help my new horse settle!

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ellis9905

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so my new horse has arrived today, hes been turned out into a field next to a well behaved pony.
When he first went out he was head straight down and grazed peacefully for prob half hour, hes now spent the last four hours snatching a bite to eat then walking/trotting the fence line ( not the dividing fence between him and other pony- hes shown no interest in other pony!)

im just concerned that he wont settle and is going to distress himself thru the night when no one is around.

to be fair i understand his anxiety, hes been owned by last owner 18 yrs and with 2 horses for 4 and 9 yrs, recently become quite attached to these two ponies, pacing if they removed from field and he left ( even tho other horses in neighbouring paddocks) tho hes ok if its him removed and things done with.


any tips or things i could do?? why do we have horses- they cause so much worry :(
 
I agree it is a worry. I haven't got any tips apart from the obvious giving him time to settle and not expecting too much too soon.

Paula
 
Mine is still snatching at random bits of grass and running about after 4 months! It is worrying but there's not much you can do overnight so try not to worry for now, he's bound to be very unsettled if he was in his last home for such a long amount of time and very attached to his old friends - my mare sounds a bit similar to your boy, she completely ignored her field mates for the first week or so before even acknowledging them, I think she was just so on edge she didn't think to make friends until she felt a bit more at home. I think the most important thing is to allow time for him to settle, spend time around him but not necessarily *doing* things with him all the time - just poo pick nearby, read in a field corner etc, I found this very effective with my girly and it's also a good way to start forming a bond x
 
Im 6 weeks into moving my horse after 9 years at the previous place. He did seem to settle immediately in the field, a bit too much and ddoesnt want to leave his new friends and is now unsettled still at times in his stable. I kept him in at night for the first week though as hed been stabled at night at our previous home. Its very early days for your horse and a massive change for him. Im sure he will in time be fine.
 
We bought an 18yr old, he had been with the same people for 7yrs, his confusion was heartbreaking to watch, new people, routine etc, it did help him to have company next door for the first time, we spent ages talking to him while he was eating, being groomed.
Don't despair you will get him settled
 
If there's just one other can they not be put together? I woukdn't normally put a new horse in with an established herd but if just one amenable pony then I would be tempted to help him settle.
 
So I'm at the yard this morn, and although there is obvious signs of my new horse havin walked the fence line, he is currently grazing 3ft away from me. The time grazing has increased and the time walking the fence line decreased, so fingers crossed this is headed in right direction. Feel sorry for him cause everything he knew has changed for him .
 
Will he always be turned out alone? Did he have company at his old yard?

My mare cannot bear to be turned out alone, it doesn't matter if there are horses on every fence line, she wants one in there with her! She just will not settle by herself and looks heartbroken. Just wonder if this could be the case for you? Horses enjoy the stimulation and company from one another, touching and grooming etc, I wonder if he struggles without?

Glad he has settled a little overnight though :)
 
I kept him in at night for the first week though as hed been stabled at night at our previous home. Its very early days for your horse and a massive change for him. Im sure he will in time be fine.
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ellis9905 said:
So I'm at the yard this morn, and although there is obvious signs of my new horse havin walked the fence line, he is currently grazing 3ft away from me. The time grazing has increased and the time walking the fence line decreased, so fingers crossed this is headed in right direction. Feel sorry for him cause everything he knew has changed for him .
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Glad to hear there is some improvement. I've always found keeping them to a routine straight away helps and if you know what his was with his previous owner perhaps use that for a couple of weeks while he's settling then slowly changing it little by little to yours so that a big change doesnt unsettle him again.
 
Im sure your new lad will settle in time, best thing in my experience would be to sit in field chatting away to him as others have mentioned poo pick, when you get him in for a groom chat away dont rush him with anything, but to try and get a normal routine that he is used to from his old home.

Sure everything will be fine, keep ya chin up these animals of ours do worry us don't they ha ha
 
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