Brave pants and bossy bra……..

Now I have my own horse I guess I had to hitch up my brave pants and get out riding.  I was apprehensive, I am not going to lie and the reason is that a few years ago I got flung off a horse which span me round in to a barbed wire fence which ripped my back fairly bad.  It did put me off a bit, but the longing to ride again was there, so before I bought my own I went and had lessons for a year, and also signed up for the Horse and Stable Management Course with the BHS.  It was really useful and I learnt and relearnt a lot.  With the lessons away from the course I was getting on really well, walk, trot, canter, leg yielding, shoulder in, and we also had been doing some jumping.  My confidence was at a good level.

I was starting to get impatient with not having my own horse and had several discussions with my old instructor about was I ready and to be honest I wasn’t, not then.  She told me I needed to go and get more experience under my seat riding other horses.  So I went out and rode other horses and had a good idea of what I wanted.

My ‘ideal’ horse was 16.2 – 17hh, 8-10 years old, gelding, and I do love a grey!  I needed a chunk of a horse as I am 5’10 and not a stick plant, so I was looking for something like an Irish Draught or similar.

Anyhow, so here we are and I have my own, 17hh, aged 6 (now 7), grey Percheron. At first, I admit, I was a bit intimidated by him, purely because of his size and the fact that because he was young  and was still a little unaware of his size.  He was unbalanced and unfit.  The first week he was an angel, and then the second week he thought he would try and get away with bits.  Nothing major, but being rude by turning his bum round in my face in the stable and in the paddock.

With the help of my instructor I got my confidence back in to walking in hand with him and getting him to listen, as well as learning to be confident getting on him.   Our first ride out together was with a neighbour who brought her horse down.  This was the day after we had him and we took him around the village with her horse Reggie.  Bart and I did well and he was taking it all in, didn’t spook once, and by the end of it, due to being so unfit, he was hanging! Bless him!! It was brilliant!

I had no problem in tacking him up and going out with another horse, I had no problems with tacking him up and having a lesson.  I had a big issue with riding him with no one else around.  I think part of me was thinking ‘if I fall off, no one will be here to find me’.  The first few weeks made it difficult because not having anyone to ride out with me all the time meant I would talk myself out of riding.

I am very fortunate that I have a school to work in, so if I can’t go out for a hack then we always have the school to work in.  There would be days when I would easily talk myself out of riding him on my own, and then there would be days when I gave myself a good talking to and made myself do it.

I needed to get in to a routine, and now the lessons were starting to become regularly it meant I had a definite day and hour that I could focus on.

Fortunately my neighbour, Naomi, has been a star.  She used to have horses and has ridden for years.  She said that she would be my ‘foot soldier’.  It meant that although we weren’t going out with another horse, I had someone on the ground that I could talk to so I didn’t think about all the bad stuff that could happen.  Initially I would ride Bart in the school for 10 minutes to see what he was like before hacking out, but to be fair he is so laid back he is more likely to stop than take off, so in the end we just went straight out.

If you can do it I would suggest that you have some kind of routine.  Not down to the hour and minute, but horses do like routine, and it gives you an incentive to go out and ride too.  I have now started getting more in to it.  Each horse is different and everyones schedules are different.  I don’t work now due to my ill health, so I am flexible, but I know others who can only ride during the week in the evenings and at the weekends.

I needed to work out a plan for Bart as he was unfit and clearly hadn’t been doing much.  I decided that we would have a lesson a week, have 1-2 schooling sessions a week, either ridden or lunging, and a hack a week.  So it would be something like:

• Monday – Hack for 45 minutes
• Tuesday – Lesson 45mins- 1hr
• Wednesday – Rest Day
• Thursday – School session
• Friday – Rest Day
• Saturday – School session
• Sunday – Rest Day.

My schooling sessions would be 30-60 minutes depending on how we both feel.  I would mix it up so one session would be lunging him, and walking him in hand, and when I was riding him I would do a lot of walk and trot and working on transitions, balance and circles etc.  He is still young and can be unbalanced.  I think the more you can keep them ‘on their toes’ and not do the same boring things over and over it keeps their brains concentrating on what you are doing together.  Horses think about things after they have been done, so I guess they think in ‘hindsight’, so although you don’t think they are taking it in, they will, and they have a good think about it after. You might need the saddler out again when you start working them, just keep an eye on how it’s fitting and whether it’s changing.

