Items for keeping minis on your property for the first time

[NoahG]

Hey everyone,
As the title suggests, I will shortly be moving my minis out of the boarding facility and to our property in SLO County. So far on my mental list of things to prepare the property is have a section of grass cleared where they will stay, the fencing to make their enclosure, a shelter for them, a shed for hay and supplies, buckets for water (the property already has access to a well so water isn't a concern). Their main are where they'll live will be pipe fencing for now, with an outer fence to keep animals out. Eventually I plan on upgrading the fencing and making a grazing pasture as well.

So my question for you all is, what are items you recommend or ended up wishing you had on you before making the move to a new place for your horses?

All ideas and input are gladly welcome.

-Noah

 

[LostandFound]

That's so exciting to bring them home! So do you feed grain? If so you need an area you can keep animals out of to keep the grain in, and feeders. Depending on where your well is, you need a water tub for them and maybe a way to get water to it. (them will knock over a 5 gallon bucket, and could potentially get a foot stuck in the handle) Ours used to be pretty far so I used 7 gallon camping containers from walmart and a wagon to pull them. A dry area to have the vet or farrier out, and it's nice if you can lock them inside in case of an emergency. And a place and way to remove manure. Also, how much hay do you have to get at once? We have cold winters with a lot of ice, so I have 450 bales in my barn for the winter right now. If your hay is available year round and you can buy a couple bales at a time you don't need as much storage space.
I only keep basic supplies on hand, vaseline for minor injuries, banamine for minor colic, scissors, vetwrap.
If you get a wet season you will want to prepare for mud...I like crushed stone, but the best time to put that down is when it's a muddy mess already. Do you need a manure management plan in your state? We do, so I have a plan and compost bins, which I fill with muck buckets in a wagon. Wheelbarrow is easier but only does one at a time. The only thing I don't have that I really want is a place to tie them so I can give them baths. I have water at the barn but it turns to mud so I bathe them at the house on the driveway. Even if you don't give baths regularly it's nice to be able to rinse off mud, or cold hose an injury.

 

[candycar]

The only thing I could add is have a separate stall in your shelter to lock up sick or injured horses.
Good Luck! Having them home is the best!

 

[NoahG]

That's so exciting to bring them home! So do you feed grain? If so you need an area you can keep animals out of to keep the grain in, and feeders. Depending on where your well is, you need a water tub for them and maybe a way to get water to it. (them will knock over a 5 gallon bucket, and could potentially get a foot stuck in the handle) Ours used to be pretty far so I used 7 gallon camping containers from walmart and a wagon to pull them. A dry area to have the vet or farrier out, and it's nice if you can lock them inside in case of an emergency. And a place and way to remove manure. Also, how much hay do you have to get at once? We have cold winters with a lot of ice, so I have 450 bales in my barn for the winter right now. If your hay is available year round and you can buy a couple bales at a time you don't need as much storage space.
I only keep basic supplies on hand, vaseline for minor injuries, banamine for minor colic, scissors, vetwrap.
If you get a wet season you will want to prepare for mud...I like crushed stone, but the best time to put that down is when it's a muddy mess already. Do you need a manure management plan in your state? We do, so I have a plan and compost bins, which I fill with muck buckets in a wagon. Wheelbarrow is easier but only does one at a time. The only thing I don't have that I really want is a place to tie them so I can give them baths. I have water at the barn but it turns to mud so I bathe them at the house on the driveway. Even if you don't give baths regularly it's nice to be able to rinse off mud, or cold hose an injury.

Thank you for the advice! Snow won't be an issue but rain definitely will be. Central coast CA gets wet winters with tons of mud. My minis like their pellets but they're staying a good weight on hay alone so for now they just get pellets for their vitamins and supplements.

Manure management was something I hadn't thought of! Thank you! We have a good chunk of land (our neighbors rent part of the land to keep their horses, I could ask what they did before we bought the property) so we have some options there. The well has a pump and setting up piping and spigots would be fairly easy to do.
Again, thank you so much!

 

[NoahG]

I'll look into a quarantine stall/shelter, thanks!
I currently have to make a 30-40 minute round trip twice a day through Los Angeles area traffic to see them and I absolutely loathe it. I can't wait to look outside and see them enjoying their own space and not having to deal with random strangers roaming around like at the boarding facility. I'm so excited!

