My father just bought a gorgeous farm. He is going to let me keep my horse there rent-free, which is WONDERFUL, as it will free up some much-needed cash. He's also planning to buy a horse for himself so my mare will have some company...I have impressed upon him that horses need herds.
Thing is, my horse is 20 years old and has always lived in a boarding stable, in a stall, on grain and hay. I plan to keep her in the barn for a while and just take her out on the lead until she gets adjusted to the new surroundings, but eventually I would like to let her roam free on pasture. How long does it take to get a horse accilmated to grazing? I know that if I let her at it right off the bat she'll probably get a potentially-leathal case of colic so I need to ease her into it, but how should I go about it? No one at my barn seems to know...they all have show horses, and there's no pasture at the barn.
Also, she has very tough hooves...I have thought about pulling her shoes when she gets to the farm and just trimming her up when she needs it. If I do that, how should I go about it? She'll still be ridden occasionally, but the ground at the farm isn't very rocky at all...it's all pasture, with some woods.
I want for her to live out her days as naturally as possible after a life of living in stables and such...I think she will be a happy horse.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Thing is, my horse is 20 years old and has always lived in a boarding stable, in a stall, on grain and hay. I plan to keep her in the barn for a while and just take her out on the lead until she gets adjusted to the new surroundings, but eventually I would like to let her roam free on pasture. How long does it take to get a horse accilmated to grazing? I know that if I let her at it right off the bat she'll probably get a potentially-leathal case of colic so I need to ease her into it, but how should I go about it? No one at my barn seems to know...they all have show horses, and there's no pasture at the barn.
Also, she has very tough hooves...I have thought about pulling her shoes when she gets to the farm and just trimming her up when she needs it. If I do that, how should I go about it? She'll still be ridden occasionally, but the ground at the farm isn't very rocky at all...it's all pasture, with some woods.
I want for her to live out her days as naturally as possible after a life of living in stables and such...I think she will be a happy horse.
Thanks in advance for any advice.