Info needed for first time buyer of horse/pony

N272WA

This might sound a bit stupid, but bear with me.

I have quite a bit of land that's sitting idle, and I'd like to put a horse or pony on it.

I did a bit of show jumping as a kid (many years ago), and rode ponies, but haven't had any dealings with the equine world in a very long time, so I'm very out of touch.

I'll have the opportunity to look at some Connemara ponies soon, and am strongly considering getting a Gelding that probably wouldn't be broken, and putting him on my land, paying to have him broken (any idea of costs of this?) and then riding him on my land.

In case it matters, I'm 5'7" and 9 stone. Too much for your average pony?


I'm not looking for a race horse or a showjumper, just something to ride on my land for fun in the evenings after work.

I would appreciate ANY advice whatsoever; I haven't made any choices yet and I'm open to buying any type/breed/whatever. I'd love to know of the costs involved, and any other useful info.

I don't have stables at this time, and would prefer something that could live happily outdoors, and I've been told the Connemara ponies have no problems with this. I see many others out year round, but would welcome any opinions.

I would be open to building a stable in time (maybe for winter), but not just yet.

I suppose farmers would be better able to answer some of my questions here, rather than people who deal with stable horses.


To summarise, if you had quite a bit of land, ideal to put a horse on, what would you get, what would the potential weekly costs be (as in, feeding, etc), and what other info should be considered?

I have searched for guides to taking care of ponies and horses, but all seem to be for stable-kept animals which would be entered into showjumping.

Any info appreciated, thanks!

Lobelia Overhill

I'm getting back into the world of horse ownership too, I'll be keeping mine at livery - having found a place I can afford

I wouldn't be getting a youngster tho' I'm looking for something that's at least 6 years old and can do a bit of everything now, rather than something that'll need to be backed and schooled. You're height and weight are fine for a pony!

I don't know much about keeping a horse at grass, but it is doable, a Connie ought to be well suited to it! you need to make sure the fencing is very very secure and the gate is easy to open and close.

You'll need to check the field and any hedge or trees to make sure there's nothing poisonous there, and if the field can be accessed by the public, you may well need to check people aren't chucking rubbish in and/or feeding your horse tidbits. And you'll need to pick up the droppings every week as well.

You might want to invest in a field shelter, it'll give the pony somewhere to go to get out of the rain, and somewhere for you to bring him to check him over, groom, feed and tack him up, and somewhere to put water for him.

Is there a local farrier you can use to deal with the pony's feet? A vet who knows about horses?

best of luck with it!

monflat

hi there ,
you are lucky to have your own land and i love the idea of keeping a horse or pony out in the field when it can be done.

If you are thinking of getting a pony do consider getting a friend for the horse as they are herd animals and if you keep it alone you may find that you might find it difficult to ride out each time you want to ride it.
Would you consider something with a bit more experience rather than a young horse as they can test boundaries and if you have been away from horses for sometime now you may feel you are not as competent as you were when you were younger i find this a lot with people who have been around horses&ponies as a child.
If you are getting a connemara you need to be aware of laminitis with any pony or sometimes it affects horses too where they eat too much rich spring grass and basically part of their hooves become damaged and they find it difficult to walk and it can be fatal if not treated
Thats why you would need to restrict grazing if the grass is rich.
If you got a connie there would be really no need to feed it extra feed if you are just riding around your fields.

The other costs would be vaccinnations , shoe if you need to get pony shod
Worm doses every 4 -6 weeks in the summer 8-10/12 weeks in the winter.
Tack for the horse saddle bridle
Rug if necessary depending on how much work you would be doing with the horse.
Dentist once a year or more regulary - once buying a horse i would get dentist to check teeth first .

Any vet costs over the year
Proper Fencing on your land and proper water supply as if there is a danger there like wire or anything a horse could get caught up in believe me they will.


