Advice on introducing new horse to established herd?

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Beatrice5

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I am trying to introduce a very gentle older mare to my very well established herd of my mare her 2 yr old filly and my very protective and jealous 5 yr old New Forest Gelding.

We have had the older mare elec fenced off but next to my 3 for nearly a week so at the weekend as all was quiet we put the old girl in with them. They were quietly grazing all day a few sniffs and squeals but no galloping or chasing everything seemed settled.

The older mares owner took her for a quiet hack, came home popped her rug on turned her back out with mine. I get down an hour later to find her all lathered up and in a right state. My gelding had decided he didn't want her near his girls and was constantly moving her on. She was clearly distressed so I let her back her side of the fence and cooled her off and changed her to a dry rug.

Today I took my gelding out and had her in with the girls and all was very quiet and relaxed. Put gelding other side of fence then swapped them over a tea time.

Ideally want all in together as believe the herd enviroment is what she has missed being kept alone for so long and I attribute it also to her struggling to gain condition. She does enjoy the mares company and follows my 2 like a lost sheep.

How do I manage my jealous gelding and get him to accept her and stop being so territorial over my 2 girls? He does like to herd his mares but he can get rather carried away and the older mare has had a rough time recently and is still getting back to where she should be condition wise. She could really do without being worked up into a lather by the gelding :(

Advice very much appreciated. Especially from those who have managed similar such characters.
 
This may be a problem every time the new one comes back for some time. Could they just be left with no coming and going for a couple of weeks until she is fully accepted.
I would put the gelding into her area with her, he should then be happy and you should then able to move them all together.
 
I cannot have my young WB out with my mare and pony for the same reason that he just hassles and pushes the mare about too much. She won't stand up to him and she ends up scared and worn out, so sadly he remains on a paddock on his own.

I think you can persevere, but supervised. Sometimes the personalities are too big imo to change and not every horse gets on in my experience. I had a seemingly gentle sweet aged pony that my 10hh'er simply hated and was hateful to for no apparent reason.
 
I am too scared to let him work her up again and as they are not in my line of sight at home I will be worried the whole time. They are half a mile down the road.

She is a 16.2 20 yrs old TB willowy gentle girl and he is a 13.2 5yr old Forrester perky big character typical cheeky pony so I think he will always try his luck seeing how far he can push her around. If she didn't run he wouldn't chase but you can't explain that to a horse :(

We will see how the swapping them over routine goes for this week and maybe try again next weekend when I can do hourly observations.
 
Also wondered if there was anything else I could do to help him accept her ?

How long do they need to be together for before I can relax and stop worrying? They spent a whole day all looking settled and great but was the owner riding her then putting her back in the trigger or would he have started to chase her eventually anyway? He like to chase the filly around but she is wise to him and plays for a bit then reverses into him and tells him to bog off with a half hearted flick of her back legs.

Will she ever learn to stand up to him?

Is there a time scale to when a horse is accepted into a herd?

Wondered also if putting him on a calmer would stop him being such a pest?
 
Just take time! 1 week is NOTHING - it took 5 weeks for me to settle my new youngster in 2 years ago as my pony (aged 26) and horse (aged 21) are boss and 'sidekick' essentially and the pony is very very riggy, always has been so what he says goes. Hence we take a long time introducing any newbies - the pony and horse have been on the fiel for 18 and 17 years respectively so it is very well established.

We started with putting the lowest in the pecking order in with the youngster first as this caused less upset for the boss horse, we then put the next one up and did this one by one over the 5 weeks. My horse was actually the worst as was doing all the dirty work for the boss pony and, unlike pony who does very clear warnings and essentially just ensures any new horse is kept an acceptable distance away from his herd, my horse just runs in and attacks! After 5 weeks they had all had there indvidual time with the youngster and so we mixed them on a fresh field with good grass too so as to make tht their focus more.

All went well that day and then they came back over to the other field for tea time. All was ok until suddenly my horse went on a full blown attack after the youngster which was quite terrifying!! we separated them all again that night but then the next day put them together again and all's been well ever since. I think we were almost at 6 weeksby the end.

You have to be patient and read your horse's behaviour. Plus the mare needs to understand horse behaviour as well - if she's always been with submissive, quiet types the she may just not know how to cope with hierarchy.
 
Hi, I had major problems introducing my new 2 yr old gelding to my herd of two mares and another large and very protective gelding.
I had to start with putting the new boy on the other side of the fence then I tried letting them in together but that didn't work.
I then put the bossy gelding in with the new boy on the other side of the fence from the mares. Because my older one didn't have to worry about the girls he settled down, i left them like that for a week and then one day quietly opened the fence dividing them and they just drifted into the same field together. The older gelding still chases the youngster off every now and again but their ok.
 
I'd put the new horse in with the most dominant, and leave them for a few days. Once they're fine I'd stick them in with the others and just accept there will be a few squabbles to start with, as long as it isn't out of hand.

My horse is the lunatic toddler of his field; luckily he's chummed up with the boss and they all just tolerate his nutty toddler behaviour (he's seven :rolleyes:); if we'd tried to start off with the steady-eddy horses at the bottom of the order they would all just have fallen out, but boss horse put mine in his place and all is serenity. :D
 
My lad is a bully, he constantly moves his companions from hay sources, round the fields, but doesn't like being by himself, our new older ex broodmare, for the last month has given in to him, but today he was herding her and she stood her ground, he backed off and let her settle, sometimes you have to shut your eyes and let them get on with it
 
Thank you for taking the time to reply.