Their feed may need tweaking if you are working them quite hard.  It depends on what you have bought them for to do.  For now Bart and I are happy hacking, schooling and learning.  Next year I would like to be doing more with him, a bit of jumping, dressage or even a bit of XC but we are in no hurry – we are learning together which is the idea.

There is no shame in not wanting to hack out on your own, hacking can be one of the most dangerous things, especially if you are out on your own.  I know it’s not the ‘cool’ thing, but if you are hacking out on the roads please wear hi – viz.  I get laughed at by my other half as he says I glow for miles, but with the narrow lanes around here, I would rather glow like a lighthouse than not be seen until the last minute.  I have a hi viz saddle cloth, jacket, and also have leg wraps for Bart too.

If you do hack out on your own then a good idea is to let someone know when you leave, where you are going and text them when you are back.  (Sounds like going out for a blind date!!).

If there isn’t a bridle path near you but you have fields, then it could be worth asking the farmer if you could ride on their land.  Obviously you don’t want to do it at certain times of the year, but there may be a ‘window’ that they might let you.  Mine lets me after combining and before drilling the field for next year, but if its really wet then I won’t go on there as I don’t want to churn up his field or lose a shoe!

So that’s the brave pants bit – you just need to hitch them up sometimes, and the more you do it the more confident you will get.  You have to remember that horses pick up your ‘vibe’ so if you are nervous and anxious they will pick up on it.  They are looking at you for giving them confidence and they are putting their trust in you to look after them.

The bossy bra bit is to be making sure that, although you are working in partnership with each other, that you are the ‘leader’.  It is a partnership, and it is 50/50, but you are the boss. You do not want your horse to be dictating to you what you are both doing, both on the ground and riding.  I started off by being a bit of a ‘mother’ with Bart, talking to him and fussing round him, telling him how good he was all the time, trying to hug him, blah blah blah….  however I found that he didn’t really understand that kind of thing.  I am not saying don’t hug your horse, I still do sometimes, but when I am telling him to do/not do something I have learnt to be more ‘definite’.  They are very black and white.

You have to be more ‘business like’ and tell them exactly how it’s going to be.   The more you do this the more they understand.  Everything you do has to be done with purpose, tell them not ask them.  The tone of your voice makes a big difference too.  You will find that if you are forthright, directional and don’t nag they will be more willing and understand what you want them to do.

I hope Brave pant and the Bossy bra blog has been helpful – it takes time to get to know each other, there has to be consistency, and routine, but it can be flexible as it has to fit around you.  Deep breaths and hitch them up.

Oh and before I forget – there are some lovely people in the same boat as you out there.  I have met some lovely people on a Facebook page called ‘Confident Riders’.  They are a great bunch and if you are having a good or bad day they will be there to support you.  (<3)

So much to think about…..

There is so much to think about.  Even if you think you are pretty read up and prepared, you still have a mind melt.

Other things to think about is what you need for your stable, paddock and for your horse.

As I said, it’s lovely to have a thumb through the catalogues and on the internet for what colour rugs you want and do you want matching bandages etc, and believe me my Rideaway catalogue is very well thumbed (www.rideaway.co.uk), and believe me when I say I have been one of their best customers in the last few months!

The practical items are the things you really need to take in to consideration.  Are you going to have rubber matting?  I decided to as it’s kinder on their feet, so I opted for a matting which is similar to children’s play mats with jigsaw edging.  It’s light, durable and easy to wash down, although I didn’t use the jigsaw bit as it didn’t lay as straight enough as I wanted it to.  Do you want to do the whole stable or just half?  I did half rubber matting and half bedding because of the brick columns in the stable would mean cutting out bits and that was just too much like hard work.  So half matting and half shavings was my first option.

Along with this you need the tools to be able to muck out and feed.  The essentials are:

• Gloves for Poo picking
• Straw/Shavings fork
• Wheelbarrow
• Shovel
• A poo tidee
• Broom
• Haynets
• Food buckets
• Water buckets
• Hosepipe
• Grooming Kit/Tack Box
• Storage Bins for Food
• Feed scoop
• Weigh Tape
• Height tape
• Weigh scale (for weighing hay nets)
• First Aid Kit (I will discuss this more in another blog)
• Fire Extinguisher (A good idea)

Got all that?!  If you want you can obviously choose to have a pink wheelbarrow if that floats your boat, but personally I go for practicality rather than colour. What you also want to think about is where you are going to store your rugs, tack and other essentials.