 

[HersheyMint]

I'm very excited for you! What a feeling it will be to have them so close to you to give scratches and snuggles. I love that area.
Lost and Found and CandyCar have covered it pretty real good. I would add that I love having a sun shade, just a covering on top. It offers a little protection but lets them feel the breeze but I live in the desert. SLO is milder. I'm happy for you all and a hug to Aggie

 

[Dragon Hill]

So I'm assuming you have power since you have a well? You'll wants some lights. For peace of mind, you might want a security camera, or game camera with SIM card that can send pics to your phone.

 

[NoahG]

So I'm assuming you have power since you have a well? You'll wants some lights. For peace of mind, you might want a security camera, or game camera with SIM card that can send pics to your phone.

We do have power, however there's only a handful of scattered outlets on the property.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

So happy for you!

 

[1roadtoad]

I have an additional comment to make about getting a property ready to bring horses home. I don't know if your property has been used for horses in the past or not, but when I bought my property, it had never been used for grazing animals. I had an individual (horse enthusiast, expert, that my vet knew), walk my property, looking for poisonous plants and trees or any other items that might be of concern. As it turns out, I ended up having a few plants (nettles, buttercups) and a few cherry trees surrounding the property that had to be removed. This person was very helpful to me. I don't know what the vegetation is like on your new property, but if it hasn't been used by horses before, it might be worth taking a look at what's growing on it.

 

[NoahG]

I have an additional comment to make about getting a property ready to bring horses home. I don't know if your property has been used for horses in the past or not, but when I bought my property, it had never been used for grazing animals. I had an individual (horse enthusiast, expert, that my vet knew), walk my property, looking for poisonous plants and trees or any other items that might be of concern. As it turns out, I ended up having a few plants (nettles, buttercups) and a few cherry trees surrounding the property that had to be removed. This person was very helpful to me. I don't know what the vegetation is like on your new property, but if it hasn't been used by horses before, it might be worth taking a look at what's growing on it.

Thank you! I appreciate all the great advice from you and everyone else! To answer the question, yes horses have been on the property, but they are poorly cared for and the ground is full of gopher holes, weeds, etc. The land used to be a farm but hasn't had people regularly living on it in nearly 10 years, so it's pretty wild. I have found a vet who specializes in minis nearby, so when I have the time I'll contact him and request he walk the property.

Thank you agian!

 

[MaryFlora]

Very happy for you all, Noah!

I have nothing to add to the excellent advice already given, except that when you get yourselves home , you walk out in your scruffy slippers and pajamas in the morning to say hi just because you can.

 

[LostandFound]

There is a lot you will figure out as you go along. And more you can probably figure out by talking to local horse people. If you get mud, and feed your hay loose, you want someplace to feed hay that they won't track bits around and stomp them into the mud. That makes the worst deep mess that you can never clean up. If you use a slow feeder or the slow feed nets you probably won't have an issue.

 

[DB Minis]

I am ecstatic for you, there is nothing like having your horses right at home to care for and love on! This is my first year with horses on our new property (no animals on this land before) and I'm still learning what works for us, the horses, and the land. I'm anxious for our first winter, we get lots of mud along with freezing temps and a little snow too.

In your shed for hay and supplies I'd recommend a small table to make mixing feed/supplements much easier as well as metal trash cans for containing said items. I have a little work bench table with a small metal ash can (ashes cleaned out of course) that holds all my supplement bags in one convenient spot, safe from critters.

Seconding the advice for separation areas - my horses' shelter is built into a pipe corral within their pasture and I didn't think I would use the corral but it has been so useful for vet visits and training. Last month one gelding had some mild colic symptoms so it was nice to have a small area to keep him separated and observe him/watch for poops!

Manure management... I thought I was golden being able to spread manure on our neighbor's open acreage. Turns out, it's a lot of work going over there to dump manure so we opted for a dumpster. Extra money to spend but a huge time saver which is more valuable to us. Having an ATV/trailer would make dumping easier if you wanted to go this route.

Dragon Hill mentioned a security camera - I have a solar-powered camera set up in the shelter and it has been a huge relief to be able to check on the horses from the house. This is an extra that I just love having and would highly recommend it!

You will be making a lot of changes as you find out exactly how you like to manage your horses and land so keep your options open and keep a collection of items. I have many different buckets, containers, tools, building materials, and more and don't use half of them most of the time, but I have switched out and gone back and forth on different things as I figure out what works best.