I need some help. I have just been given two horses to look after, I don't have too many details yet, but here goes...
Theres a chestnut mare, looks part arab, about 14.2 and a lovely bay gelding about 13.2. I have started looking after them as his daughter is no longer interested and I went to see him because the bay desperately needed his winter coat grooming out.

Well, I spent 2 hours with them tonight and they are lovely, BUT its been a while since I looked after horses! They are currently free grazing on 14acres (which my house is pretty much int he middle of!), and seem happy, good weights. The chestnut mare is younger, the bay is fairly old.

He has said my 8 year old can ride them... my issue is that I would prefer her to ride the bay, but he doesn't have much muscle tone and he is probably about 16? Is this too old to start now? She's a good rider, sympathetic and she would only be gently led... but I don't want to start anything that might do him any damage. They have good conditon and quality tack.

Is there anything I should do for them now?

Also, I will be getting them shod before she rides..what other preparations do I need to make? Theres no rush, I want to get it right :)

Any advice you can offer would be gratefully received :)

That's a difficult one without seeing the horses in the flesh. Is there any reason why the part arab can't be ridden?

I think I'd be tempted to ask the owner about both horses' riding history, i.e. last time they were ridden, what they've done in the past, any old injuries, any bad habits etc. The lack of muscle tone on the bay concerns me slightly. This may be an indication that he's either lost it due to his age & declining health or he hasn't been ridden for so long that to put a young girl on his back & trot him about could lead to an accident/injury to him or to her.

Still, despite this, if you were just going to lead your daughter out on him, just gentle walking with her happy to sit there not doing a lot & you leading & encouraging him along, re-adjusting him to windy days, paper bags, sudden barking dogs, meeting other horses etc then I don't see too much of a problem. Trouble is, if your daughter is a competent rider then she will quickly become bored of this & want to move onto something a little more interesting.

With the chestnut, I'd be tempted to put her on the lunge rein and give her a gentle session to 'work her back in' & see how she goes. If she's calm & steady enough, them perhaps your daughter could take a few lessons on her in a month or so after gentle exercise? Once horses have been put out to grass, it does take a fair amount of time to get them fit & re-adjust to working life again. My mare was a nigtmare after a summer's holiday! Fat as a barrel & spooked at absolutely anything, also very prone to injury due to muscle wastage after having such a long rest.

Just to be absolutely sure & confident, I would ask the vet to check them both over, especially for arthiritus in the gelding, just in case. (Unless the owner can tell you that he's had it done recently) I'm sure you don't want to be responsible for any accident/injuries to someone else's horse - or your daughter come to that!

Lady G

Hi

The part arab looks the picture of health, thats what worries me (lost my nerve after a few bad falls, made me very wary)! It looks like the bay was the daughters first pony, hence the difference. He really enjoyed his grroming today though, bless,

Good idea re lunging the mare, I think it must be about five years since they have been ridden, he basically keeps them to keep the grass down. I could probably get away with just leading my daughter around the land at first.... what would be the best way to get the mare/gelding (when vet checked) back into road work?

Thanks for your help :) Much appreciated

Hi Chloe

Lucky you being "given" two horses! With any luck you'll be able to go out with your daughter. A fantastic summer awaits!

Not much I want to add to Lady G's comments really ... though a good insight into each pony's past is to have a look at their tack - particularly at their bits, and aids such as martingales. Before you ride make sure you give the tack a good going over first - it might need oiling a few times to get it supple again. Check the stirrup leathers/bars and girth straps for signs of wear. Might be an idea to check the saddle trees too.

16 is still a good age for a pony, and he'll probably benefit from working (some of the best gymkhana ponies are 18+!). If he does look like there's a bit of muscle wastage going on he might actually be a bit older. Your best bet is as Lady G says to find out his history. If he's a sensible chap you've nothing to worry about, but remember that just because he's smaller and less "araby" doesn't necessarily mean he's going to be an easier ride. Little ponies can be very nappy and can buck as well as any hoss (I've got the scars to prove it)! As the two of them have been out at grass together for a while you could try bringing each of them in individually for a grooming session etc, to see how they react when separated. Although I wouldn't usually bother doing this for a pony, I would usually get a horse that hadn't been worked for a while to stand in its tack for a bit to get it accepting and mouthing. Mind you, as they're both out at grass it might be helpful to do this anyway before they are worked to settle gassy tummies.

