My first horse Welsh X Cob - not as friendly once got him home

CobSunshine

CobSunshine

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Hi,

First post :)

Bought my first horse a gorgious Cob Welsh Section X, 14.2hh, 9 years old.

He was willing to please, gentle, friendly, great on the hack, great at lunging, loved being groomed - when I tried him out before I bought.

3 days later i've got him delivered to my stables and put him straight out on the field with the other horses, apart from one kick off another horse and a bit of hoof raising he seems to have settled in really well.

5 hours later i decided to bring him off the field to the stables for a groom and to get to know him a bit better. He seemed very agitated when I roped him up in the grooming yard, breathing very heavily/irratated, and kept swinging his head at me, nipping.

After a groom I tried him in his stable to which he tried to barge me out the way before i could get out and close the door, really shook me up. Got a large bruise on foot :eek: Got him in on second attempt, but he was very unsettled and neighing, wouldn't stay still.

Got him out, roped up, and led back to field fine, where he had a drink and trotted off.

Am I expecting too much too soon, and should he settle back to his almost complete opposite personality of when I first viewed him?

Thanks El
 
competitiondiva said:
Has he formed a bond with another horse? Is he out in a mixed herd? It sounds like he's anxious to be out? And still quite unsettled.
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On the field he's been more keen to get on with grazing than anything else.

The horse which kicked him, has been following him around a lot and rubbing faces too, bonding etc.
 
He may just be unsettled - what do you know about his history, if he has either been with the same owner all his life or at least for many years, or if he has been passed around quite a lot, that may well be your answer. Try to stick to his routine (if you know it) as much as possible. Try to stay calm around him and don't let him feel your anxiety if you can. If you don't know his routine this could be a good excuse for phoning the people you bought him off and asking for details, whilst at the same time mentioning how he has been and see if they have any suggestions. This may also go in your favour if he doesn't settle and you decide to try to ask if they want him back - However I wouldn't worry about this just now, get him in a routine and see if he settles over the next few days.
 
I think you need to give him a chance. He has moved homes and is very anxious. Some horses take a long time to settle, others take it all in their stride.
 
Normal for new horse, particularly if not been off its own yard for a while.
Putting him out straight away was a bad move- asking for trouble but seems to have worked out alright.
Re: being brought in-are your stables big and airy? If not, he may not be used to feeling confined or he may just be upset at being moved home, and presume no other horses were in? So he tries to go back to his new 'friends;
Just continue what you did today, carefully. Feed him in his stable, bring him in at least once a day. ride if you feel comfortable/exercise somehow (will settle him quicker) and he will soon settle into a routine if he is a genuinely nice horse.
 
You are expecting WAY too much! He's just been moved to new place, turned out with new horses, he is going to be very unsettled and worried.

Personally when I move a horse, I would always keep them in for a few days (most decent yards have this as a rule anyway) to settle down before turning them out. Give them a chance to settle, don't over fuss the 1st day.
 
i would leave a few days in field and start afresh, from field, greet, treat and groom in field and let him get to know you on his grounds and then in a few days start bringing in from field and do just fun stough and light work for a well and lounging for manners will do alot, good luck, any pics.
 
Give him time, my boy was exactly the same when i first got him, bargy, nipped and just seemed a completely different horse from when we saw him after a few weeks he was a completely different horse. Stopped nipping, no barging and we had a great bond :D. Just be patient and in the end you will have good results x
 
Yes you are asking far too much!
Look at it from the horse's point of view; he is travelled from his home, led by a stranger to a new field, put in a field with horses he has never met before and kicked by one of them(!). Then just as he is beginning to get to know his new companions, stranger comes along and takes him out of field again, faffs about with him and THEN tries to put him into an unfamiliar stable and shut the door.
Are you REALLY surprised that he was a bit unco-operative? He's an animal not a toy.
Whenever I get a new horse I put it in a field next to its new companions for several days so that they can get to know each other over the boundary, without any-one getting hurt. I bring it in for feed and possibly a short groom, to get it into a routine and let it settle for about a week before asking any more of it.
 
My horse, even at 18, still got stressed if I brought him into the stables on his own. He'd be fine if there was another horse in, but a right pain if not. Next time you bring him in make sure there is another horse in and see how he is then.
 
When I got my new boy I stabled him the night he arrived, the next day he went out in a paddock on his own next to some mares. He came in at night. He spent the weekend by those mares as YM was away and I wanted to wait till she got back before putting him in with her geldings. Day two I lunged him. He took everything in his stride. Has hardly put a foot wrong. He is fine being brought in away from his two field buddies. I feel lucky to have found such a laid back dude.

If he was like the OPs horse I would probably be a bit anxious too but do give him a chance to settle in. He was probably this way with the previous owners then turned into the nice boy you went to see!

