# Bringing a new horse home



## Ellieandrose (Apr 27, 2012)

In my opinion you can just put him with the other horses that he will be with and they will sort out the pecking order within a few days. Once the pecking order has been made and your horse is used to the property then start easing him in to work. Hope all goes well for you and him! 
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## greenness16 (Jul 27, 2012)

Great, thanks for your suggestions  Do you think I should spend much time with him or let him be for most of the time to get used to things? Nice to talk to someone else in Australia ^_^


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## OwnedByAlli (Nov 8, 2011)

I like to give a new horse a few days with a fence between the new horse and the heard, just so they can settle in and get to know each other without the risk of the new horse having the cr*p beaten out of him :/ He can retreat and have his own space while he is feeling unsettled. Its also useful if the barn you are going to wants to quarintine the new horse for a week or so- some do.

As far as riding, give it 3 or for 4 days probably. See how he seems to be settling in. Its also important that in the first month or so you are extra vigialent about behaivoir, as this is when the horse will test you most to see if you are up to being his momma!

Congrats on the new horse- hes a real nice looking horse, and welcome to horsey ownership!


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## greenness16 (Jul 27, 2012)

Ah yes, that makes sense  I suppose the setup of the new place will determine whether or not we can do that, as unfortunately the place I ride at is full at the moment so we're still looking for a place to go for the time being. 

I have not heard of anyone quarantining new horses in this area, although it would make sense if they did.  We'll just have to talk to the barn owner when the time comes.

Thank you  I am super excited ^_^ Technically he's a pony though, only 13.3  But yes, he is gorgeous  His name is Yoshi


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## hhadavis (May 3, 2008)

I ALWAYS put a new horse in a stall at least the first day or two, somewhere the rest of the horses can reach but you still have that fence between them. Then once the initial excitement wears off it will be alot less stressful to let the herd figure out the pecking order. I had a friend that just let a new horse with the herd the first day and they sent her thru a fence and she ended up 2 miles away before they found her. If only it he had waited a couple days I know it would have ended up better. You'll know...when I introduced my new mare it was only a day and I could tell the edge was off about the newcomer and let her out. With a horse I boarded it took a couple days. And I always made sure the other horses were in the field before I let the new horse out so no one got cornered anywhere. ALso grooming is a great bonding tool with a new horse...I did a few days of that before I even tried to ride my new mare. She had so much other stuff going on with the new horses, home etc..I just wanted to give her that adjustment period.


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## InStyle (Nov 14, 2011)

I have ridden mine the day they arrive sometimes. I had one arrive she was saddled and taken out 15mins later to bring the cattle in. 

Some horses sat for a day or two before I rode them. 

I usually give them a few days in their own corral/paddock to meet the other horses over the fence. 

When they are hauled to shows, they are expected to behave and be ridden without a few days to settle in, so why do they need that here. 

Pretty pony 
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## HagonNag (Jul 17, 2010)

Some time spent grooming him every day would be well invested as you get to know each other. He's going to be there 24 hours a day...he'll have lots of time to settle in. Yoshi is an adorable pony! You look like the two of you are going to have great fun!


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

Ellieandrose said:


> In my opinion you can just put him with the other horses that he will be with and they will sort out the pecking order within a few days. Once the pecking order has been made and your horse is used to the property then start easing him in to work.


All horses are nervous when you bring in an outsider bc they like routine and don't know what their new position in the herd will be. It happens to people in businesses, too.
UNLESS your new horse is the obvious new herd leader you will probably have a new horse injury and a new Vet bill. Don't do this.
I have introduced many new horses to existing herds. They need to be separated by a fence for about 1-3 months, so that they can introduce themselves to each other. Then, they need to be handled and ridden and trailered together. When you see that they have established herd order, THEN you can test it by supervising the new horse turned out with ONE member of the herd at a time, preferably by starting in the enclosure with the new horse, then adding one of the herd at a time. 
Only ONCE did I not have a horse fight when a new horse came into the herd first day. It was when I had made a temporary fence to "protect" my newly acquired 15yo horse, "Tyke" (toughest horse I have EVER met!) from the herd. He broke down the fence, took over, relegated the previous leader to an outsider, and let the old mare and the pony eat with him.


