filly pastured alone

Question
QUESTION: I am considering leasing a 6 month old palomino quarter horse filly, and if all
goes well, buying her in the spring. The current owner purchased her at a
horse auction for very little money. She is extremely gentle, already
halterbroken and easily led. Two questions: 1) the owner has her pastured in
a separate field without any company. He says he never introduces young
horses to a herd until they are at least a year and a half old. I'm worried the
isolation will negatively affect her behavior. Should I be concerned about this?
Also, she is painfully thin. The owner says she was even thinner when he
bought her at auction. He's graining her twice a day and giving her a flake of
hay a day. She's also been wormed. Does this sound like the right steps to
take?Is their anything I should be wary of?Thanks for a response...Jenny

ANSWER: Hi Jenny,
Social skills are important and if you do go ahead with this filly, I'd interduce her to a small group anyway as soon as you can.  Keeping horses by themselves cuts down on pasture injuries but it does really cause some issues down the road when you need her to interact correctly with other horses.  The second part of your question - the filly needs the hay increased in order to gain weight.  HAY is extremely important to the digestive system and it just doesn't work correctly without it.  Worm her once per month and the more hay she gets the more she will get out of the grain she is eatting.

Take care-
Jeff

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks, Jeff. I have decided to go ahead with her. On the feed, they are giving
her just a flake of hay a day. Does that sound like enough to you? There is
some grass in her pasture, but it is sparse, among a lot of weeds.

Also, how often do you suggest a horse have its hooves trimmed?

Thanks,

Jenny

Answer
Hi Jenny,
As I said in my last reply - she needs her hay intake increased as one flake a day isn't all she needs.  If she is already under weight, feeding her one flake a day will only keep her thin.
Every 8 weeks she should have her feet checked by the farrier.  Keeping her feet in good shape will insure a good foot as a grown horse.

Take care
Jeff