Help! Worried sick over my horse being bullied

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vickybootz22

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Hi
I have just bought a new horse and have put him out for the last couple of days with all the other geldings. Every time he comes in though he has loads of kick marks and bite marks too some with blood showing. I am so worried and don't know what to do. Any advice please would really help?
Thanks
 
I totally empathise - the mare is always getting bullied. Is he new to this field as well as new to you? He may just need time to settle into the group. However from dealing with a horrendous kick injury I would say be very cautious. If it gets too much just get him out. Are there ways that he could be introduced to the others more steadily? Next field perhaps? Could he go out with only the most dominant horse first to settle?
 
Have you not had him separated to start with in a paddock where he can say "hello" but not actually in with the others? I would never put a new horse straight in with an established herd, you're just asking for trouble.
 
Yes he has been out with them twice so know it's a bit soon to be worrying but you never know. They are all in a big field so no where else to put him to introduce him gradually. Moving yard end of month but don't know what to do until then. Don't want him keep coming in with all these marks.
 
Can ask but can't c it happening. That's why moving to better yard at end of month but needed somewhere quick to put him. Really not working though. Don't know what to do until we can move. Doesn't seem to be any options.
 
Can you just turn him out for short periods of time while you are there? Let him meet the others and join in but then put him in after a couple of hours? If he was mine and he was consistently coming in with injuries I wouldn't be putting him out again without being monitored.

If you are moving him in a month anyway I don't think its worth the risk.
 
Agree with the others about turning out in his own pen/introduce to others slowly etc... but if this is not possible, could you then maybe put a lightweight rug on him, so that if another horse bites him on the bum then at least the rug would take the bite?
 
ladyt25 said:
Have you not had him separated to start with in a paddock where he can say "hello" but not actually in with the others? I would never put a new horse straight in with an established herd, you're just asking for trouble.
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This^^^^^^

We have also learned from experience to remove the hind shoes of all the herd members and the new addition when we do put them in together. But then ours are at home, so we can do as we please.
 
Can't get him moved any earlier or put in a seperate field. Rug may help a bit so will try that. How long would it normally take for horses to settle in?
 
Go and purchase your own electric fence.... You are putting your horse at serious risk of injury. Any resulting vet bill will cost a lot more than a starter kit. Personally I wouldn't take the risk.
 
vickybootz22 said:
Can't get him moved any earlier or put in a seperate field. Rug may help a bit so will try that. How long would it normally take for horses to settle in?
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Well, last year it took 5 weeks before i could mix my new youngster with our lot but then, like the other poster, their all our own horses and our own field so we separated with electric fencing and introduced lower ranking horses to him first. I can't believe though a yard doesn't have provisions for introducing new horses. If a herd has been established for a fair time then the most dominant can be pretty aggressive to a newcomer and that could result in serious injury. In the wild or in a very large field it's maybe not as bad as horses have the space to keep out of each other's way but generally on a livery yard the fields aren't big enough for the newbie to keep an acceptable distance away from the herd leader and that's when you have problems. If the field is say 10 to 15 acres plus then you may be ok in putting a new horse in with a herd but otherwise i would have put him in a fenced off area first.
 
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