With regards to your weight 9stone is not too much for a 14-2 pony they can carry and pull a lot more weight than 9 stone !


Would you consider taking on a horse or two from a charity like the irish horse welfare trust or similar as if you are looking for a horse purely to eat grass and gentle hacking around your land you need not pay big money for one .
there are many people out there now looking for a home for their horse as they cannot afford to look after it any longer with the recession etc!

There are lots of cross breed ponies out there who would be good dooers and would live out all the time and would not need too much shelter other than a ditch or a feew trees .
Sometimes you will find some horses do not like to go into purpose built field shelters as they cannot hear properly and as they are tamed wild animals they still think there are tigers out there to eat them .

If i had the oppertunity to take on more horses i would look into taking on a horse who someone could not care for any longer of one from a welfare organisation nowadays there is so many horses and ponies out there now that i would not be paying big bucks for.

Thanks just my opinion as i would love the challenge of bringing the horse on - but you may need to consider an experienced horse.

in regards to books look up amazon as there is a lot of books out there on horse care keeping horses out doors
some people may say you need a stable if the horse gets sick etc or needs to stand in if it got an injury thats just another thing to think of

good luck in your search

N272WA

Thanks so much for the advice, lads.

I think you're both right mentioning that an older horse might be the thing to go for given I haven't had experience with horses in years.

Something that's already used to being ridden.

I have looked at the IHWT website but they seem to only want people who can provide stables, and I can't meet that requirement.

This may be a difficult one to answer, but could anyone give me an idea of yearly vets fees, given nothing goes wrong with the horse? What is the average cost in a year for getting vaccinations and teeth checked, and any other standard costs?

I'll probably go look at older horses, but given I'm not used to buying horses, is there anything in particular (physically with the horse) that I should look out for?

Again, any info much appreciated, and thanks for all supplied so far!

N272WA

And also, I'm in the West, so feel free to recommend me the best resource for buying/viewing horses and ponies for sale online, in western Ireland. I've put hours into browsing various sale websites, and don't feel like I've got anywhere, with most ads months out of date.

Lobelia Overhill

N272WA wrote: »

This may be a difficult one to answer, but could anyone give me an idea of yearly vets fees, given nothing goes wrong with the horse? What is the average cost in a year for getting vaccinations and teeth checked, and any other standard costs?

I think these things vary from vet to vet. Some people don't vaccinate against anything anyways ...

I'll probably go look at older horses, but given I'm not used to buying horses, is there anything in particular (physically with the horse) that I should look out for?

Have a good look at his eye, does he have an "evil" glint, or does he look all doe eyed? you don't want a bad tempered horse, also watch for a horse that puts it's ears back and makes faces at you - he might not mean it, but then again he might! Stamping feet and swishing tail can also be a sign of a bad temper.

Have a look at him standing side on, does his back end match his front end? They should be pretty even (top of hip level with withers), and are his legs at the four "corners", and straight up and down when you look at them "head on", good feet are essential, nice big ones!

Try to avoid a horse that's advertised as having hunted for X number of seasons or is advertised as a hunter, they're not really suitable for just hacking around on as they're used to galloping across country!

Look for something described as a cob, a piebald or a skewbald traveller's pony often makes for a nice "hobby" horse to play around with. Or try at a local riding school, they might have something, or know of something ... Not a bad idea to take a few lessons so you can assess your riding abilities, things have changed a lot over the years!!

Not sure if you're allowed to post links to ads on line here, if we are then you can post links to anything you've seen online for critiqué!

best of luck!!

