Following on from the "sold a horse" post

Kat

Kat

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Ok so lots of people on there have been very critical about new owners expecting too much too soon from their new horses and not letting them settle in.

This is interesting to me as I'm just about to buy my first horse, and despite years of experience as I've never owned a horse before I've never had to settle one into a new home before. I haven't been able to find much about this anywhere either other than just keeping the feeding and routine as close as possible. I've even asked the question on here before!

So what do you do to settle a new horse in? And what would your advice be to a new owner about settling their horse in?

Perhaps if more people talked about this then less new owners would have problems................:)
 
No advice every horse is different and everyone has an opinion.

you have one advantage tho your are not going to treat the new horse like an existing or old one so there will be no preconceptions.

Do what you want in regards to riding. I would ride the day after they arrive I mean after all they might as well get into the swing of things.

Nikki xxx
 
when i got lady i put her in the field with the other 2 horses and just left her to it :) was hard to catch her at first but with a bucket of feed every evening she started to trust me and i was able to brush her etc....tbh she was more 'at home' and settled at my field on the first day than at the dealers....

but yeah it all depends on the horse, some can take months to settle :/
 
I think you've got to play it by ear (as such) with the horse, every one is different and it totally depends on how they feel in the new place, if they give you their trust quickly and so on. Some are far more sensitive than others and some don't take any notice lol.

My boy was a little beast when I got him, had been turned out for months left to his own devices. But after a month or two of handling, teaching respect and earning trust, he was completely different. Tbh, I think now he would settle quite quickly into a new home if he needed to. He likes his routine and as long as you tell him when he steps over the mark, he's really quite easy.

Make sure you pay attention to your new ned and take things at their level. I defo think a good routine is a good start for settling them :)
 
Hiya, that's the million dollar question !! erm ...

establish a routine quickly
take a few days worth of the feed that he is on to use for the first few days
give him some rescue remedy a few times a day in a small handful of feed
do all the meeting his mates over the fence stuff
don't try and ride, but lead the horse round places in his bridle, maybe for a week
spend as much time as possible with him
just take things slowly, very calmly and see how he goes I guess - but most of all enjoy !!! :D sm x
 
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it really depends on how you feel to be honest, taz got off the lorry and was put into his stable to munch a net and get a brush, then took him out for a half hour hack by himself and he was only 3 and a bit at the time, and he was an absolute angel, he was settled in the second the lorry stopped, and was in proper work from then just a bit of hacking every day with and without company to keep him happy, but at the time i didnt know that he was only three, i was told he was five so i would buy him and a few weeks later i got told he was only three but i wouldnt give him back as much as mum wanted me to
 
Depends on the horse and environment and how they react to it to be honest! Most of ours settled fine into the whole living out 24/7 and coming in to be ridden, fussed etc
My newest took awhile though, he only really settled after 3 months and now after 6 months is even better. He took a long time to get used to standing still and being tacked up as he'd keep trying to walk off, picking his feet out without dancing everywhere etc and yet when I saw him he was fine with all this, so I "assumed" he'd be fine at first. All it took was patience and in the end he's fine.
I'm sure it will be fine! Hope you enjoy your new horse :D
 
totally depends on the horse, new owner and the yard set up.

horses settle quicker with a routine so imo horses settle faster on yards where all horses are fed at the same time, put out, brought in etc at around the same time each day.

younger horses tend to take a bit longer, as do horses who have been at previous yard for years, mares can be a bit more hormonal, etc.

older competition horses should be used to getting out of the box and performing in a new enviroment so they tend to settle much faster.

mine don't take long to settle in a new yard- but i have always had places with experienced YOs, and i don't faff around with them.
if they are under saddle mine will tend to work the day after moving- it keeps the routine and means they are less likely to be fresh.
 
It has took our 5 year old pony 12 weeks to settle properly, he was great in field straight away and horse played with his 'new friends' from day one, however he did become quite clingy to his new friends and used them as a security blanket. He still needs company hacking out but in the arena he has settled and is going really well with my daughter. He was napping and bucking after 1 week of having him in the arena and carried on like that for a few weeks. I have changed his food (I had him on what previous owner said, and it made him loopy with us) and he has moved stables so he his next to my horse and he is a different pony. He is even loading into trailer which he wouldnt do when he first came. About 6 weeks into having him I seriously thought about selling him as he was becoming too much and my daughter was losing confidence but we have stuck with him and he is now brilliant and everything they said he was when we bought him he is, it has just taken time. Routine plays a big factor also.