Now food is obviously essential for your horse, and it’s important you get it right, as trust me when I tell you that if you don’t you will have a grumpy horse!  When Bart & Bono first arrived my paddock was lovely and green with good grass, and obviously this will go quickly, and if like me your paddock space is limited, then it is essential that you have good paddock maintainence .  As well as the paddock you have the hard feed.

To work out how much your horse will need it helps to know: How tall are they? How much do they weigh?.  Now you can buy height measuring tapes and you can buy a weight tape.  Unless you are fortunate to live near to a weigh bridge then the weight tape is probably the best option.  Although not totally accurate, if you use it regularly it will give you an idea of whether they are losing weight or getting porky or staying the same.  You also have to have a look at what you are actually doing with your horse. If you are doing a hack and a couple of schooling sessions then your horse will still be in ‘light work’.

There is an accurate way of working out how much food a horse requires, but basically a horse needs to eat about 2 1/2% of it’s body weight a day.  If your horse is:

• 10hh – 6lbs of food
• 11hh – 10lbs of food
• 12hh – 14lbs of food
• 13hh – 18lbs of food
• 14hh – 22lbs of food
• 15hh – 26lbs of food
• 16hh – 30lbs of food
• 17hh – 34lbs of food

10% of this is hard feed and 90% is bulk (hay/haylage/grass).  So if like Bart your horse is 17hh then they require 34lbs of feed, so that is 3.4lbs of hard feed and the rest bulk.  If you prefer to work in Kgs then 2.2lb is 1kg.  If like Bono you are 10hh then they require 6lbs of food, 0.6lbs hard feed and the rest bulk, however, it does depend on the type and breed of horse as Shetlands can get fat on fresh air.

You then divide this up in to Breakfast, Dinner and Night feed.  For my boys they have breakfast at 7.30am/8am, having half of their hard feed in the morning, mixed with supplements and a carrot or two, then when they are out they are munching away on grass.  If the grass is not great then you will want to give them hay/haylage for them as well. They come in for dinner about 6pm and they have the other half of their hard feed.  For night time they then have their hay nets which will keep them going.

As I mentioned earlier, if you don’t give them enough overnight then you will have a grumpy horse.  I made this mistake and boy was Bart grumpy!  Remember they are trickle feeders so eat little and often (well nearly all the time). Once I kicked myself up the bum and worked it out then he was happy, and so was I!

As for what hard feed you want to use, it is a good idea to find out what they were on before and slowly change it if you want them to be on something different.  I sought advice from friends who had a wealth of experience as to what they fed theirs on.  I decided to put them on Dengie Alpha A and Top Spec Balancer (Non heating).  Its a good idea to ask friends where they buy their feed from, and if you have the space, you tend to be able to get a bit knocked off if you buy in bulk.  If you can’t fit it in your car/trailer then you can have it delivered, however generally there is a charge which can make it a little more expensive.  Same with your hay/haylage.  It’s important to get good quality, non dusty hay, or a good haylage.  I decided on hay as they wouldn’t get through haylage quick enough and it would start to go off, and it’s more sugary so I didn’t want them bouncing off the walls.  It’s good to get to know a local farmer who will be able to deliver it for you.  Don’t leave it until you have only a couple of bales left (Yep!  Done that too!!), otherwise you end up panicking and having to ring around to see if you can get some there and then.  You will soon get to know how much you get through a day so you can work out how long it will last.

Your hard feed does need to be stored somewhere where the rodents won’t get to it.  I bought a feed bin with partitions so I could fit a bag in each section which is really handy.  I bought mine from Ani-mate, a small friendly company, and Martin who runs it is great. (http://www.ani-matefeedbins.co.uk).

The other thing you want to consider for your stable is where you are going to keep your tack.  If you are on livery then they will have a place for you to store your tack away.  I bought a tack locker (again from ani-mate), which holds everything.  Make sure you screw it against the wall otherwise even if it’s locked then they can still pick it up and walk off with it!

As I also mentioned a Fire Extinguisher is handy and a first aid kit (more of which I will cover on another post), oh and of course you also want to have a kettle – handy for cleaning, bathing and of course a cuppa!

So are you still up to speed?  It’s a mind melt – I did tell you that!! Just remember the 5 P’s – Preparation prevents piss poor performance!

Next post:  Different bedding and how to save yourself a lot of work when mucking out.

 

 

 

 

So it all begins…..

Bart & Bono were now in my care.  EEEEKKKKK!! It’s a scary thing.  Even after doing a year of Stable Management and Horse Care, there is nothing like having a massive responsibility of actually owning your own.