Sligome

costs relating to a horse can vary from 5 or 6 hundred to a couple of thousand.
you are looking at 50 to shoe every 6-8 weeks, and about the same once a year for vaccinations. teagasc have a great little hand book, email them and they will send it out to you.
depending on the horse during the summer they wont need any hard feed and depending onthe amount of land you have you wont need any hard feed in the winter.
i would get a nice sturdy cob they are great and placid and live out all year round, easy to care for and normally very docile,
go for an age range of 8 or up, horses can live into their 40's (not ridden at this age obviously) and i would say get two as they can get lonely, so get a cob and a shetland and they will be happy out, ncf do some great tack deals, saddles for 145 euro and so on, other than that there are some really good horse websites around ireland that have great delivery services.
pm me if you need any more details or where are you from and i will give you a hand

Sligome

N272WA wrote: »

And also, I'm in the West, so feel free to recommend me the best resource for buying/viewing horses and ponies for sale online, in western Ireland. I've put hours into browsing various sale websites, and don't feel like I've got anywhere, with most ads months out of date.

donedeal.ie, galwayhorse.com, horsesales.ie, horsehunter.ie and of course the dealer, let me know what type of horse you are looking for and ill keep my ears to the ground.

doctor evil

Get lessons in riding and stable management.

The animal will need company and you might find it difficult to get on a half decent farriers books if it's just one equine at home.

Connemaras are brilliant, I wouldn't be getting a young animal. If it's for hacking about look past pretty/handsome. Some of the ugliest horses with awful conformation can sometimes last the longest!

Do you have any horsey contacts? You could try riding clubs or local hunts. Even if its for hacking I would still get a 5 stage vetting as vets are expensive!

The BHS (British horse society) stable management book is extremely comprehensive for both stable and grass kept animals.

Red_Marauder

There have been some great responses, I would just second the bit sligome mentioned about getting a second horse for compnionship. Some horses will display less agitation (or none) about being alone and you might get away with a couple of sheep or a calf.

If you are not rotating the grazing land with other animals, and nothing has grazed there recently, don't be too worried about worming every 6 weeks. Worming programmes vary from horse to horse depending on risk from other animals and land, so consult your Veterinary Surgeon.

Be very careful about your choice of farrier, ask advice from a local who you are sure would be a good judge of skill. Unfortunately, regulation of farriers in this country (compared to the UK) is still a joke.

Have you considered re-seeding, or what state is the land in? Try get your hand on a good steady growing seed mixture that will be tough and durable, and suitable for horses. (Not sure are we allowed mention brand names?) Preferably, if you are re-seeding avoid those straight Perennial Rye/ Italian mixtures that dairy farmers use:)

Are you cutting hay or buying it in? And have you storage for it? If you are cutting it yourself, and the grass is suitable, do get onto it ASAP!

As for those field selters, I'm sceptical. Horses have been wintering out very successfully lon before those things, they tend to cause ground poaching and may even cause skin problems as such. In my own experience at home, our horses never bothered with them because the natural established shelter is good. I would only bother with it if you have no natural shelter tbh - especially if you're going for the cob type.

What kind of fencing do you have? Please please avoid barbed wire, sheep wire and even metallic single wire if you can. White tape or post and rail with electric guard are vastly better.

Finally (before this becomes an essay:D) what kind of road access and gates do you have? Not only is there a security issue here, but also your horses safety - never underestimate your horses threat to himself:pac:

hollands

Sligome wrote: »

costs relating to a horse can vary from 5 or 6 hundred to a couple of thousand.
you are looking at 50 to shoe every 6-8 weeks, and about the same once a year for vaccinations. teagasc have a great little hand book, email them and they will send it out to you.
depending on the horse during the summer they wont need any hard feed and depending onthe amount of land you have you wont need any hard feed in the winter.
i would get a nice sturdy cob they are great and placid and live out all year round, easy to care for and normally very docile,
go for an age range of 8 or up, horses can live into their 40's (not ridden at this age obviously) and i would say get two as they can get lonely, so get a cob and a shetland and they will be happy out, ncf do some great tack deals, saddles for 145 euro and so on, other than that there are some really good horse websites around ireland that have great delivery services.
pm me if you need any more details or where are you from and i will give you a hand

cold you say who ncf are for tack please. hollands