How do you let new horses meet each other?

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MarleyandDarcy

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As title really - if you have a new horse how do you introduce it to the other horses it is going to live with?

I have just had a new horse arrive this afternoon, and had planned what I was going to do with them, this didn't happen as the livery owner of where the owner kept the horse before said to bring them in and let them meet over the stable door.........

Cue one of my horses rearing up, striking out and getting his leg stuck over the door and cutting it...........
It had never crossed my mind as a way to introduce them - I had been opting for 2 fields side by side and let them out.

So just curious really - how do you introduce new horses?
 
I've been lucky mostly and have just put new horse straight out with 1 or 2 others that I know are quiet......touch wood all ok. Saying that, a paddock alongside is the safest way to go if you're unsure. Never let strange horses sniff each other over stable door, in my opinion thats a recipe for disaster!!
 
Well yes it was my opinion too - but I didn't want to 'rock the boat' as it were - obviously I was proven right - and luckily my horse is ok.
But I just wondered if many people actually introduced horses that way!
 
I've done this before, but through the grill of the stable wall. I've also done it over the fence.

I've had horses kick rails right out of the post & rail on a couple of occassions. I've had one that i (stupidly) turned straight out jump the fence to escape being chased by the established horses. I've also introduced a pair alongside adjacent paddocks & still had the newcomer attacked 3 weeks later when I've put them together.

What I'm saying is you can never really tell how they'll be & no method is much safer than another.
 
We always put them in separate fields and let them meet over the fence. However when Prince arrived (_Gina_’s horse) he jumped straight in with Bodey and Badger, they had a quick run around and that was it. So they stayed in together from the first day.
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I just put my three in together crossed my fingers and left them to settle for a few days there was a few bites .. But I've tried before putting in seperate paddocks but just didn't work out so bung them all in together and let them sort out there pecking order x
 
Leave them in stables next to each other for a night or two, works better if they can sniff each other through bars. Usually by morning they have already worked out where they stand in the pecking order.
However this can only work if horses are happy and chilled in stable. If your horse has reared up at the door, then might well do same in stable.
 
At our yard we usually keep them in for one night to settle with the other horses stabled around them but with no meeting over door - just sniffing through the grilles. The next day we turn out into the established herd but with plenty of space for them to hoon about. I always ask for back shoes of new horse to be removed (usually to minimise any owner stress) but other than that we leave them to be horses and get to know each other with enough room to approach and retreat - space is definitely the key. There's no way that I'd introduce a new horse into any new grazing too if it were less than one acre. Sorry - stop going on now...
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Genie went out in a new field yesterday, and we just threw her out. However at the time not all of the horses were out, so she met them all one at a time and wasn't interested, just ate the grass and ignored them. This morning however they were all out and had a bit of a hoon around for a few minutes before settling. When I went to catch her this afternoon they were all one end of the field and she was happily eating on her own at the other end in true Genie style!
 
Ideally with new horses on a yard you want to prevent nose to nose contact at first to guard against strangles (and worse).
 
I put them in the round pen and put prospective field mates out in that field.

Stallion and the mares ALWAYS through stable railings in the barn, I expect lots of shouting and pratting about so the stallion is held, the mares are in stalls and can get away. I never introduce horses over fencing or just put them out to get on with it.
 
I asked this question for the 2 ponies we got last weekend - we just turned them out together, they sniffed, went off grazed, rolled and grazed and that was that really. (Had back up plan of seperate fields) Seem to get on OK, but the older one has got more assertive with the younger wheras it was the other way round the first day or two. They seem quite good buddies and call to each other when one goes out/comes back along the road which is quite sweet and I hope doesn't cause separation problems later on.....
 
I turned them out in side by side fields afterwards and they trotted side by side, sniffed each other then the new horse turned away and had a roll, then started eating the grass - much nicer way to meet! Am just so pleased my horse didn't really badly injure himself - and know to stick to what I feel is best next time!
None of them are over assertive so I am hoping they will be happy in a field together - just 3 isn't the best number - ah well the mud will slow them down a bit anyways
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In separate paddocks with electric fencing for about 2 months. We introduce one of horses at a time, so they get a week with one, then a week with another so they get to meet all the horses separately, which means the original horse is less aggressive as has no herd to 'protect'.

Then we let rip
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But we have an established herd with two who think they are top dog, one is a grumpy pony (24) who kicks and squeals, but has never really kicked and made contact - he's too clever with his feet and doesn't like them to be 'tangled' up . And a horse who is a bully and will run in without any thought for his own self preservation (he's 18!).

We have a big field though, so lots of room to manouvere (sp?!) and my current horse jumped out of his enclosure when we got him and introduced himself early.

We have never had any serious injuries (few bites maybe), and like to keep them as a herd (behavioural and logistical reasons) of four so this is the only way.
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My stables have grills between, as we built them on Victorian style, so they can sqeal and kick, but they do get to know each other, also I turn out in paddocks next to each other and after a couple of days they are fine.
 
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