My friend's gelding was similar to this but he was actually dangerous when she brought him away from his new herd. She gave him like 4 months or so and he never settled in properly. Wouldnt hack out. Unfortunately she is quite novicey and her nerves affected him too so she sent him away to be sold as believe it or not he was a grade C showjumper that had been to Spain and everything with previous owner.
 
My Welshie lad took many months to truly settle down and relax to how he was when I visited him at his previous owners. Your horse has moved home, friends, owner and environment and routine and it will take time for him to get used to that. I do find welshies generally a little worrysome about things and if your horse is part welshie, it does not surprise me at all that he is still unsettled.
My lad when stressed about something will always resort to being bolshy and nippy too.
 
some horses take a while to settle some can react in different ways .My own horse is pretty laid back 4 yo just before he was four when he went to one yard was very bargy leading to and from field and this wasnt him honestly ! I had to use a bridle he was a bit jumpy with banging doors and rugs on the floor for some reason ,one large horse was biting him lots ,id say took a month to settle.I just moved yards last week after agonising about it and i can honestly say we hacked him over and put him in new stable he did kick the door a lot mind sure he thought he was sold !Left him for a few hours then went back and visited few times over two days third led him round with bridle on ,hacked out next day along the bridle path good hour and a half walking with a little trot past tractor spraying feild he was fab , cooled off fed and turned out he has paired up with a friend and is always with him him which is nice and sharing a field with mares as well and its gone well .
I would say though call old owner and have a chat they could be very helpful if genuine .Keep us updated please
 
Maybe let him settle in first, add a stall chain to the stable if you need to bring him in so you can get in and out he cant. Hopefully he will calm down, my mare was quiet when i tried her and for 2 weeks when i got her back then spent a year doing what your horse does so ended up moving her off a yard environment and now is calm and quite. So maybe he may not be used to yard environment?
 
Hugs!! Don't worry it is normal for most horses and in particular Welshies. They are well known for being bolshy, especially when worried. They get worried/scared and if the leadership is not VERY VERY strong they take it on the selves to be boss. As hard as it is you really need to be extremely firm with him for a few weeks. making sure you are mega consistent otherwise he will feel you are unfair and not to be trusted.
You will not be being mean to him by doing this you are actually helping him be less afraid.

I once had someone view my old Welshie and like yours he was a complete angel while they tried him. I explained they would have to do some ground work, backing up coming forward and stopping when they said etc etc. They were so taken by this pretty little thing they ignored me. less than 2 wks into the loan they phoned saying fetch him back he is dangerous!!! He went on the be owned by a very small lady and her 7yr old daughter who could do anything with him once mom had set the boundaries!

They really are the sort that you have to keep the lines clear all the time, if you let them step over it even once without correcting them you will have a battle on your hands.

Just be brave and firm with lots of reward when he does what you say!!!!
 
hehe He sounds like hes just being welsh!!

My girl is a baggage half the time. She started to behave and now shes more sound and more comfortable shes being a baggage again.

Give the lad some time and you will soon learn more about each other. You will learn about what he does and what to expect of him.

good luck

Any piccies?
 
Give him time to settle.

If it had been me I would have stabled him before turning him out but then we're differnet people with different ideas, I'm not saying what you did was wrong, just not the way I would have done it.

Good Luck with him.
 
Went to see him tonight on the field.

He wasn't as interested in constantly grazing, and happily stood still as I groomed him all over. Groomed his face no problems, and he didn't once try to bite or swing his head about.

Seemed very relaxed and accepting. (when i approached he was next to a white horse who didn't venture far away so hopefully made a friend)

I attached a rope to see if he would let me lead him, but after 3 metres he then wouldn't budge.

I want to take it really slowly to let him settle, so left it there.

Any thoughts and advice on getting him to happily walk with rope on would be great.
 
Glad it's all improving :)

I do disagree slightly with a few of the posts above.. yes horse might be unsettled and yes horse has a right to be but no, horse does not have the right to be, or should be allowed to be rude, pushy and overbearing.

My horses have a routine from day 1 and I find it settles them - start as I mean to go on. I allow some oddness and reassure them constantly if they are nervous as it's all strange for them but basic manners and leaving the herd ? Absolutely.. or IMO you could be setting yourself up for a long time of re-establishing who is in charge.
 
ellenpompom said:
I attached a rope to see if he would let me lead him, but after 3 metres he then wouldn't budge.

I want to take it really slowly to let him settle, so left it there.

Any thoughts and advice on getting him to happily walk with rope on would be great.
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My thoughts are that whatever you decide to do with him, you MUST be the one to take charge. If you want to lead him, then you must lead him until YOU have done enough, don't let him take charge, or he will (as someone said above) think that he has to be the leader, instead of you.
Next time you want to lead him, take a schooling whip, preferably a brightly coloured on. Walk at his shoulder and tell him to 'walk on'. If he stops, don't let him put his head down to eat, turn and wave the stick near his quarters, saying 'walk on' firmly. Many horses become resentful if you hit them and get very stubborn or kick out but WILL walk on if you do this. Just be careful that as he sets off you are ready to go with him, or he will become confused about what you want. Never try to pull him - he will always win a tug-of-war.
Make sure that you let him know that you are pleased when he has done what you want, so for the first step forward, tell him 'good boy'. And I have to confess that I believe that food rewards are well worth using, although some people will throw their hands up in horror at this, lol
It is always really interesting and rewarding getting to know a new horse, relax and then you will both enjoy it.
 