My mare who I have had for a year didnt need to settle into a new home as I bought her off the YO of the livery I keep her at but she did need to get used to me and my style of riding and obviously get used to her new 'mam' when she still saw her old 'mam' all the time. This took about 6 months but now she winnies when she sees me, she is used to me riding her and has a lot of trust in me now when scary monsters are out to get her(lol) and she recently had a bout of colic and I stayed with her most of the night and I think we really bonded after that.

I can only stress they all need time to adjust and after 6 months if things are not coming together then you need to re think the situation.
 
When King arrived he had a 10-15min inspection form everyone that was there that had not seen him. He then went out in the field and was down rolling within mins of getting in there, he acted like he'd been there his hole life.
But then it does depend on the horse, where I worked they got ridden as soon as they turned up, and were riden everyday after.

I think it's one of those play it by ear things.

Good luck tho.
 
Never been a big deal ever - I dont make a major fuss, I do ask other liveries to leave new pony in peace to settle in and I put them in a routine straightaway. The only real "concession" I will make is to turn out solo and heavily booted for the beginning until the horse has startled to settle and I can see he/she doesn't need it. Even my previous mare who arrived dripping in sweat and screaming settled in quickly. I also slowed everything down in terms of handling - I did that so I wouldn't do something out of habit which would upset the horse either - thinking in terms of say, flapping rugs or testing girths!
 
It depends on the ned!

My first loan horse came off the lorry, took her for a hack to tire her out a bit, then straight into the field with a new friend. She thrived on routine and being kept busy so I put her straight into the routine that I was planning to give her. It was the summer so I did not have to worry about feed as she was turned out 24/7.

My last loan horse was 4 and came off the lorry and I put him straight out with his new friend too. I rode him the next day and just quickly put him into a routine, I did not keep his feed or forage the same as his previous home and from the moment he stepped off the lorry he behaved as if he had been there his whole life and was an angel.

However I do know some horses that can take months to settle and you may need to keep feed, forage, turnout etc the same as previous or can gradually change it. I was lucky with my loan horses in that I must have radically changed their routine from the word go but luckily they did really well out of it!
 
I do have a routine I follow with new horses, but I am ready to adjust if things don't go as planned!

- I turn out the new horse on his own but within sight and smell of the others. I don't turn him out first or leave him out last.
- For 24 hours I don't do much other than turn out (bring in if winter) and give a nice groom.
- First ride is always in the school, if it's a young horse I will lunge first and see how it goes. I always ride in the afternoon after the horse has had a day's turnout in the field (if winter).
- First hack is always with another horse after I have worked the new one in the school first to get rid of excess energy.
- Within the first week I arrange a lesson so that my instructor can help me adjust my riding to the new horse.
 
I would never put a new horse in with others for a few days, I have heard of too many horrific accidents. In adjoining fields, or separated by tape, so they can sniff each other but cannot do damage.

Get to know your horse. Spend some time talking to him, grooming, take him for a wander. Feed him so he knows that you are the person good things come from. Before turning him out in a strange field walk the boundaries so he knows where they are.
Remember that he might be missing his human or horse friend, he doesn't know why they are not there any more. Before turning him out with new friends go for a ride with one other horse so they get to know eachother and then turn them out together whenthey are tired and hungry. There is inevitably going to be some squealing and showing off, but if you have taken all the sensible steps everything should be OK>
 
It is weird as all mine were angels for about 6 weeks before they turned into difficult individuals before they settled down again
 
When I bought my mare she was warranted for 2 weeks so I had to try her as much as I could straight away, she was sold as a confident giving hack. I turned her out with my shettie who I introduced over the gate, they got on right away she then rolled and started grazing.

24 hours later we went out on a quiet hack for 20 mins and built up to 1 hour over the next 7 days, it felt like she had always been with me. Her feed was gradually changed to one more suited to weight loss, to be honest I have never bought a horse that did not settle in quite quickly but then I only have happy hacker types who are confident in themselves.
 
hmmm see lots of conflicting views, which is why I thought a few people were a bit harsh about the buyer in the other thread.
 
It depends on the horse. If you're buying a horse that is supposed to have been there and got the t shirt then honestly, I'd ride it straight off. I think I made a mistake in the past by not doing this. I got a horse that was great to hack out, and I admit it was down to circumstances, but he ended up just settling in and then going out with his new friends for the next two weeks. So when I went to ride he'd developed a bit of separation anxiety. So, get on and go, if the horse is experienced at doing that.
I wouldn't worry about trying to develop a "bond" before you ride either. That comes later, once you and the horse have got to know each other.
With a green or young horse it could be different.
 