You can build up work on the flat from 20 minutes free walking - the main danger here is not damage to tendons/legs etc, but soft skin rubbing on tack. Make sure both pony and tack are clean and use a decent numnah.

I'd take a while to get to know their little quirks before riding on the road. Traffic is flipping dreadful these days and it just takes one spook at a monster to find yourself in the middle of the road.

Have fun!

Jo

Hi - thanks for this - really appreciated

I will take a good look at the tack today, I am also off to get them a couple of new headcollars and brushes :)

The smaller pony is gorgeous, and definitely rules the roost over the chestnut mare (he has my respect already). I have only recently moved here, and the horses haven't really been near us, but i went in the field yesterday and the smaller one (finding out their names today - i forgot to ask!) stood for an hour with me pulling off his old coat by hand... everytime the chestnut came over he saw her off. He's very docile (so I'm told). I then spent a further hour and a half going over him with the brushes and he LOVED it!

Regards to the muscle tone... its difficult to describe, I could be worrying about nothing! He seems to have quite a bendy neck, no muscle there really, and his backbone is quite prominant (good numnah needed!), his hip and his withers seem to stick out a little more than normal, but this could be his age I guess? He is good weight wise though, not thin at all. I think he would benefit from some short work...

The chestnut, to be fair, looks a lovely pony. She was fussy yesterday too. I'm going to take her out and groom her separately, because i fear we may an issue if I try and take her away from him. There are 3 things that worry me about her: chestnut, mare and arab! :D

The land is divided into four big paddocks - one of which they don't go in often. I think I will tack them up and lead them round the remoter paddock a couple of times, without a rider, to see how they go at first. It will probably be quite relaxing and trust building for both of us that way - what do you think? We're also going to do lots of grooming and carrot buying :)

Don't forget to check they've been wormed - would that account for the condition of the older one? (It's been soooo long since I had anything to do with horses I think I've forgotten more than I ever learnt!)

And remember, 16 is no great shakes for a horse - didn't Red Rum win the National when he was 14? (We'll see you at Aintree next year, then, yeah? ;) )

Only if I'm allowed to carry the pony round JG :)

I think its about time you came up here to see the zoo... I think we should time it for when I pick up Holly... although she will probably only be here for a couple of days (I say...probably) ;)

Oh, we've all heard that before, haven't we? "She's only visiting/ I'm not keeping her"....hahahahaha! ;)

Thats the one :) It is only a foster home though till Pat K can pick her up... they have some really good homes waiting at the moment, and I am already about to take on the other one (excited)... and trying to get the ponies sorted aswell. And did I tell you about the rabbits?

Think you have had alot of good advice.
All I can add is as a previous owner of an Arab - if she has not been ridden for a while please go very careful when you first ride her as Arabs can become very flighty, great if you have loads of confidence and a strong rider but a nightmare if not! My Arab was amazing and they have got to be my fav breed. Enjoy them but as a mom don't take any risks as who would look after the kids if you were injured.
Before I had kids I was a real dare devil and did alot of competing, had the kids and am now content with a quiet hack :D

I definitely agree - at 14.2 she's too big for Mollie anyway - so we'll be sticking with the little one :)

Ok, for a start...16 is no age for a pony. My friends hunt their 23 year old! My old pony lived to 40....its middle aged so dont fret.
If they have been out at grass with little attention then the 1st thing to do is get teeth and backs checked. Teeth problems and/or worms may account for ponys poor condition. Personally i wouldnt dream of putting a child on a pony that was an unknown quantity, regardless of what previous owner tells you. get a small but COMPETENT adult to ride it out gently a couple of times first before you take any chances.

