How long to wait before riding at new barn?

Hey everyone! So my guy is finally here!!! I hauled him the 3hrs from where I had him to my town today and he did beautifully (as expected) :) He settled right in and liked his stall neighbor, ate dinner, munched his hay, and even let me deworm him without ANY problems. My question is, how long do y'all typically wait before going on the first ride at a new place? I don't see how it's much different than going on an overnight trip, camping ect. Shouldn't we expect our horses to uphold their training in either situattion? Just needed some guidance here because I'm really thinking about going on a short ride tomorrow if all seems well in the morning. Thanks!

"Shouldn't we expect our horses to uphold their training in either situation?"

If you have that Trust/Trust relationship with your horse...yep!



Maybe a little ground work in the new area, but I know my horse and i'd take him right out after some rest from the trip.

Depends on the horse..sounds like he is pretty easy going...tomorrow if he seems just as comfortable, why not!

Im impatient if id wanted to ride id get on no matter what..

I agree, there's no time like the present!

When I brought my first horse home, my trainer encouraged me to get on and get riding as soon as possible, basically to take advantage of the horse being out of its element to start building its trust and respect in you.

Definitely go for a ride tomorrow. I'm sure he'll be great. And congrats on the new horse

If he's got a good track record, right away.

I didn't ride mine right away because we had been working on some issues and so I worked on ground work and various things for a month before I got on. In hand trail rides, lunging, in the round pen, free lunging in a polo arena, etc. So by the time I got on him, his habits had lessened and we didn't have any problems.

So it's up to you :)

Depends on your horses training and your experience. If it was me I would be on his back right after arriving without giving it a second thought. But then I mainly trail ride and expect my horses to handle being ridden as soon as they get pulled out of a trailer in whatever location I chose to ride.

These replys are music to my ears! I feel the same way as several who said they didn't waste any time saddling up right off the trailer but we were in the middle of torrential dowpour (VERY much needed) here in south Texas. As of 8a this morning we still are and it's forecasted to last till tomorrow night. If there's a break in it this afternoon I plan to at least lead him around some to get him out of his stall but no riding due to the super slick mud. :/
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Well, we haul them several hours to ride them, in a strange place almost every time.....and then there's the horse camping....

If you've bonded with the horse then ride, ride, ride......

If you're confident with the horse and a capable rider, get right on. If there are issues you can deal with them accordingly.