This section is intended as a reference (especially for first time horse owners) and to help everyone avoid some of the misunderstandings and mistakes that sometimes happen when you get your new horse home.  Many of you have owned horses all your lives but how many new ones have you had?  I have had a dog all of my life but with each living into their teens, that doesn't add up to many.  But I don't profess to be a puppy expert or know all the pitfalls of settling a new dog into a new home.  So this is where I am hoping that I can call on many years of owning 'new' horses and probably by now, hundreds of them and nearly all different!  Hopefully I can help you make the first few days and weeks of getting to know your new friend a bit easier and try and advise what to expect and not expect and what is fair or unreasonable.  So often we anthropomorphize our horses--that is we ascribe human characters to them.  But they still have wild instincts and react to your actions and surroundings.  So we must not make the mistake of assuming they see things through our eyes and have similar thought patterns to us.  Their senses are far more heightened than ours and their reactions usually more extreme.

So where to start?!  Probably best to get the important routine points out of the way.  If you have bought a horse from Stubley Hollow, he (or she) will leave with a list of details that will inform you of what his current feed is, when he was last wormed, teeth floated, shod, rug size, bit size and if and when he was last inoculated with either tetanus and or 'flu.  But a little more about each of these in detail:-

Feeding (and this goes hand in hand with routine, exercise/work and amount of turnout):-

in horsemanship but suffice to say that keeping feeds similar or the same to what a horse is used to is a sensible idea for several of the rules of feeding.  So it is a good idea to make sure you have the right sort of feed bought in before your new horse arrives.  Some people prefer to feed nuts instead of mix--nuts are the same as the equivalent mix except the cereals are prepared together and thus they tend to work out a bit cheaper as are cheaper to produce.  My only objection to feeding nuts--especially so to some of our Irish friends who may not have been used to eating them, is that they do on a rare occasion cause choke.  Especially so if you have a guzzling horse that eats too quickly.  So to err on the side of caution we stick to mix.

The hay at Stubley is specially prepared for us in small batches--it is a good quality meadow hay lightly sprayed with molasses which avoids the problems associated with dust and hay spores.  Fortunately I have a friendly farmer who makes super hay in large heston bales, stores it and re-bales it spraying it with a fine coat of diluted molasses just before he delivers it to us--once molassed it only has a limited shelf life.  But obviously this is not available to all so I suggest you try to feed a good quality meadow hay instead.  If you want to feed haylage then it is advisable to mix in ordinary hay for the first few days otherwise the change in the richness may cause scouring.  This is the main reason we don't use haylage at Stubley--when horses first arrive from Ireland they are usually a little stressed from a long journey and need an easy diet, haylage can prove too rich.  Also many of our horses don't need the extra feed value of haylage as none of them are on performance level work.  If you do decide to keep your horse on haylage then adjust the concentrate feed accordingly.  This is also necessary if you are increasing or decreasing the amount of work your horse will be doing or has better or worse grazing than he is used to at Stubley.  In other words--apply the rules of good feeding!  But if in doubt--feed a little less and remember the rule--increase the exercise before you increase the feed.  It's silly and not safe to over feed for several reasons but you want to get to know your horse in a strange environment before turning him into a fire breathing dragon who is prancing on his toes because he has a belly full of oats!  :)

Worming

All our new recruits are routinely wormed when they first arrive at Stubley.  That is unless we know they have been recently wormed at the previous yard they have come from.  The wormer used depends on the most suited to the time of year.  We keep worming up to date so if you buy a Stubley horse he will not be in need of worming unless it is coming up due on his worming programme.  To ensure they do get the correct worming dosage we do make it a policy here to use a paste in a syringe rather than risk one given in a feed. 

Some livery yards insist that all horses are wormed on arrival.  In my opinion this is safe to do as long as the horse has not been wormed in the previous 3 weeks.  You do run a risk of over worming and thus causing tummy upsets if you re-worm in less than 3 weeks from the last worming.  I would strongly recommend you ask the livery yard owner to wait until this is the minimum period from the last worming if they want the horse to be wormed again.  Ideally you do not worm until the next recommended worming time which varies with the different types of wormers used (approximately 8 to 13 weeks).

Thereafter keep to a regular recommended worming programme and don't turn your horse onto grazing pasture for 48 hrs after he has been wormed.  Alternatively have a regular worm count done to assess if your horse does need a wormer which may not be necessary--especially if your horse is kept on good grazing which is inter-grazed with sheep and cattle.

