Help settling a horse into a new home

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rose bud

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Hi,
I'm just looking for some advice on settling my new mare into her new home. Shes an 11 year old tb x cob and i have had her for a week.
When she first came she was calm and quiet, both in the field and the stable (she lives out but i bring her in to groom etc) but over the last few days she has become reluctant to come out of the field and is very stressed in the stable (pacing, pooing and wont eat hay)
she was with other horses in her last home and we dont have any others at the moment although there are goats and sheep next to her field. There are also alpaca's in the field next to her which she hates and i'm wondering if this is causing a problem?
Is it best to persever and try to get her into a routine of coming in for a feed and hope she calms down?
Any advice on settling horses in gratefully received!
 
I think a lot of people on here would say give her time, as she's only been with you a week, so yes get her into a routine that isn't going to stress you or her out to begin with and yes the Alpacos would stress her out if she's never seen or smelt them before, gently does it.
 
sorry to say but lonely horse especially if was with others before too! Can you not get someone else to move a horse to join yours? Companion etc

But good luck
 
She is probably lonely.
Sometimes horses will settle on their own but others get more stressed over time.
It sounds like she may be the type to get worse.
Mares are I think more sensitive to routine changes.Try to establish a routine for her.
A stable mirror may help when she is in.
Can you get her company?
 
Hi, my horse is very unsettled if he is left on his own. He is 16 and never been any different. I do find that if I spend time in the field with him he is much happier I often sit with him if he is on his own or even my parents stay in the field with him. In the stable he is more settled but still always watching and listening I spend hours just standing keeping him company (as you can probably gather he is particularly spoilt). I know this is not a practical solution but at the moment I do not have a second horse to keep him company.

When we first moved him into this livery yard he was terrible for 3 months he even got mud fever which he has never suffered with as a result of stress. But perserverance did pay off he is much better now but still doesn't like it when he is on his own.

Hope she settles in soon for you.
 
Thankyou for the advice so far!
There is a possibility that I could get another horse to keep her company in the future maybe if this would help her but i was wondering if it would be better to let her settle in first?
Also, we have a problem getting her to take the bit in her mouth (she got banged in the teeth in previous home when being untacked) and i'm not sure if she got worried about coming into the stable the time after i had brought her in and tacked her up. She does take the bit eventually but it can take a while!
Do you think that i would be better not to try and tack her up for a while and try and get her to settle again?
 
Personally I'd get a companion ASAP - horses are herd animals after all.

When putting the bridle on, stick your finger in her mouth - I'm sure others could describe it a lot better than me.
 
Id look to get her some company ASAP. Being a herd animal is hard wired into Horses, and some just cant cope alone. If shes like this now, its not likely to get any better.

As for the Bit, put some mollases on it before you try to put it into her mouth. She`ll soon associate it with something nice, and be more keen to do it in future.
 
Daisy dancer said:
Thankyou for the advice so far!
There is a possibility that I could get another horse to keep her company in the future maybe if this would help her but i was wondering if it would be better to let her settle in first?
Also, we have a problem getting her to take the bit in her mouth (she got banged in the teeth in previous home when being untacked) and i'm not sure if she got worried about coming into the stable the time after i had brought her in and tacked her up. She does take the bit eventually but it can take a while!
Do you think that i would be better not to try and tack her up for a while and try and get her to settle again?
Click to expand...

Sorry to be really stupid but is this real? We had a similar post on here recently? Future companion, not good enough. You are answering your own question re teeth etc.
 
I would firstly get a companion. Rescue centeres are full to the brim apparently, so perhaps asking at your local rescue center to "loan" one off them?
Secondly its time and routine. When she comes in put her bridle on and off on and off, without banging her teeth. Give her a treat with the bit if needs be to entice her its not scary and you won't bang her teeth.
Hope this helps :)
 
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