Happy herds

Posted 26th January 2026

Follow Meg Elphick’s steps to finding your pony’s best field friends

As a fellow pony lover, I’m pretty sure you’ll know by now how important it is for your pony to have friends – along with plenty of forage and freedom, of course! When moving yards or introducing a new pony to a herd, there are certain steps to follow that will help you make sure your pony stays happy during her time in the field. Here’s my plan of action…

Getting to know you

First things first, learn as much as possible about your pony so you can find the best match for her. Is she confident and brave? Or does she prefer to be led by other ponies’ actions? Maybe she gets defensive over food or chooses to graze alone most of the time.

Knowing more about your pony’s personality, as well as her usual field habits, will really help you make this process stress-free!

Finding friends

Depending on your yard set-up, you might not have a choice on who your pony is going to be turned out with – however, it should always revolve around happy, healthy ponies! Speak to your yard manager about who’s likely to become your pony’s new bestie so you can also get to know their owner and the pony in question!

Slow introductions

Once you’ve found out who your pony is going to be spending her field days with, why not ask the pony’s owner if you can go for a ride together? This is a great way to slowly introduce the ponies and get them used to each other in a more controlled environment.

Neigh-bours

The next step is to put the ponies in fields next door to each other, so they can interact over a fence. If you prefer, you can add an extra line of fencing in between them so there is a little gap to prevent them from touching – you can then reduce this over a few days to bring them closer together.

Find out more of Meg’s top tips for keeping your herd happy in March PONY – pick up your copy today!