We moved yards today!

MadMumInKent

MadMumInKent

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Feb 27, 2005
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Pumpkin and I moved into our new home today, DIY on a fairly busy riding school yard. He loaded into the lorry, much to my surprise, though he was quite nervy. I expected him to be on his toes, it's his personality, he's got no confidence in himself. Anyway, arrived at new yard, put him in stable, and he seemed to calm down so after an hour or so, i decided to turn him out. After the odd squeal or two, he and the other 2 geldings in the field settled down and I toddled off home to do the kids etc. Came back this evening to get him in, and it seems Pumpkin wanted to come in a bit earlier as he'd crashed through the fence into another field. (the others had come in already - tomorrow I'll time it differently!)

Of course I don't expect him to be settled on the first day, but wow, is this all scary stuff. He's all prancy, he leads me in and out of the field rather than the other way around, and he's just not my Plumps right now. I suddenly am feeling a huge weight of responsibility on my shoulders that didn't appear to be there when I was on full livery being looked after by my lovely YO. Will this feeling disappear do you thinK? Am I capable enough to look after my own horse? Will Plumps settle down and become my much loved Plod again? yeah, I know, of course he will, but at the moment I'm really missing the safety blanket of my last YO!

PS started a new job today! 5am start :eek: Its only for a couple of hours 5 mornings a week, but 5am? :eek: Was up and awake at 4.15 this morning :eek: Blimey I'm shattered! :D
 
Busy day then, it's always funny when you move, when you arrive everyone is peering to see what your horse is like. You don't know where anything is or how the yard works.
He'll settle soon.
 
Dont worry MM Pumpkin Pie will soon settle down. I know how you feel with the kids etc. I have burnt the midnight oil stocking the freezers up in a well known food chain till 2.00am and then felt like I'd done 3 rounds with Mike Tyson on the school run a few hours later ...but I have to earn a bit extra for the private lessons etc. Keep us updated and dont worry too much you should still be able to get some help and experienced advice on a riding school yard.
 
Awww, Pumpkin on the loose! :eek:

We had exactly the same with Megan when we first turned her out... we went back to her stable to muck out and heard the clatter of hooves outside; I said "ohh, somebody's in a hurry..." to my daughter just as she shot past the barn towards the main road! Luckily the gates were closed and we cornered her in the cow barn :rolleyes: She was out of puff and a bit distressed but other than a nosebleed from barging the pasture gate (metal) open she was fine - I needed a stiff drink that evening :rolleyes:

He'll be fine, new learning curve for you both - bless :p :p
 
He'll be fine MMIK. He just hasn't got a clue what's happening and why. You're his only continuity and once he realises that life is just fine, he'll relax. Pity they don't understand plain english at times like this, as you just can't explain it verbally.:)
 
Your horse will be fine:D just needs time to settle, I moved my horse at the beginning of last winter, to a totally different regime to anything he was used to i.e. living out almost full time only being fed once a day etc, and I have to say it's the best decision i've ever made:D my horse is no longer stiff, I dont use any suppliments for it anymore and he is even more laid back than he was before, he did drop weight which worried me, but I was told that although he was extremely happy with his new life his motabolism (spelling:confused: ) would take longer to adjust.

don't panic as long as he knows mum is there it will all be great!!
 
I know the feeling. When I moved Beryl from livery to DIY I wondered at first quite what I had done. She was very unsettled by the move and very spooky and nervous to begin with. I spend lots of time with her on the ground building her trust and slowly she came round. Now she is like a totally different pony to the one I had at livery. She is totally relaxed in herself, much calmer and not spooky to ride. Looking after her by myself I think made a huge difference, she really trusts me now. I though we had a good relationship before, but now we are so much better together.

If you can what worked really well for settling Beryl in was I went up and let her wander around the yard inhand. Letting her go up to everything and smell them in her own time made a huge difference. I keep the leadrope on, but just followed her where ever she wanted to go. She got a lot happier after she had decided that everything wasn't going to eat her.

Good luck
 
Second vote for the wonder round in hand, each time I've moved Ziz we go on tours of the yard, the schools, the local hacks all in hand with her sniffing madly, and sometimes jumping behind me when she's scared too !! She also seems to settle in and then a few weeks later she tests me again then after about 3 to 4 months she's back to her normal self, some horses settle quicker given a week or so off and then ridden/worked as normal, some horses settle best with little time off and worked straight away. If she's introduced into a herd I always give her a couple of weeks off while the herd dynamics are sorted out.

I also had a total panic moment when I moved Ziz down here as it's our first time on DIY, it's worked out really well though. :D

Good luck, hope he settles soon.
 
Thanks everyone, I know you're all right, he WILL settle, but it was just a very scary first day :rolleyes: God I'm a wimp, no wonder me and plumps get along so well ;)

Today he was lots better... Had his brekky and a nice groom and then I rode him in the school for about 15 minutes, just long enough for him to realise its the same old stuff, nothing new and dangerous is going to happen etc etc. He was pretty good, and when I turned him out he was much calmer, as were all the other horses in the fields that we have to go through. I will definately take him for a walk around the yard though, thats a brilliant idea. Before I rode him in the sand school, I walked him around it so he could see everything, so why i didn't apply the same principle to the whole yard I don't know! :eek:

Anyway, thanks for all the encouraging replies, we'll try not to break through any fences today.... :D
 
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