The time has come for you to finally have your very own horse which you can love and spoil unconditionally!

But no matter how much you may feel prepared, it can be a very stressful time knowing whether you have everything you need to bring your unicorn home.

In This Blog:

For The Stable, Field, And Yard

Some of these items may not relate to you depending on your circumstances. Whether you choose to stable them throughout the winter, keep them out all the time, or you are on full livery.

Tools

No matter whether your horse is staying out all of the time or they are also using their stable, you will need to use a wheelbarrow.

We understand that wheelbarrows can be expensive, but it may be worth paying that little bit extra for peace of mind knowing that you have better quality, and it is less likely to break on you with a full barrow on the other side of the field!

To go with your wheelbarrow, you’re going to need tools such as a shavings fork or muck fork – depending on what bedding you are using, and a sweeping brush.

Along with these, you are going to need a poo scooper for your field and a ragwort fork as you will not believe how quick that pesky ragwort can grow, even when you are confident that you have cleared the whole field.

You can get all these tools in different colours and made from different materials. We recommend getting a metal shaving fork as these will last a lot longer and make things much easier for you as opposed to a plastic shavings fork.

Electric Fencing

Before you bring your horse home, you will want to check with your new yard whether you need electric fencing or if they supply fencing.

You may find that the field is all post and rail which will not require any electrical fencing…this will be a massive bonus!

Setting up electric fencing is never fun or easy, but if you do need to set up your field, here is what you will need:

• Electric Rope (We find this easier than tape!)
• Electric Posts
• Electric Insulators (You will only need these if there are wooden posts around the perimeter.)
• Battery
• Energiser
• Gate Handles

Feeding And Watering

No matter where our horses are living, they need a water bucket. We recommend going for a bigger bucket as you will have peace of mind knowing that they will have more access to water.

However, even if there’s water left in the bucket the next morning, empty and clean the bucket – after all, nobody wants to drink stagnant water.

Whilst we are on the subject of buckets, you will need some feed buckets if your horse is receiving a feed. Never use a bucket with a metal handle as this can be very dangerous to your horse if they become caught on to the handle.

Plastic buckets like these are perfect for feeding your horse as they can come in a range of sizes and colours.

If you find that your horse is destroying every feed bucket in the first few hours of owning them, a rubber feed skip will help combat this as they are much more durable. They are less likely to blow away in the wind too if you choose the heavier ones which are normally made from tyre rubber.

This product may not be relevant to all of you as some of you may feed off the floor or a hay bar, but haynets can be very useful to use in not only the stable but also the field.

Haynets can save a lot of mess with the hay or haylage as they will waste less which will save you money so you can spoil them with nice treats and fancy equipment.

When you are tying your haynets up in the stable, you will need a metal tie ring for safety. You will also need tie rings wherever you are tying your horse up. When you are tying onto a metal tie ring, never tie straight on to it. Always use baler twine or a safety release Equi-ping.

Bedding

Last thing you will need for the yard if you are stabling, is bedding! It is important to speak to your yard owner prior to purchasing your chosen bedding because some yards do not allow shavings or wood pellets to be used on site.

This is because it can make it much more difficult and expensive to remove the muckheap. Other yards will supply you with straw as bedding free of charge and others let you have free reign in whichever bedding you may choose.

Bedding can be a trial-and-error process to work out which suits your new horse best. Check with the previous owners if they have any health conditions which can flare up using certain beddings or if they have found them particularly messy with different bedding.

Wood pellets can be a particular good type of bedding to use. For more information on different types of beddings you can use, check out our blog on “What Do I Bed My Horse On?”

For Your Horse

Now you have got the equipment for the stable, field, and the yard, it’s time to start shopping for the exciting things for your horse!

It’s very difficult to do this bit and not go overboard and show self-control, so let’s cover the basics. 

Rugs

Let’s start this off with rugs. Whether you are buying your horse in the spring, summer, autumn, or winter, you can still treat them to a new rug.

• Winter Turnout Rugs: The weight of your winter rug will depend on many different factors.
• If they are clipped
• If they are out all the time
• If they are normally in a heavy weight rug

If any of these above relate to your new horse, you may need a medium or heavy weight rug.

• If they are overweight
• If they are a hardy breed
• If they are fluffy

If these relate to you and your horse, you can use a light weight or even a no fill rug.

• Summer Turnout Rugs: You may find that you do not need a rug for them in the summer, especially if they are slightly overweight or a hardy breed. But if this doesn’t apply and you think they will benefit from a rug, a fly sheet or a no fill rug will be suitable for turnout.
• Stable Rugs: The same applies for stable rugs. Rug according to your horse and never over rug them as this can cause colic and other illnesses.

Unless your stable is very open, you will find that you can rug lighter when they are in as opposed to when they are out in the field.

• Stable Sheets can be a great rug to own as many of them can have multiple uses. Due to them being so lightweight, they can be used in the stable, travelling, or even for cooling down.
• Fleece Rugs can be another great rug to own in both summer and winter. They can be great to use as a stable rug in the summer, used for travelling or as an extra layer in winter.
• Heavyweight Stable Rugs should only be used when it is extremely cold, and your horse is clipped and struggling with the cold.