Shoeing

Like the worming programme, horses at Stubley are shod (usually on arrival if from Ireland) and kept regularly shod every 5 to 6 weeks depending on their foot growth (which sometimes depends on the time of year).  You may already have a farrier booked for another horse or the yard your horse will be kept at but if not I would suggest you book him to visit your new neddy as soon as you know the date when his shoes are next due.  The Horse Details sheet that you will receive will also list his last date of shoeing.  A good farrier is hard to get hold of and always busy--so book ahead, make sure your horse is used to having his feet handled and that they are clean and dry.  The kettle on is always a bonus!  :)

On the first shoeing make sure you are there to stand with your horse as it is unfair to ask any farrier to shoe someone unknown to him without you being prepared to hold your horse.  Some of the Irish guys are still wary of smoke if they have only been with us a short time and shod here once or twice.  Most of the farriers in Ireland shoe cold.  If you can't attend then arrange for someone else competent to be there for you.  A good farrier and regular shoeing are vital to maintain good foot and limb balance and keep your horse sound for years to come.  Neglected feet or a poor job can soon cause problems--even within a matter of months.  Think what an uncomfortable pair of shoes can do to you in a day!

Teeth

Often overlooked as regards regular treatment--this can be one of the most important of all routine jobs.  Neglected sharp teeth and especially those that are wearing unevenly can cause all manner of problems.  Well maintained teeth that are correctly floated and balanced means properly masticated food which is the first part of the digestive process.  You may find your feed bills work out less and you have a happier horse when he can chew his food properly.  And then we expect them to hold a lump of metal in their mouth--imagine what this could be like with sharp teeth or even worse the ulcers they may have caused.  Horses resisting--not only just in their contact--may well be the result of sharp teeth or those incorrectly floated.   

So virtually all the horses that arrive at Stubley have their teeth floated.  The only ones that don't are those who our dentist checks and is happy have been recently done and done well.  I would recommend you find a properly qualified advanced equine dentist in your area.  Check the qualified list of members on this link:  www.beva.org.co.uk  An equine dentist does not have to be qualified to be in business and if they are not, they may not have the same experience or work to the same standards as those who have been examined and passed the required standard by the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA).  These dentists are members of the British Association of Equine Dental Technicians (BAEDT).  Teeth floated badly can sometimes cause even more problems so pick your dentist with care.

Thereafter, follow his advice as to how regular your horse will need his teeth checking and possibly treated.  Younger horses tend to have more changes in their mouth so usually need a 6 monthly check although this may stretch to a little longer when they reach middle age--but your dentist will advise you.

Inoculations

As a rule this is the one routine requirement that we don't do at Stubley.  There are mixed thoughts about the safety of a 'flu jab and now affiliated groups such as BD and BSJA don't require them of local competitions, we have lifted the need for all out liveries to be inoculated up to date.  Some people only like to have a tetanus jab although as a one horse owner I would probably have both the 'flu and tetanus inoculation. 

If a horse arrives with us with a current 'flu and tetanus course we are careful that any subsequent injections needed are administered on time.  It's not a good idea to over inoculate and thus have to re-start courses too often.  This is one of the reasons we don't tend to start a programme--I have a memory like a sieve and often forget the timing of the 2nd jab and thus it has to start all over again.  Your 2nd 'flu and tetanus injection has to be between 4 and 6 weeks after the first--the 3rd 6 months on and thereafter annually.

Any horse here who suffers any cut of wound is treated with short acting tetanus.  If you decide to have your horse vetted before he leaves us and would like to start an inoculation programme--it is a good idea to have the first injection done at the end of the veterinary examination to save one of the call outs.

Chiropractor / Physiotherapist

We have regular visits from both qualified chiropractors and equine massage therapists.  Whether or not the horse you have bought from Stubley has been examined or treated by either will depend on whether or not we have felt he has needed work in this department.  We often get a horse checked over who turns out to be perfectly OK but on other occasions a horse has got a bit stiff, suffered tweaks, strains and subsequent spasms which usually resulted in lack of performance or progress in his work.  Treated quickly and in time with the necessary follow up type of work usually resolves anything turning from a little niggle into something more serious. 

As a one horse owner I would recommend you have your horses back routinely checked by a qualified practitioner.  I say qualified as although I know of some brilliant unqualified people who practice in this field (but only a few), I also know of some who are not qualified and not so good.  A good chiropractor or physiotherapist will be able to detect any early problems of muscle atrophy which may be caused by a variety of little issues.  You may be the cause if you are an unbalanced or crooked rider!  Your saddle may need adjustment as the horse may well have changed shape under a new routine, work load , management and diet.  Your horse may have tweaked a muscle when he rolled in the field, played with his friends or jumped through a grid with you.  But unless you have a real sense and awareness of your horses movement it may go un-noticed and he cannot tell you (not unless he starts to lean, pull, buck, offer some other form of resistance or go unlevel).  A sound and comfortable horse is a happy horse and much more likely to be willing to do all the things you ask.  Many problems (including changes in attitude, temperament and performance) often originate from discomfort or pain and a routine examination every 4-6 months or so would be a worth while investment. 

