exchange for some of a livery cost, would be your best bet. You can pick up handy tricks there such as not feeding the horse out of your hand or tying knots.

Ask yourself:
Have you a saddle and bridle? Do they fit? Do you know how to check? Can you tack up properly? Do you know different types of tack and what they do? It would be useful to remind yourself of these! Have you researched different types of feeds, what they consist of, what your horse needs? Where are you going to source the feed? Hay/silage/haylage/alfalfa? Where's the water source? Is it suitable? There are also different types of bedding. Are you going into to livery or stables at home? If at home, do you know what bedding you want to use? What form of mucking out do you want; deep litter or all out?

Do you know the difference between a sweet itch scratch and a mite scratch? Can you identify ringworm? Do you remember what a lame horse looks like and how to check where the lameness is? Do you know the signs of colic and the signs of laminitis? Can you evaluate faeces, know when it's too runny or too solid, know if there's worms?

Do you have the number of the nearest farrier, vet and dentist in case of emergency? Can you name the different points of a horse? Do you know the various poisonous plants? Did you know you can't feed a horse grass trimmings? Do you have anyone to fall back on if you have a query?

That's all I can think of at the moment... I'll probably have more though

marley123

Ok firstly what have you bought her with a view to doing with her?
How competent are you in your riding?
Can you do the basics, groom, rug up , muck out etc?
Have you got an arena to work out of ? Suggest if you are a bit rusty & as she is young even just short 20 min schooling sessions are a good idea, get her working nicely off your leg, lots of transition work etc & vary it up with lots of hacking.
Have you access to a good instructor as reckon this would be very important for advice as your mare is so young & you are so long out of the saddle.

gra456 wrote: »

Hi just bought a 4 years coloured 15.3 hh mare and i havnt owned a horse in 12 years.So as u can imagine i am very rusty and would love some advice.She has 8 weeks work done and is quiet.Guys where do i start and mostly importantly what do i not do with her.We are based in killegar area enniskerry and any advice would be gladly taken.:)

Angelmangle

Probably the best thing you can do is get some professional help i.e. somebody who is used to bringing on young horses to give you some advise and assistance. Have you ridden consistently over the past 12 years?

Try and stable her somewhere they can assist you and somewhere you can get lessons. It depends what you want to do with her but the basics for educating young horses are the same pretty much the same.

gra456

thx for replies.I have being sharing horses over the last few years so i am up to speed on taking care of a horse which is good .the yard i will be in has a good rider on site who i hope will help me with the mare. I am not afraid to ask for help and am not a nervous rider so all should work out well .
She is arriving in the am so will keep u updated in her progress and maybe post her pic here.
PS any ideas on a good name.

Valentina

gra456 wrote: »

thx for replies.I have being sharing horses over the last few years so i am up to speed on taking care of a horse which is good .the yard i will be in has a good rider on site who i hope will help me with the mare. I am not afraid to ask for help and am not a nervous rider so all should work out well .
She is arriving in the am so will keep u updated in her progress and maybe post her pic here.
PS any ideas on a good name.

I got a young mare recently too. There is a book that has been recommended here a few times and I got it - the exercises in it have been a great help to me and for my mare keeping things varied and interesting is key to getting her focused and really working.

Here's a link to the book: http://www.amazon.co.uk/101-Schooling-Exercises-Horse-Rider/dp/0715319507

As for a name - something good will come to you once you get to know her

marley123

Hope to see you out and about so:) I'm in that area as are a couple of other posters here:) if you need anyone to hack out with just ask!

gra456 wrote: »

Hi just bought a 4 years coloured 15.3 hh mare and i havnt owned a horse in 12 years.So as u can imagine i am very rusty and would love some advice.She has 8 weeks work done and is quiet.Guys where do i start and mostly importantly what do i not do with her.We are based in killegar area enniskerry and any advice would be gladly taken.:)

gra456

We are arriving today in yard ,Hawthorn Lodge so maybe see u are around.I will be the crazy looking one up to my eyes in horse ...t lol

marley123

Think there is at least one Boardsie @ Hawthorn Lodge:) - Im down the road @ another yard but am sure I will bump into you out hacking!! You must be super excited - I remember the day my mare arrived, I was like a child @ christmas:)

gra456 wrote: »

We are arriving today in yard ,Hawthorn Lodge so maybe see u are around.I will be the crazy looking one up to my eyes in horse ...t lol

gra456

Hi guys just letting u know all is going so well with the new horse .lunged her today and rode her for the first time today .She was so well behaved .I was nervous at start but settled in no time .chat soon

dave66

Gra,

You're doing great with your horse and she's settled in nicely in the yard. There are lots of experienced riders around the yard and they'll be happy to help out where they can.

Might see you at the weekend,

David

gra456

Thanks david for kind reply.Everyone is so nice at hawthorn and we are really happy at the yard.Lots of work to be done with mare yet but it is never boring.cheers

dave66

Gra,

Not a bother, just sent you a PM with some info about the yard.

gra456

all well with savannah .thought she was deaf at start so quiet but proved wrong this week.so happy with her.have to get the jumping going but slow i keep telling myself .lesson this sat at local riding school:pac:

dave66

gra456 wrote: »

all well with savannah .thought she was deaf at start so quiet but proved wrong this week.so happy with her.have to get the jumping going but slow i keep telling myself .lesson this sat at local riding school:pac:

I think they're running the jumping competition this weekend in the yard, check out the FB page. There'll be cross poles upwards.

gra456

We had a small jumping competion yesterday and all went well.Both myself and my daughter jumped and had only one fence down and 2 refuseals,not bad for first time out but they were only tiny hehe.Next show in 2 weeks we hope.

Ah_Yeah

gra456 wrote: »

We had a small jumping competion yesterday and all went well.Both myself and my daughter jumped and had only one fence down and 2 refuseals,not bad for first time out but they were only tiny hehe.Next show in 2 weeks we hope.

Great stuff gra, well done!

paddi22

well done! great that you are getting out and doing it!