If you start with gentle walking for about a fortnight....assuming its feet are ok, then build up gently from there. you will need to be very careful about saddles etc as the saddle may have fitted 5 years ago but probably will not fit, considering its current condition now. get a professional saddle fitting before you do anything under saddle. i agree with all the rest of the comments.

I'm more concerned that I get him back to a good condition (with my limited experience in doing so) than his age - I walked him up and down on the grass tonight, but its difficult to tell because his hooves need checking (they are slightly overgrown, and some have split back). He seemed very happy with getting out the field though, and has been following me around since. Do I get the vet to call to check the teeth and back?

I don't know of anyone who can ride him, not at his size, so I am probably restricted to the farm, although I may lead him out on the road for a change of scenery (riderless) - what do you reckon? I'll get the saddle checked, and oil it - but riding the pony is a long way off. I am also getting him a summer rug and a winter rug in preparation.

He's looking much better after another hours grooming tonight, and I've picked his hooves out - they seem in good condition and clean.

Edit: I'll be lunging the pony for a good while first too.

If the bay is fairly stocky/native type then you might be able to ride it out first.

I still ride my 25yo 13.2hh new forest pony sometimes - and she still tries all her old tricks and loves being ridden. I mainly hack her out gently (well as gently as she will let me - she has always been *forward going* :D) and last year i put her over a couple of small jumps.

I think keeping older horses in work helps them live longer and is better for their mental health. :)

Unfortunately not - I'm 5'7 and the poor pony would have all four legs flat out and his belly ont he floor! :D

I wouldnt have thought he neede a rug...unless you are thinking of an anti midge one for sweetitch?
Why not ask someone horsey to just ride him a couple of times...its not hard to find someone, put a notice up in local tack shop, or ask at the vet/hunt kennels/riding school for someone to try him 1st.

As for back/teeth, a vet will do it (they probably need filing) or use a recognised reputable equine dentist and physio...they are usually much more knowlegable than vets!

Hi - lucky you. If you cant pluck up the courage to ride her-just send her down to me - I'll have a bash!! Some blacksmiths also check and rasp teeth and may be cheaper than the vet - especially if he is coming anyway. Also beware of Laminits - 4 acres at this time of year is an awful lot for 2 ponies. If possible I would divide 1 of the 4 acre into 2 or even 3 paddocks. Another thing to check is their Tetanus vaccs. Even if you dont vaccinate against Flu I really would have the Tetanus done. Good luck with your new charges.

Hi... ok, the farrier is coming asap.

I have also managed to find someone who is going to take the chestnut mare on loan, but keep her here, she's an experienced rider and owner who will be taking responsibility - so I only have the little one now.

Once the farrier is through I am going to lunge him, and ask a horse friend to come and checker him out - after the vet has been.

Thanks for all your advice

PS - WL, they actually have 14 acres! I am going to try to and get the owner to section off the fields.

is your friend qualified as a saddle fitter? Can she rasp teeth, remove wolf teeth, straighten pelvis, check back and release tension in the lumbar region?????
You need a professional to do all this before you attempt anything else. Also, lunging him will not assertain whether he is safe for a child to ride!
You may well find that as a native his feet will be ok after a couple of visits from the farrier & some pareing. On the other hand he may require many weeks of surgical farriery/shoeing to get them right.....hope the cheque book is at hand!
Someome once told me gleefully how foolish I was to pay £5000 for a horse when they had been "given" one for free. i smiled inwardly as I watched them spend spend spend over the months.......the horse needed so much doing to it, it would have been cheaper to get one vetted at the sales & buy it for good money.
Re the 14 acre field...if the pony is thin when it has this much grass available i would definitely want the vet to look at it. Your best bet would be to buy an electric fencer, mains or battery, and some horse tape & section the field off yourself. Have they been in this field for some time? Do you have a worming programme for them yet? Its really important that they are wormed every few months especially if the pasture is horse stale.
Hope it all works out & keep us posted on your progress.