It depends on the horse and what sort of life they have had before you buy them.

I had one who was a very sensitive soul, he had been in the home I bought him from for three years and took at least six months to settle in with me. I owned him three years and when I sold him, he took a good six months to settle into his new home.

Another I had took no settling in at all. He was foaled in Ireland, raced in England, then went to a polo yard who sent him to Spain for a winter, so he was really well travelled and laid back, he was happy just about anywhere!

I think that some horses have a period of testing the boundries in a new home. I also agree with Millitiger, it's a good idea to get them working almost straight away, especially if they're used to being worked everyday.
 
Ok, this is pretty much what I always do but I picked up a new horse on Saturday and this was what happened.

Picked up and got back to yard about 5.30pm Sat, walked him straight into stable and left him to wee and have some hay and chill. Other liveries came to see him and other horses said hello, it was a little overwhelming for him as had only been at breeders and then the lady I bought him off, yard of 3 with him and not any contact with the other horses or people. He just looked spooked for a while.

Went to get my other lad in and took him to the stable to say hello, then took him into his stable and went to make feeds.

Made him up a dinner, took him straight off the competition mix and put him on a low energy mix instead. Got a bit of a shock how he greeted me for his feed, very aggressive looking and almost attack mode, made mental note to deal with this but to let him settle for the night (he did not do anything to me, but could have scared someone to death!)

Anyway made sure everything was ok, and left him to it. Obviously time had lapsed in that time, I groomed changed rugs etc.

Sunday morning my friend fed them at 6am I went down at 7am said hello to him. Got my other boy out and went back for him - all paddocks are electric and wooden posts, all horses are separate but next to each other, or opposite. Manners were getting worse, bitting started, pulling me down the field and so on. New place etc so ignored it, he was expecting a reaction!

Lunchtime got him in, tacked him up and went in the school - he was an angel. Horses galloping in their field next to the school and all he did was stop to say hello to them. Had a fab ride and then took him back into the barn, brushed him off, gave him a carrot and turned him back out. Sunday evening led him in with my other boy, yes a little crazy but we managed and he worked out what I was asking for and what wasn't acceptable.

Groomed - told him off for trying to bite me, he then realised that it was bad - he had been allowed to do it before, but now it is manners time - he quickly forgets now but isn't half as bad as he was.

Monday, walked to field with my other one, stayed out all day, came in, in evening had been in the pond (dip in field that got flooded with the rain) covered in mud so hosed him off, again no manners with this so he was told what to do and then understood.

To be honest I think you just need to be firm but fair, make allowances for them settling in, but generally just get on with it. I will wait for a few weeks to hack him out alone, but we have already decided to go round the village one evening this week or at the weekend.

If i had, had a bad experience with this horse like the other woman I could see that she might lose her nerve as I would but I wouldn't expect the owner to take it back, but then I wouldn't buy a horse without vetting it!!
 
If the horse is in regular work when you buy it, I don't see why you wouldn't ride the day after you got it. A new horse will be unsure therefore they need the new owner to become their leader, rather then being turned out in a herd of other neds. When I get a new horse I leave it in the day I get it, leave it quietly for a couple of hours before giving it a groom, and a bit of a get to know session. If I feel it needs a bit of turnout i'll put it in the arena (supervised) for an hour. Unless there is obvious reason not to I also pretty much cut out any hard feed the horse may be getting, I can then feel how the horse really is without anything to mask it, then work out my own feeding regime. The next day I would turn the horse out in an arena, before lunging, and then riding it. Then I would turn the horse out next to his new field mates. From this point I start to make gradual changes to the horse's routine to fit in with me.

I may not be popular in saying this, but I think the main problem comes from people who get new horses, then give them a week to settle in, out in the field, very much to their own devices. IMO a new horse needs a leader and that should be you, not his field mates. People who buy a horse which is used to being in work 6 days a week then wonder why the horse is a bit loony when they come to ride it a week later:
1) It is full of energy due to lack of exercise
2) It doesn't recognise the new owner as any form of leader, so why should it do as they say?
3) It has just had to leave it's field mates, with whom it had a rather nice week of playing with
4) In that week, the horse has begun to get its feet under the table, and now has decided it is boss.
5) People often don't set the basic discipline ground rules at the beginning as they say they don't know the horse, so the horse walks all over them. It doesn't matter if I know the horse well or not, if it is rude I make sure it knows it!!!!!