This is a rough guide as to what rug you may need for your horse. If possible, speak to the previous owner and see what weight rug they are currently in. Each horse is different, and they can cope with the weather differently.

Travelling

If you are picking your new horse up, you are going to need travelling equipment for them.  This will consist of:

• Leather Headcollar and Lead Rope.
• Suitable Lead Rope or Bungee Tie to tie them up in the trailer.
• Travel Boots or Bandages and Bandage Pads if they will not accept travel boots.
• Tail Bandage or Tail Guard.

Always travel your horse in a leather headcollar as leather will break under any pressure. If your horse becomes stuck, the headcollar will break before they become seriously injured.

Save your everyday headcollar for home use and always have a spare leadrope in case they decide to snap theirs.

Grooming And First-Aid

We all love to spend some quality time with our horse to build that bond and trust up and become a perfect partnership.

So, what better way to do this than spending an hour grooming them and making them look gorgeous whilst you hopefully find their favourite itchy spot. But be aware, once you find their favourite spot, they will expect you to stop what you are doing and itch this every time and for hours!

We will help you get your basic grooming kit which will help you cope with all their grooming requirements. Things you need in your kit can include:

• Body Brush
• Dandy Brush
• Hoof Pick
• Mane And Tail Brush
• Metal Curry Comb
• Curry Comb (Plastic or Rubber)
• Treats

Another kit we really recommend you getting is a first aid kit because unfortunately our horses can be quite accident prone sometimes and need some TLC every now and again. In your kit, you should have:

• Purple Spray
• Vet Wrap
• Hibiscrub
• Thermometer
• Animalintex
• Softban
• Scissors
• Cotton Wool
• Syringe
• Wound Dressing 

It is always better to be prepared when it comes to our horse’s health and well-being…

Tack You Will Need For Your Horse

Unless you are getting a companion, you are going to need tack so you can ride your new horse.

Saddle

We are unable to pick out a saddle for you because you will need to have your saddle professionally fitted to minimise the chances of your horse becoming injured from a bad fit.

If you head over to Master Saddlers, you will be able to find contact details for your local saddle fitter to come and check out your new horse and find your ideal saddle.

For your saddle, you will need a girth, a pair of stirrup leathers and a set of stirrups. Before buying your girth, try a few girth from any friends nearby or people on your livery yard so you can get a rough estimate on which size they may need.

To use your saddle, you will need an appropriate saddle pad to go underneath. Always use the same style of saddle pad to which the saddle has been fitted too.

If you use a saddle pad which is too thin or too thick, this can add uneven pressure points to their back as well as disrupting the fit of the saddle.

Bridle

There are so many different bridles on the market today which all have a different purpose. It might be worth checking in with their previous owner which bridle they used before or try and think back to when you tried them and which style they had on then.

There are different types of bridles such as:

• Anatomical bridles such as the Collegiate Comfitec
• Grackle bridles
• Cavesson bridles
• Flash bridles
• Double bridles
• Drop bridles
• Bitless bridles

Within having a bridle, you will need reins and a bit, unless you are using a bitless bridle. When it comes to choosing bits, try and keep them in the same bit and always start with a snaffle and slowly work your way up through the bits.

Never go straight in with the stronger bits because once they have become used to a stronger bit, it can be difficult to drop them back down into a snaffle unless they are respectful and well-schooled.

If you find that they are strong and leaning, always ask for advice and consider lessons.

Extra Pieces Of Tack You May Need

Here is just a small list of items of tack you may find helpful if you own:

• Lunge line
• Lunge whip
• Boots
• Martingale

Having a lunge line and lunge whip can be a great item of tack to have on hand in case they are feeling particularly frisky that day or you don’t have time to ride them. This can take the edge from them whilst you are safely on the ground, or it can give them a good amount of exercise in a shorter amount of time.

We recommend putting boots on their front and back if you are lunging them as they are more likely to catch themselves on the lunge than they are being ridden normally. It also adds an extra level of support and protection to their delicate legs.

A martingale can offer you an added bit of security if they decide to become excited in their new environment.

You can hold on whilst they throw themselves around, meaning you will not catch them in the mouth if you pull on the reins and will hopefully prevent you from being unseated.

It can also be helpful for horses who like to throw their head up a lot and especially when they are approaching a jump.

Nobody wants to be riding a giraffe! However, if you find that your horse is doing this, have everything checked health wise first and ask for advice before using equipment.

We hope that this guide has helped you feel a little bit more organised before your first horse comes to join you. No matter how much preparing you can do before the big day, there will always be something which you have forgotten about.

The most important thing to take away from this blog is enjoy every moment with your new equine best friend.

Once you have formed that bond, you will be an indestructible partnership who will have each other’s back in every sticky situation you may end up in. Equines are a great animal to own who will bring you so much happiness and enjoyment!

Make sure to use our checklist below to help you prepare for the big day!

Your Own Checklist to Print Off at Home