The first week was busy.  I was fortunate to have my lovely friend come over and help me muck out every day as I hadn’t been well.  It is always helpful to have someone give you a hand to begin with.  There is so much to think about.

What type of bedding are you going to have? What did they have before? What size hay net do they need?  What hard feed, if any, were they on? Any supplements?

I decided that I wanted to use shavings.  My old instructor used to use shavings and it seemed manageable.  Straw seemed a lot of hassle.  I forgot to ask what either of them were on before, and I didn’t ask whether they were messy or clean in their stable.  These questions are handy to know.

Haynet size?  Yes there are big ones, small ones, little holes, big holes, there are so many different types.  I started off with a large hay net with 2″ holes for Bart and a small pony net with 1″ holes for Bart.  While this was a good idea, Bart ate at such a rate the 2″ holes were too big.  He was a gannet!  So I purchased a 1″ hole net, except that the less grass that there was on the paddock it meant more hay for night time.  By the end of the first month I had 3 hay nets dotted around Barts stable.  Ridiculous.  So in the end I had bought two 2″ hay nets that were useless, 4 1″ nets which kind of worked but had so many he hardly had room in his stable, 2 1″ pony nets for Bono and in the end I bought a 9kg Greedy Feeder net with 1″ holes for Bart.  The 2″ net I put a football in for him to pull about for entertainment, and the other I use out in the paddock.  You really don’t need to buy so many nets, and don’t buy two of everything until you know it works.

Hard feed? I knew what he was having every day, but I spoke to my friends and they suggested that although they will be on grass that it would be still a good idea to have a balancer so that you know he is getting all his nutrients.  I chose Alpha A chaff and Top Spec non heating balancer.  It’s important you don’t change them over too quickly because it can upset their digestive system, but if you do it slowly you will be fine.

Supplement wise I chose to get a general vitamin supplement and Magic, a magnesium supplement and calmer, and garlic.

Magic was the one I was unsure about, but I chose to put Bart on it as I didn’t want him unsettled so I thought it would help.  (I will talk more about this in a future blog).

Don’t forget also that you need to work out the percentage of hard feed they need, grass and hay, as well as what type of work that they are in.  If you are in a muddle then please ask someone, or use on line calculators to work it out.  If you get it wrong you will have a grumpy or poorly horse.

During the week we had the vet to come and give them their jabs and give them a once over.  Bono (my Shetland) was as big as he should get and could do with losing a bit of exercise, but Bart was fine.  The saddler came next and she check Bart’s saddle and said she would come out again in a month or so when the saddle had dropped.  Its always a good idea to get their saddle checked even if it’s one you have bought with your horse.  This saddle was well kept but it was lumpy underneath and there was a gap, so it wasn’t sitting on his back correctly.  It was reflocked and all was good.  It pays to get it checked to avoid any further issues in the future.

Next was the farrier.  Now Bono needed a pedicure, but Bart needed new shoes, and he wasn’t shod on the back, so this was going to be interesting.  The farrier was chosen because of recommendation from friends.  Bart needed size 5 shoes, which for those not in the know are about the size of dinner plates, so it’s more costly.  Anyhow, the farrier did a great job, even though Bart had never been shod on the back.  A word of note – it may be easier if you aren’t there trying to calm your horse and let the farrier get on with it.  I noticed with Bart that he was more fussy when I was stood there, and being a ‘first time parent’ I was worried he was going to go off on one.  If your farrier is happy to get on with it then let them.  One thing of note too – it’s hot work – please offer them a drink!  It goes down well.  Trust me!!

The first week was done, and I found it hard mucking out every day.  Partially due to my illness and not feeling tip top, but also because, lets face it, it’s bloody hard work.  There is the mucking out, making sure the bed is done, water filled up, hay nets filled up.  Now it’s not so bad in the summer as they are out on the grass so while they are out nibbling you can be mucking out.  I am not looking forward to when it’s winter but thats another story!

By the end of the first week I was having a meltdown.  What had I let myself in for?  I knew it was tough, but I was absolutely exhausted.  Although it was the right time for me to have a horse, it was the wrong time because I was poorly so it all hit me at once.

Honestly don’t let this put you off – it does get better and you get in the swing of it, but if you aren’t prepared to have blood sweat and tears, and no more lay ins forever, then you need to think again, unless of course you don’t have time and have the money, put them in full livery.

Next time:  The roller coaster that is the first few weeks of being a ‘first time mum’.

In the beginning…….

So how did this come about?

