Introducing new horses? Long, sorry!!

[bellaboo]

As there has been so many horror stories on here just recently about horses mixing badly, what is going to be the best way to introduce new horses in the field?

Am asking because we have a new mare arriving on Friday and want to know the least stressful way of doing things? We are in for alot of change and unfortunatley my mare lost her best friend of 3 years yesterday and at the moment seems very cross. They were in a herd of 3, my mare ( Liz ), my filly ( Bella ) and my friends gelding who was Liz's best friend. At the end of the field fenced off is another friends mare, she is fenced off as has been seen to be nasty to the other horses although this was a good 8 months ago.
What the yard is wanting to do is now to have mares and geldings split which is fine. Friends mare who was fenced down the end of the field is to go in with my 2 girls and also a new mare is arriving on Friday to go in with the mares. My other concern is that the yard wants to put the geldings next to the mares seperated by electric fencing powered by mains. Other problem there is that 1 of the geldings had been a stallion till he was 2 1/2 and KNOWS what it is all about, there is also a gelding who shows riggish behaviour.

How can all this be worked out safely? Nobody wants there horses to get hurt and i am really concerned about my mare as she just isn't really interested in having the filly's company at the moment, how is she going to react to being put in a herd again. She was always the boss, but the other mare who was fenced at the bottom of the field will definately be top dog, and with this new mare coming, what is this going to do to her or am i worrying for nothing? When friends mare went in with her last time she got seperated from the herd but that may have been because there was a gelding in the herd and ended up getting depressed. What with losing her best buddy, what is the best way of handling this?

Sorry for rambling

 

[malibu211211]

Well you probably know my opinion............IT'S TOO BL@@DY SOON MY HORSE WAS ONLY PTS YESTERDAY

Yep think we have reached anger now

 

[hadfos]

[ QUOTE ]
Well you probably know my opinion............IT'S TOO BL@@DY SOON MY HORSE WAS ONLY PTS YESTERDAY

Yep think we have reached anger now

[/ QUOTE ]
Oh my god,sorry to hear this!!!I wasnt online yesterday so didnt realise!!!

 

[PaintboxEDT]

bloody hell i cant belive she's coming on friday hasnt your yo got any compassion !!!!!

 

[bellaboo]

Yep, i'd say the anger stage, i know bud, respectful isn't it, oh no just read what's under your sig

where's the screen

 

[malibu211211]

The patch is still there where he died but hey ho lets have another horse in his place because I'm really gonna forget about it then

 

[hadfos]

Personally i think mares cause loadsa problems with geldings,my boy was always placid with anything he would lay ears back and turn bum but i have never seen him kick another,however he had been alongside another gelding for long enough,they seemed to get on fine,no squealing face pulling etc,new pony mare arrived,so we tried my lad with the other gelding to give him a buddy(mare in his old field),i have never seen him react the way he did,he went berserk,kicked the other(who didnt back off),and had i not gone running in they would have killed each other!!You have to try horses together,however i think the mares should be further away from the boys!!
If you are not happy can you not have her separate and find another yard which is less greedy???Sounds like they only interested in making as much money as possible and bugger the liveries??

 

[bellaboo]

That's the problem, my YO wants to get rid of the individual turnout paddocks as she has researched alot of yards and most of the keep a herd of mares and a herd of geldings, we have voiced concerns about the mares and geldings being so close so i hope after abit of thought she may reconsider this

 

[Louby]

I used to be on a yard that seperated mares and geldings with one strip of mains powered electric fencing. It didnt work .... they had to put up another strip to make sure they could not touch over the fence, so there was 2 fences about 4/5 foot apart running parallel to each other.

 

[hadfos]

I would keep voicing your concerns and if they are not prepared to listen then seriously consider leaving for your horses safety!!

 

[jewel]

my boy is seperated from a mare by electric fencing mains and he is fine with her begin there, he was not gelded til he was 2 1/2 and he know it. could they not put the new horse in a seperate paddock in you field so that they can all meet over the fence for a couple of weeks then put them all in together.