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## greenness16 (Jul 27, 2012)

Thanks so much for your replies everyone  What you are saying makes good sense, and the last thing I want is for him to get injured, so I'll do my best to make sure everything goes smoothly. However one of the barns I have been looking at has just large paddocks of several acres and all the horses are kept in these. I don't think that keeping him in a paddock by himself next door would be a possibility at this barn. Has anyone got any ideas for integrating him into the herd in a situation like this?

Thank you, he is gorgeous  I certainly can't wait to bring him home!


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## Foxesdontwearbowties (Jul 9, 2012)

Could you get permission to put up temporary fencing? It would cost a little, but fencing off an acre for him would be safer than anything else I can think of.


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## greenness16 (Jul 27, 2012)

Foxesdontwearbowties said:


> Could you get permission to put up temporary fencing? It would cost a little, but fencing off an acre for him would be safer than anything else I can think of.


That's a good idea  I'll have a talk to the BO. Thanks everyone!


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## HagonNag (Jul 17, 2010)

If you can't get temporary fencing up, then at least walking him past the fenceline a few times a day may help with his introduction to the herd. Just be sure to stand well back in case there's any squealing and wheeling. 

When he joins the crowd, be prepared for some excitement as everyone figures out exactly where he stands in relationship to everyone else. Your BO should be experienced with this. Just make sure that someone is there watching until things settle down.


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## eclipseranch (May 31, 2012)

how big are the paddocks? how many horses are kept in each one?


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## greenness16 (Jul 27, 2012)

eclipseranch said:


> how big are the paddocks? how many horses are kept in each one?


I'm not sure exactly. I think it's something I'll have to discuss with the BO. Thanks for your help everyone!


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## TankPony (Nov 20, 2011)

InStyle said:


> When they are hauled to shows, they are expected to behave and be ridden without a few days to settle in, so why do they need that here.
> 
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


This!
Everybody is always so concerned... but really, a good horse should be able to go anywhere and ride immediately. 
I think we rode the day after we brought Trix home.

We've *never* had any issues with introducing horses into the pastures together right off (a large pasture, though). In my experience, doing so works best if you know the status of the horse that you're bringing in (is he typically at the top or bottom of the pecking order?). If you have one distinct leader in the pasture, I'd remove him or her, let the other horses mingle for a few hours, then introduce the new pony to the boss. I'd only be concerned if any of the horses had a history of being physically malicious.

The temporary fencing idea worries me. I'd be afraid that they might get hurt/shocked if they decided to paw (as I've seen so many horses do) or if there is any kicking or bucking. Those reactions are typical and generally safe when introducing a new horse, but could spell disaster with a flimsy electrified fence in the mix. Unless temporary fence means something different in this context?

OP, how many horses share a pasture? Putting a new horse in with two other horses is one thing, but putting the pony in with 5 or 7 other horses is totally different and much more overwhelming.
** Oh, so you don't know... that would be important to find out!


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## princecharming (Dec 2, 2011)

congrats on a new horse!! veryyyy exciting 

i wouldnt worry too much about your horse fitting in to the new herd. It would be ideal to put him in a paddock for a week or so and switch in and out members of the herd, so that when he gets turned out, he will have a buddy.

on that note, my horse got tossed out into a new field during a hurricane(safer out in the huge field then in a small enclosed area) and he got along fine. there were some teeth marks on him, and he was definitly last in the pecking order....but he survived


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

If the new horse understands horse tape (mine do) then I fence off a section and put the new horse there for the day. They get to meet the crowd without being in the thick of things and I get to see how they react to mine giving me an idea of what may happen when I turn them in with the crowd. If they know nothing about tape I set up the round pen in the pasture and do the same. Next morning after feeding when they all move off to their spots I turn the new horse loose. I expect some scuffs and a few knocks as they work out where the newbie belongs but I know about where to place him in the feeding order and keep skirmishes to a minimum that way. As for when to ride or work them that starts from day one.


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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

I rode my horse the first day he came home. As someone already mentioned, when he goes to shows he's expected to settle in quickly. I also had him on trial, so if he was going to flip out at a new place, I wanted to know that while I could still return him. He's such a laid back horse, even after being trailered an hour and a half and being surrounded by people he had only met once he acted like he had been there all along. I would certainly have had second thoughts about riding right away if he had been high strung


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