At the moment I am letting her in with girls in daytime and removing bossy gelding and swapping gelding and older mare back over late afternoon.

So should I try them all at the weekend again or just put him and older mare in a fresh field for the introductions? The fields are hilly, boggy in places and not the easiest terrain which doesn't help.

I couldn't turn a blind eye as this is the mare who I found upside down dying in a freezing ditch in January. She has come along way but is still not up to weight and due to her age is slightly arthritic so not in a great condition for fending off the bully boy.

Interestingly she seems to eat more when with the girls as I think the company relaxes her when seperated she tends to stand and stare at the others from her side of the fence.

I am trying to read the horse language and even dug out my horsewatch by Martha Willey-pilkinson ( or something like that) but couldn't find a section on new horse herd dynamics :D
 
I would try them again - as it seems to have been removing her and then putting her back that was the trigger for the gelding.

I would also be prepared to sit there for an hour and a half to watch them - and then go back hourly. And If all goes well do not remove her or him for at least 5 days.

Good luck.
 
Thank you. I will be brave and try again. Is an hour and a half enough time to know he won't try it on big style?

I just feel so protective over her , if she was more of a robust sort I wouldn't worry so.

Maybe I should take the pony for a long hack beforehand and tire the little chap out a bit ;)
 
Beatrice5 said:
Thank you. I will be brave and try again. Is an hour and a half enough time to know he won't try it on big style?

I just feel so protective over her , if she was more of a robust sort I wouldn't worry so.

Maybe I should take the pony for a long hack beforehand and tire the little chap out a bit ;)
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Taking him out for a hack is a good idea, put the mare out before you go then he joins them rather than the other way round, it should help if he is a little tired:D
 
I think you need to listen to some of this good advice: yes, sometimes you just need to let them get on with it. I agree, take the gelding out, perhaps for several days, and let the girls all sort it out between themselves (horseworld is not necessarily the gentle "Black Beauty" world we all want it to be), then let Mr. Big back in to his (now changed) dynamic. In the natural world, contrary to myth, mares actually rule.
 
The girls don't have any sorting out to do. My mare is boss and doesn't feel the need to fly at anyone, my titch NF gelding is 2nd in command and my mares daughter who is 2 is little miss easy as pie.

I can turn old girl out all day with the mares and not a peep out of anyone.

It's the little chap with short man syndrome who feels the need to chase and bite bottoms.

So Cortez your advice is to remove him for a few days but therefore won't he feel really lonely and even more jealous and then to put him back once older mare is really well settled in with my girls? Not a horse phychologist and maybe totally wrong but won't he be even more grumpy then?

Just seems a bit steep on him as he is so deeply bonded with my girls and when I put him on the other side of the fence in the daytime so the oldie can graze with my girls he stands there looking all pathetic and left out.

Okay I am as soft as mush but I need to consider everyones needs here - hence so desperate to find a way that works for all.
 
It is the 2nd in command (my horse) in our herd is the one who was the worst when we introduced my youngster. It did actually surprise me a little as the real boss wasn't overly bothered about the newbie - yes he squealed and let him know he was the boss as it was but it was the horse who powered in there and was intent on doing damage.

I think this is because they have the most to lose - they are near the top so they have to keep the rest below them in the pecking order. The 'boss' horse isn't going to lose their position so can let 'sidekick' sort any newcomers out.

It will settle down but I too would never be one to just throw them in and let the get on with it - this can possibly work in a less established herd where there are mainly non-dominant horses but, anyone who hasan established herd or even just particularly dominant individiuals knows it is not that straightforward.
 
It sounds like it's the nice older mare and the gelding that need to learn to get along, not the other two mares and the new horse. So put the gelding and new mare together and let them make friends without distractions. He's being protective and possesive because he's currently GOT something to protect and posses about (his current mares)! Take that away from him and he'll be desperate to make new friends.

I'd put him and the new mare in a field (preferable away from your two other mares) together for a week or so then let them all back together again. Then the only sorting out they'll need to do is the power balance between the mares.
 
How are the older mare and your gelding together away from "his girls"?

I have a little herd of 3 and the other week a friends horse came to stay and was put in a paddock with my gelding who is a friendly soul who gets on well with other horses.

All was fine for the first day until the Shetland x mare ducked under the fence and got in with them and told the visiting mare that she was going to kill her! My gelding got into protective mode and started chasing the new mare around and being horrid. As soon as I removed the Shetland he calmed down and they spent the rest of the week joined at the hip!
 
I shall have to re jig the elec fence and make a decent sized field for gelding and older mare to acclimatise in they will need space just in case there is some galloping.

He is always very polite to new horses out on hacks so I don't think he is a total beast. But as others have pointed out to me I guess he doesn't want to loose his current 2 mares.

My mare ( the boss) and new older mare are today all loved up and nibbling and squealing and squirting at eachother like right old tarts. Gelding stood on the other side of the fence looking very confused and I must say I am too - never known 2 mares to be quite so tactile and flirty....?
 
I had this problem a few years ago - twice! on both occasions the chaser seemed fine to begin with but the following morning's I arrived at the yard to find newbie had jumped the fence (2 different horses, months apart) the chaser was taken out of the equation for a while (2 weeks)... let them settle and then intoduced him again and no problems.
 
CBFan once re introduced did the chaser not chase at all?

Even if they appear settled in the daytime I am having kittens at the thought of leaving them overnight in a hilly boggy field in the dark :(
 
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