I have ridden on and off for a few years and when I met my OH and we decided to buy a place together, the place we were buying already had stables, a paddock and a manage.  This was April 2014.

I decided that I wanted to get in to horse riding again, but instead of going straight in and getting a horse, I decided to get some lessons and to sign myself up for a BHS Horse and Stable Management Course.   I know some who have had a couple of lessons and then go out and buy a horse, but I didn’t think it would be fair on them or myself if I did that so I didn’t even have it in my mind. My partner said ‘You should get a horse as you have always wanted one and now you have the chance’. He had a point, I did always want one.
I was worried also because I have Crohns disease, Fibromyalgia and Arthritis and have been recently diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, so I have been through the mill and had numerous operations. Could I cope? What would I do if I was ill? Do I really know what I am doing??

Anyhow, I then started to get itchy feet in April of this year, and decided it wouldn’t hurt to have a look, would it?  So I tasked my friends to keep a look out for me.  What did I want it to do?  Well not much really.  I wanted to be able to do a bit of dressage, a bit of jumping and hacking.  I wasn’t looking for the next Valegro, but because of my height (5’10), I wanted something robust and something that wasn’t going to take off at the first sign of a flappy plastic bag.  I wanted laid back, reliable and a horse that we could learn together.   My original want was Gelding, 16.2hh +, 8-12 years, ID/ISH type, and I liked greys.

In the middle of April, a friend of mine who lives in Zanzibar (of all places) saw an advert for a Percheron x ID, 17hh, aged 6, grey.  I was ill at the time, but my friend Ann was going to Surrey to see her son in Guilford and this horse was just outside. She drove me down and although not feeling my best at all I went to see Bart.

His owner was 6′ tall and so he was used to having someone tall and was a weight carrier.  When I first saw him he was in his stable, looking at me like ‘who are you?!’.  We got him out and tacked up.  The lady took him in to the school and she got on and showed me his walk and trot.  He was a bit ‘laid back’ (lazy), but he had a lovely pace.  She didn’t show me him Canter, but I had already seen him do that and jumping on a video.  I hopped on and had a go.  I was conscious of the fact that I was a ‘newbie’, I thought I hope she doesn’t think I am crap at riding, but of course she was interested in selling him, not how I rode.  What I did like though was that she wanted someone who was going to have him at a forever home, the fact I talked to him and rode him with empathy.  He was soft on the mouth and easily manoeuvrable.  After a ride in the school we took him down the lane.  He had a very bouncy trot, and the stirrups were a little long, but he felt comfortable.

When we got back I checked him over, made sure he was okay with picking his feet up, looked for any signs of lumps and bumps etc.  I had a list of questions but this was so important as here I was making a really pricey and massive decision as to whether I wanted him or not.  She told me that the Police were interested in him but she didn’t want that life for him. I was smitten.

Buying your first horse is a massive step.  I did ask a lot of questions, I did ask my instructor to come with me, but unfortunately she couldn’t on the occasion I went to see Bart but I was armed with what to look for.  I was thinking with my head and my heart which is hard because your heart is saying ‘Awwww he’s so lovely’ and your head is saying ‘Why is she selling him?  Is there anything wrong with him? Is he right for me?’.  Make sure you ask whether he has any vices, any illnesses/injuries and does he load well?.

If you can definitely take someone with you – I didn’t, and I could have done with a second pair of eyes, because when you are there your head is spinning with questions and taking in what the horse is like.  When you get home you can only discuss it with yourself because your friends, partner etc weren’t there to see him.

My partner said ‘Don’t buy the first one you see……’.  Well he knew me too well because I did.  Should I have gone to see some more and tried them?  If I didn’t buy Bart that week I knew he was going to be snapped up as he was a bit of a catch.   Of course the seller is going to tell you that loads of people have come to see the horse and there are others that are interested, it puts pressure on you, especially if you are there salivating at the horse you are looking at. Try and stay calm and look non plussed.  I didn’t.  She could tell a mile off that I fell in love with him!  I am so easy to read!!

Do go and see them again (and again if you want) – I couldn’t because of illness and distance, but the first time you do have your heart going ‘Awwww’ and the second time you can go back and look for the things you had forgotten in the first place or take someone else with you.  You aren’t wasting their time by going back for a second visit.

The other thing when you are buying your horse is talk price from the offset.  It’s not nice, and it’s not ‘British’ but it saves awkwardness.  If there is crossed wires relating to payment then get it sorted and don’t leave it until the last minute.  Also get it in writing.  If you are buying the tack make sure you know exactly what tack you are getting.  Are you getting what he had on him when you rode him?  Is he coming with rugs, boots etc?