I'll now get off my soapbox, and quickly hide!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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Every horse is very, very different. A lot is to do with what the horse has experienced in the past, and you'll often find a competition horse will settle faster, than a first pony type, who hasn't been out and about travelling much.

For example last year when I bought a young, 17.2hh my ex racehorse, he was Mr cool. He went straight into his stable ate all his hay. I then put him out in the field, he had a sniff of the others across the fence but he was more interested in the grass. I rode him in the school the day after he arrived and although he was stiff as a board, as expected, he was very laid back. I hacked him in company a couple of days later and his behaviour was no different to when I tried him out from where I bought him.

That was totally in contrast to a 14.2 native type pony who a livery bought as a first pony. It became very wound up by the whole moving experience. Luckily there are plenty of people on our yard with a wealth of experience, and it was decided the best thing to do would be to just turn him out for a few days to chill out, before they started his new routine of being stabled at night, out in he day, and then later in the week, they did lunging for a few days before riding him, then ridden work consisted of having a pootle around the school. Then the second week involved going for a short hack in company. By this time the pony had settled, but it took a month for the pony to become completely at ease with his new home.
 
I have never been one to hang about. we put them out in the field with out others and they seem absolutely fine.
I got my current horse on the wednesday and hunter trialled him on the sunday! lol... when i was 7, my aunt gave me their pony and i took her hunting on the saturday and she came on the friday.
All our horses are just turned out with the others and settle in really well... never had any issues, yes taken them time to merge with the herd but nothing major...
we feed them what the others have- hay and mix/nuts, obviously if they had special requirements that would change, but none of ours do!
I normally ride them the day they came... we give them a very chilled out life in the fields and they never react badly to the change and normally settle in very qquickly. they are worked every day and are fed at the same time etc. so don't see why you shouldn't just crack on unless horse is very upset etc.
My old pony was basically very very scared so for a while i was just gaining trust with him as i couldn't get near him for a few days and then just gaining trust on the ground etc with him. but once he was ok around me we cracked on with PC stuff and hunting and polo....
 
Take it slow! It's taken my boy 2 months to fully settle in. He tested me so much that one day I broke down in tears at his gate - he was refusing to go out for a hack and not one person on the yard could hold him as he was too strong!

Each time though his previous owner was there for support. She'd only had him 10 months and barely rode and the 2 owners before her had just turned him away. Effectively it was as if he was turned away for the 5 years I know about.

I would recommend lots of scratches and grooming.

Also make it clear that you are the boss. My boy only takes the mick now when I'm not making it clear enough that I'm in charge - he settles straight down once I start bossing!
 
When I first got mine, they had at least a week to settle in, left them to check out their new home and meet their friends. Went on to do plenty of grooming and just generally spending time with them, end of the first week they would get led out to see the surrounding's, I don't ride in the first week but by the 2nd week i would start by walking and building their fitness back up slowly, starting by very short hacks, then increasing them.
 
I very much agree with Charlimouse.

Generally I would ride on the second day - first day is too stressful and if you leave it any longer you begin to get pent-up energy to deal with.
I agree with cutting out hard feed, see what you are dealing with and then build your own feeding regime.
Don't go soft on bad manners - the horse needs to know who's boss from the minute it steps off the lorry.

I would give the horse two or three days to settle before hacking out in company and TBH I'd probably give it two or three months before trying to hack alone - I want the horse to know the routes and feel secure both on and off the yard before I took it out alone.
 
When we got my daughter's pony we first turned her out in an electric fenced paddock next to the others. We kept her feed and turnout regime pretty similar to the previous owners. We worked her the very next day she arrived, and every day after that - hacking, schooling, lesson, etc. Then the week after her arrival took her to a really big, buzzy agricultural show (where she behaved fabulously and came home with a third rosette)!:D
 
Each horse is differant and so are the yards, I have 6 stables and 4 horses in a very quiet spot, the horses love it, but I have given each time and space and really never had a problem about them settling in and they would most probably be differant in bigger yards. Just wish I could find somebody to come out riding with me:)
 
I think much depends on the new owner! If you are on pins about everything so will horse be - to some extent. Handling a new horse like you expect trouble and you'll get it but don't be so blase there's an accident. I believe they need time to get their bearings and used to the new layout of things; the early days are when accidents of the 'bumping into' kind happen.

If the horse likes a fuss, fuss it. If it wants to 'hide' and take things in slowly, respect that, too. They have likely had a massive upheaval and some take it harder than others and need more time to feel secure.
 
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