Acres, kids, and the first pony: the first 90 days
The pony is usually the reason the family moved. It's also the animal most likely to founder on the spring grass, and the one most likely to be standing next to a child who doesn't yet know where not to stand. The first ninety days are half about the pony and half about the rules.
The first week — the rules before the riding
Never behind, never under, never alone
The three rules for children around any horse, and they get repeated until they're boring. Nobody walks behind the pony, nobody ducks under its neck or belly, and nobody goes in the paddock without an adult until you've decided they can. A pony is small; a pony's kick isn't.
A helmet every time, including "just leading it"
Most childhood horse injuries aren't from riding; they're from the ground. The helmet goes on when the child goes near the pony, and it comes off when they come away. A properly fitted one, not a hand-me-down that's had a fall.
Walk the fence at pony height
A pony gets its head through a gap a horse wouldn't try, and gets a foot caught in a fence a horse would step over. Mesh or rails low down, no loose wire, and a gate a child can open and, more importantly, shut.
Find where it's going to stand in the afternoon
Shade at three in the afternoon, water it can reach, and a fence between it and the road. Stand where the pony stands and check.
The first month — the pony's people
The farrier, before you need one
Feet every six to eight weeks. Ring now and ask to be on the round. A pony with overgrown feet is uncomfortable long before it's lame.
A horse vet, and the laminitis conversation
Ponies founder. Spring grass, a rich paddock, a bit too round — and a pony can go from fine to walking on eggshells in a day. Ring a horse vet now, in a quiet week, and ask two things: what to watch for, and whether this pony needs its grass limited. Then do what they say before spring, not after.
Teeth, worming, and a record
A pony that drops feed or holds its head oddly may need its teeth done. Worming is a vet's plan now, not a calendar; whatever they recommend, write down the date and product.
Who's allowed to feed it, and what
Children feed ponies things. Bread, lawn clippings, a whole bucket of pellets from the bin — each one has hurt a pony somewhere. Feed lives behind a door, and there's one person who feeds, and the children know it isn't them, unless it's with that person.
The first season — grass and weather
Spring: the grass is the danger, not the cold
After rain, green growth is rich in sugars, and that is exactly when ponies founder. If the vet said limit the grass, that means a smaller paddock, a grazing muzzle, or time off the grass altogether in the flush. A pony standing with its front feet out in front and leaning back is a vet-now call.
Hot days: water twice, and the child does the check
The afternoon trough check is a good first responsibility for a child — with an adult, at first. It teaches the one habit that matters most.
Snakes, bees and the long grass
Children and ponies both move through long grass without looking. Keep the paths and the paddock edges short in the warm months, and teach the children that a snake is left alone and an adult is fetched.
Fire danger days
On a high day, no riding out, no slashing, and a plan for where the pony would go. The rating for your district is on the page linked below.
Ring a vet now if
Ring a horse vet straight away if the pony is walking as if on eggshells or leaning back on its heels; is rolling, pawing or looking at its side; won't put weight on a leg; has pale gums; or has eaten something from the poison list or a large amount of feed it shouldn't have. And ring a doctor, not a vet, the first time a child is kicked, stood on, or falls and hits their head, helmet or not.
Write down today: the farrier, the vet, and the three rules on a sign by the paddock gate. The sign matters more than it sounds.
The rest of this list turns up by itself
The farrier date, the worming record, the trough check on the hot day, the fire rating on the bad one — the app builds the week for your place and your animals from your own weather, and puts each of these on the right day. Nothing waits on you remembering a guide.
General guidance for someone new to keeping animals on acreage, written to be careful rather than complete. It is not veterinary advice, and nothing here replaces a vet who has seen your animal. Rules about identification codes and tags vary by state and change; check with your state department of agriculture.