Q. I have two horses in my stable yard. One is a 20-year-old retired ex-chaser gelding and the other is a 12-year-old Arab gelding. They have been together for seven years, six of which were spent living on a small yard with just the two of them and no other horses visible or visiting. Obviously they are very attached to one another, and as they are both retired from ridden work (the 12-year-old is chronically lame), there is never any need to separate them.

I’m worried about their dependency on one another and any future bereavement of the horse left behind. Should I consider bringing in a third horse sooner rather than later? Would it make any difference to the surviving horse if a new "friend" is introduced as early as possible?

I’ve read that uneven numbers aren’t good due to pair bonding. Is this true? There isn’t enough stabling/grazing for a fourth horse