I have recently had a horse arrive at the yard who is so wonky and tight through his back and the reason he is here is because he was getting too strong for his owner.  Problem was not the strength of the horse but the discomfort he was in and thus the inability to hold himself up and carry himself in balance.  His owner had tried a stronger bit but of course it did not work - poor horse.  His action was poor from what was previously a really good moving horse and he rode down hill.  The jury is still out as to the cause as why so much in various places is wrong.  But my guess and that of a friendly vet and my chiro is that it could be due to poor shoeing.  His feet are now 3 sizes smaller than they were a year ago and this on a 5 yr old horse is nothing to do with mother nature.  His foot balance is wrong and I think the consequence has been to compromise in his action and muscle problems have resulted.  I hope we have caught it in time as should this continue the result is often altered angles in joints which can cause chronic changes--these are what you will know as conditions such as navicular, pedalostitis, ringbone, bone spavins etc.  This is not always the cause as these conditions can happen regardless of care and due genetics but it can be the contributing factor.  Remember the saying 'no foot no horse'.  But please don't think of just foot balance--correct carriage and balance is vital in all parts of your horse's physic otherwise compensation with consequent problems will usually result.  If only they could talk!?

Tack

Many of you choose to buy tack from us when you have bought a Stubley horse.  We sell new good quality English bridles which we will supply with the correct size bit.  The most common size being 5" as there are very few horses who have a wider mouth--despite many horses being ridden in bigger.  Check to see that there is not surplus mouth piece hanging down in your horse's mouth if it is jointed or that you can pull the bit from side to side with a fixed mouth piece.    We ride all but a very few of the Stubley horses in either an English eggbutt, loose ring or French link snaffle.  Some are ridden in a flash noseband but that's as far as we go with tranclements or gadgets.  I do lunge in a pessoa when need arises but rarely does anything else get put on a horse unless there is a specific problem.  Correct riding and schooling does the job better than any gadget that will usually only work short term and can create greater problems in the end.  The chapter on Chiro and Physio treatment will give you ideas as to what problems forcing muscles can cause.  So I suggest that you stick with the simple things like we do until you get to know your horse--they hopefully won't need anything else.  Sure if you are hunting, jumping or whizzing about in wide open spaces and have bought yourself someone keen for the job, it may well be a necessity to use stronger brakes than what you would for basic schooling in the menage.  So you may need to find a stronger bit that suits but I would still not make a habit of using it all the time as your horse will likely come accustomed to the extra strength.

There is a terrific array of various styles of bridles supplied in local tack shops and you may prefer something more fancy as we only supply the old fashioned conventional styles.  But whatever you end up with--please do your horse a big favour every time you ride.  I appreciate you may not have time to clean your tack each time it's used but please take a few seconds to wash the bit!  Your horse will really appreciate it.  Cleaning and oiling your tack on a regular basis will also keep it comfortable and supple for your horse, give you the opportunity to check stitching and wear for safety and give it a longer life.

Saddles on the other hand are less easy to find that fit correctly.  I am on the constant hunt to find good quality 2nd hand saddles and we do have some to sell when you buy a horse as long as we have one to fit.  If your horse is still fairly young and or likely to change shape--I would suggest you stick with a good 2nd hand one and wait until he has reached a shape and fitness he is likely to maintain before considering spending lots of money on a new saddle.  However, many makes do have interchangeable gullets which make adjustment easier and this is also an option although sometimes a bit of a compromise if the shape of the panels don't suit the shape of the horses back.  Whatever you decide--get you saddle checked regularly by a qualified saddle fitter.  If adjustments are necessary it is advisable to have the saddle flocked and fitted to the horse on site and not have the saddle sent away where there has to be an element of guess work.  Horses can change shape really quickly and I have seen a saddle only a month old look a bad fit on a horse when I know it had fitted well merely weeks before.  Especially so when a horse is ridden by a new rider who may ask more or less than his previous jockey and /or  feed, management and fitness have changed.

Passports

All horses leaving Stubley will have a passport.  It is the law and illegal to sell a horse without one.  Most of the company's issuing passports require the vendor to sign a transfer of ownership form declaring that the horse is sold.  You will then need to complete the form and sign it--returning it to the relevant passport office with the required administration fee (usually about £10) within 30 days of being the new owner of the horse.  The passport must stay with your horse for the rest of his life and travel with him wherever he goes.  It is a good idea to read through the different sections of the book and learn what records are maintained there.  Your vet may ask to see it anytime he is asked to treat your horse and record relevant treatment or inoculations.  You may also wish to sign a section in the passport that request this horse may never be slaughtered for human consumption.