@Mage early afternoon would probably be better, because it takes a while after lunch to get Pony's tack on but he'd be gone until supper. If there's no way that the journey could be that quick then I could add that he'd been delayed somehow and couldn't leave until later.
As for staying at his house, that'd be fine if everyone agreed to it. I don't really mind either way. It could be a bit cramped, though, and Ted would be super annoying.