I've bought a bag of bushy top carrots on the way home tonight, i was wondering it these would be a good way of enticing him - give him one, then start to walk him and reward after good distances.

But it sounds like some may think this a bad idea?
 
ellenpompom said:
Went to see him tonight on the field.

He wasn't as interested in constantly grazing, and happily stood still as I groomed him all over. Groomed his face no problems, and he didn't once try to bite or swing his head about.

Seemed very relaxed and accepting. (when i approached he was next to a white horse who didn't venture far away so hopefully made a friend)

I attached a rope to see if he would let me lead him, but after 3 metres he then wouldn't budge.

I want to take it really slowly to let him settle, so left it there.

Any thoughts and advice on getting him to happily walk with rope on would be great.
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This is not settling in this is a smart Welshy testing a new owner and seeing what he can get away with

See I'm sorry but you have made a huge mistake there!!!!! He now thinks that if he plants his feet he gets what he wants and will now be twice as difficult to move next time. With WElshies more than any other breed you NEED to make sure he does everything you say.

IF you ask him something HE MUST DO IT even if it takes all day and night.

Honestly hun I cannot tell you how mega important this is. If need be get someone else to come with you who is more experienced and you know they won't let him get away with it. Welshies are so dam smart he is testing you and you are losing. He will do much worse things when you ride him if you don't sort it out now.

Same when you ride him, he will most likely not want to go forward or leave the yard, maybe not the first time you ride him but it WILL happen, my advice would be a huge pony club kick if you can be really fast at responding to him even slowing down and a growl and a quick rub and good boy when he goes forward.

Don[t get disheartened you have seen what a lovely boy he will be if you keep on top of him for a while at least

Been where you are so I know
 
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He is testing the boundaries out - and he is winning. You are the human, the alpha and you have to be the one in charge. You lead from the shoulder, pushing not pulling and use a 'riding instructor' walk on as needed. I don't suggest taking a whip in the field to lead with. I certainly wouldn't be bribing with carrots, carrots go in the feed bucket at meal times, to do otherwise encorages biting, nipping and bolshyness.

It does sound like you may benefit from an experienced horse person or instructor helping you out and demonstrating this, maybe ask someone at thr yard for a hand?
 
Pearlsasinger said:
Yes you are asking far too much!
Look at it from the horse's point of view; he is travelled from his home, led by a stranger to a new field, put in a field with horses he has never met before and kicked by one of them(!). Then just as he is beginning to get to know his new companions, stranger comes along and takes him out of field again, faffs about with him and THEN tries to put him into an unfamiliar stable and shut the door.
Are you REALLY surprised that he was a bit unco-operative? He's an animal not a toy.
Whenever I get a new horse I put it in a field next to its new companions for several days so that they can get to know each other over the boundary, without any-one getting hurt. I bring it in for feed and possibly a short groom, to get it into a routine and let it settle for about a week before asking any more of it.
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^^^what she said^^^

good luck with him, give him a few days out to chiiilllllll :D

ets: just read the update... eeek! don't let him take advantage, get an experienced friend/instructor.
 
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Another tip; bearing in mind I do not know your situation outside cyberspace;)
If he plants, and wont budge, move him sideways, in a tight circle if need be, but make sure you move his feet, and if necessary keep circling him till you reach the gate. As soulfull says, you need to out think him, or he will carefully work his way into not having to come out of the field.
I would be wary of using a schooling whip in these situations, as he could decide to shoot backwards or away from you.
You need to quietly maintain the idea of you being in charge while as other posters have said giving him chance to settle in. It can be very tricky when you get a new horse, as he will be sussing you out while you are doing the same with him.
Leave the nice carrots for the bucket in the yard when he comes out of the field:D
 
To start with i wouldn't have put him straight out in the field with the others. He needs much more time, he doesn't know you, he doesn't know where he is and you've dropped him in a field full of strange horses. you do now need to be firm with him so he knows you are someone to respect. Could you get someone else to bring their horse in at the same time so he feels more confident? Also be very careful about grooming a new horse in a field with a group of horses, if one of the others goes for him he's not going to think twice about running into you. Get him into a routine with help if you need it and then you'll start to find things get better for both of you. As others have said leave the carrots in the stable otherwise you'll get mobbed in the field also if he has a tendancy to nip only ever give him carrots in a bucket or on the floor, never by hand. Everyone has teething problems so don't panic, there are plenty of people willing to offer advice and assistance if you ask for it. good luck
 
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