Once an agreement has been reached then they will want you to put a deposit down for him/her.  This deposit is non refundable unless they fail the vetting.  Remember that – so make sure that you definitely want them.  If you decide you don’t want the horse you lose your deposit and that’s a costly mistake.

The next step once you have paid the deposit is to sort the vetting.  You don’t have to get a horse vetted, but I would suggest that if you are paying  a lot then you need vetting as you have no comeback otherwise.  You need at least the 2* vetting.  I went for 5* as because it was my first horse I need to make sure I didn’t miss anything and a fresh set of eyes to check suitability and health.  Please make sure that you use a different vet to the one that they use.  This means that there is impartiality.  You are on tender hooks when the vetting has been arranged and you are waiting for that phone call.  The vet was great and she talked through everything and said he was an ‘ideal first horse’.  Phew!!

Other things to sort, and this is before you even get them home.  Insurance.  What do you need?  Transport.  Are you going to pay for transport or buy a trailer.  Rugs.  What do they need for travelling and when they get to yours?  Vet.  You need to get them registered, you can do this before you get them home if you have the passport and chip number, or just do it when they get to you.  Make sure you speak to other horsey people and get recommendations of good horse vets.   Passport.  Do they have one?  Once you own the horse you have 30 days to send the passport off to get it put in your name.   There is so much to think about.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s great looking online for rugs, boots, bridle etc what colour are you going to go for? .  That’s fine, but what is more important is that you need to get Insurance sorted.  Make sure that the horse is covered, you are covered and your tack is covered if you are going to get insurance.  Not everyone does, but I know that if anything happens to him then the vet bill would be so expensive that insurance was a must.  I also decided that I would get a horse box as the plan is to go out and about, so the insurance was to also cover the box as well.  If you don’t plan to travel about with them to begin with then think about hiring a trailer or using horse transport.  I wanted to be there to pick him up so horse transport was out for me and because of his size I needed the bigger size trailer.  I knew eventually I would be using it, but to be honest I could have waited as at the moment we aren’t going anywhere.

Horse wardrobe?  Don’t go mad straight off.  It is easy to get all the rugs they would need for a lifetime, but until you get your horse home, you don’t know the exact fit, you don’t know if they really do need that fly rug or grazing muzzle or bandages or brushing boots etc.  Give yourself a breather and step back and see what you need.  Obviously a travel rug, boots and a leather head collar for travelling are worth investing in.  You can get carried away and before you know it you have spent a fortune and you might not necessarily need it all.

Where is your horse going to be living?  If you have your own stable and paddock then that’s great and you need to think about what bedding you want to use.  Straw, Shaving, woodchips etc.  Ask the current owner what they use.  Is the horse you are buying messy or clean?

What do they currently eat?  If you want to put them on something different then make sure it is done slowly, perhaps arrange to take some of the food from the seller with you so you can do the changeover rather than having to buy two different sorts.  Do they have hay or haylage? What sort of nets do they use?  If they are greedy then you want smaller holed nets rather than the big ones where they can eat it all in half an hour.

Basic First Aid and Grooming accessories.  This was a minefield.  I asked my horsey friends what they thought was their one important thing in their tack box.  I ended up with a very long list.  A grooming kit is essential as is a first aid kit with stuff like hibiscrub, sudacream, baby wipes, scissors, bandages, purple spray, shampoo, fly spray etc.  I will give you a list of my kit in my next blog.

Do they need a companion?  Were you planning on getting two horses?  I wasn’t!  I was happy just to get one and be done with it, but then the seller said that he had a Shetland for company and that she didn’t want him to be on his own.  Gulp.  From Zero to Two!  I advertised for a permanent/long-term loan of a Shetland.  I luckily found one local and so that problem was sorted.  It was arranged that they would come on the same weekend.  Another horse means having the insurance too, and if you are loaning, then make sure you know what you are liable for.

You know the date you are picking your horse up.  Arrange for the first week for the Vet to come and give any injections that are due, and to give the once over, Farrier, to come and check their feet and shoes, and the saddler to check the fit of their saddle, even if it is the one that you have bought from the seller.  Dentist, yes, they have said their teeth have been done as well, but if you get it all done then you know you have done it right rather than relying on their word.

This is before you have even picked up your horse.  Lots to do isn’t there.  You feel at this point that your head is going to explode.  It won’t, I promise.

Next blog:  Picking them up and bring them home.