# Getting my new horse to get along with my other one.



## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

Hi, and welcome to the forum.

I'm moving this thread to the main board so that you will get answers from the full membership. The forum you posted this to is for members who have some problem on the forum and want to talk directly to the moderating team.


----------



## Jewelsb (May 8, 2012)

With new horses I always put them in a field next to my horses first so they can become acquainted that way. This is so they don't get hurt. After about a week of good behavior such as grooming over the fence then and only then will I turn them out together.
I learned from s friend mistake. She brought her new horse over to a friends to stay the night since they were going to a show the next morning. They figured they would haul together. She woke up to her dead mare hung up in the fence. She had been stabbed straight through to a major artery and laid stuck on the post until she bled to death.
My mother had her horse ruined because another horse had kicked hers in the knee. Again that was from turning new horses out together before they got used to each other.
It usually takes about two weeks before they calm down, but I've had some that were okay after just three days.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

As far as your original question, the answer is "yes". It can take a little time for horses to become acclimated to each other. The typical way to introduce horses is across a fence for a time before putting them together. Sometimes that isn't possible but there can be some fighting going on and some general ruckus while they figure out the pecking order. 

If the fighting becomes a real problem (in terms them getting seriously hurt), then you should separate them for a time until they get to know each other across a fence.


----------



## LonesomeRanch (Jul 6, 2012)

My first introuduction was easy. Freckles took my pony in as if it were her child. The second time was nico. Very uneventful but I later found out they were boarded together ( freckles and nico). The last one (adding platinum) was downright scary. I ended up having to put temporary fence up for over a week. Then it took a month fir the squealing to stop. Best to separate them from the start! Its much safer.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## WickedNag (Sep 7, 2010)

I had two horses that never did get along. Due to the boarding situation I am in...one had to go. 1 mare and 2 geldings, mare was horrible to my gelding and the old gelding we had wasn't going anywhere, so we have had only had geldings since, and the herd has always been pretty quiet. Now we just have two horses.


----------



## usandpets (Jan 1, 2011)

Yes it is normal for there to be squabbles when introducing a new horse. It is best to introduce over a good, solid fence. It can take just a couple days and it can take months. They may never get along. 

You can introduce a horse without having a fence in between, if there is a lot of room where the new horse can escape the others. A lot meaning several acres. 

We had never used the thru the fence intro for our horses. They got along pretty well from the beginning. When we introduced a friends horse, it took from Sept to Feb before things settled. In Feb we introduced two more of another friends horses, again not over a fence. Things settled back down in about a month. There were some small squabbles until the last friend removed her gelding. Then, they all seemed to really get along 

The only time we used a fence was with our new colt. He is only 4 months old. We didn't plan on getting him and were not prepared to have him here. We've only got polyrope fencing and were having problems with our electric fencing. All the horses respected the fence, so I hadn't bothered trying to get it to work right. 

Because Jackson was so young, we didn't want to put him in with the whole herd. We wanted to introduce him slowly so he didn't get hurt. We ended up putting him in a dog kennel we set up in the pasture. Throughout the day, I would take him out and walk him in the herd. The geldings had no problems with him and seemed to protect him. The mares didn't like him period. In3 days, he was "freed" by one of the horses and was accepted into the herd. There are still small scuffles but nothing to bad. 

So like I said, it can take just a couple days, a couple months or they may never get along.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Palomine (Oct 30, 2010)

I'd separate them, if you don't have room for the other to get away. 

As others said, this can end up with injured horse.

Always introduce them over a fence, to let them see each other for a few days.


----------

