How long should I wait before riding?

This might be long. Sorry.

Woot! I got to ride Lucky at my barn for the first time and overall I am pleased. My stirrups were too long so I couldn't manage to get the best seat but we are hole punching them tonight. He did not want to go past the gate and tried to turn around and go back once we did get past it. I had to correct him repeatedly for it. I hope he will eventually learn that we are simply not stopping at the gate every time he feels it!

Oh and his trot is awful. One of the bounciest I've sat. I don't have an english saddle yet but I may quickly become someone who posts in a western to spare us both the bouncing. He supposedly has a western trot which his previous owner showed me how to do but its still pretty jarring although not quite as bad.

There was a ton of stuff going on at the barn and he was mildly distracted by it but not spooky. I was able to focus his attention back on me.

He also free lunges which he did fine except he didn't want to turn and go the other way without me walking up and turning him around. I had practiced with him at his old barn and he did fine but his previous owner was right there. I was doing the hand signals she showed me. We will keep working on that. I may post another thread about how to get him to do it. He also stopped when my boyfriend tried it and wouldn't do anything but follow me around.

I think he might be a keeper but I'm going to reserve judgment for a few more rides :) thank you all for the advice
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LOL, gotta love those rough trotting horses, I describe them as riding a jackhammer during an earthquake .

I am happy to hear that he did well. Some of his issues may be that he is in a new place and basically surrounded by new people. I'm sure that, as you get to know each other better, those little things will work themselves out.

Oh, and BTW, there is absolutely nothing wrong with posting in a western saddle so long as you aren't showing .

Keep us updated.

Yippeee, you got to ride. So glad.

Keep us posted (no pun intended) on how things go.

I usually wait a good few days before riding a new horse. I figure with new people, new horses, new surroundings, and the stress of being taken away from everything they're used to is jolting enough for a horse without trying to perform under those conditions as well. I understand that many people who show (I don't) need their horses to be able to adjust to any situation and work so I do think it just depends on what your using the horse for. Even if I were though I figure at a show at least the horse has someone they trust and are familiar with (the rider) rather than having absolutely nothing familiar. I just brought my new mare home last week and the stress of working out a new pecking order/a certain gelding deciding he thinks he's a stallion was enough stress for all of us for the first little while lol. In your case though I would definitely have given him about the amount of time that you did, you do want to give him a thorough try out after all.