New horse arriving tomorrow- shall I just turn her straight out to the field?

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Autumn30

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I have my new horse arriving tomorrow she’s 6 year old little sweetheart.

I already have a mare here who was mt previous mares companion who was pts at the beginning of summer.

My issues is, I can not get my mare here out the field. For the last month she’s flat out refused and it’s weird as we were going for daily walks/coming in to be groomed/shod. She’s in a field with sheep but refuses to leave the gate. I am going to try again tomorrow morning as I have done for the last few days- otherwise the field is 50 acres.

What are your thoughts or experiences of introducing mares straight in the field? My current mare is a little bossy, she would do the odd kick around food to my previous mare but nothing any other time.

The field really is quite large where there isn’t really anywhere to fence of a little electric area/ I don’t really have any fencing to do this.
 
Amymay Again said:
What does she do that prevents you bringing her out?
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She completely refuses- won’t move, pulls back, I’ve tried everything and then when you put a little force she spins and runs away.
She’s not fussed by food so you can’t even encourage. I am unsure what happens as I said I would take her for walks, she was like a donkey.
 
I’ve done it a couple of times, my mare is quite bossy but she’s always been absolutely fine. I let her settle in the stable for a few hours but then just goes straight out. Over summer they were our 24/7 anyway.

I’d personally hang around and keep an eye on them though to make sure there are no dramas and frequently check they are ok throughout the day x
 
Perhaps the companion horse won't leave the field because her friend has now gone and shes worried the sheep might disappear too if she leaves. You may find that seeing another horse will entice her out of the field. This is not much help for your situation I know, just an observation. If you can get companion horse out of field when the new one arrives do youhave stables they could go in next to each other to get acquainted before turning out ? Fencing a small area off as suggested above seems your best option x
 
Landcruiser said:
Has the new horse already been living out? Turning an unknown quantity onto 50 acres during the Autumn flush is asking for trouble IMO. Add in the stress of moving, total change of feed and environment and companion, and you have a recipe for potential laminitis.
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Yes this is true, I switched to mine being in at night as soon as I moved in late September for this reason! Much bigger field with grass compared to her other one, I’ve also put her on a gut balancer as the change can upset their tummies
 
Landcruiser said:
Has the new horse already been living out? Turning an unknown quantity onto 50 acres during the Autumn flush is asking for trouble IMO. Add in the stress of moving, total change of feed and environment and companion, and you have a recipe for potential laminitis.
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yes new horse has been living out- comes in for maybe 3/4 hours in the day so I was going to repeat that pattern for her.
Still unable to get the mare in, so I am going to corner an area off in the field by the gate to encourage my other to come in!
 
splashgirl45 said:
I would put a bridle on her and a lunge line then you won’t lose her if she pulls back. Pick a day when you have time and just wait it out , when she moves forward at all , reward either with a treat or a stroke if she pulls back keep quiet and hold on, once she stops relax the lunge line …
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Did similar to this, this morning and she panicked / bucked reared / ran off then came back over. She just point blank refuses to go towards the gate to a point she will stress out. I don’t know what’s happened other than she doesn’t want to leave the sheep
 
Bobthecob15 said:
Yes this is true, I switched to mine being in at night as soon as I moved in late September for this reason! Much bigger field with grass compared to her other one, I’ve also put her on a gut balancer as the change can upset their tummies
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Perhaps this is what I will do now! Thank you
 
Flowerofthefen said:
Have you tried taking her out the gate backwards. I know it sounds daft but I have solved my lads problems with doorways by going through backwards, thought I'd just mention it!
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I have successfully done this with a horse that wouldn't walk into a stable. I walked parallel to the stable, turned away so he was lined up facing out and reversed in. Worked every time.

But you need a reliable, straight walk back before you try it.
 
I wouldn't introduce a new horse without an isolation period. If you're turning out then I would fence off a pen and then put in a second line of electric fencing so that noses can't touch.
 
back in the day, I used to turn up at my yard at night to find new horses out with my old girl, with no warning from the farmer! there was often a small cut on her leg, but never anything major. however, these days, now I have control over my field, I find that keeping horses separate for a week or two makes for a way better experience when they all eventually go out together.
 
I wonder if the mare in the field is just a bit freaked out by life at the moment. She lost her friend, everything’s changed for her.
Has she ever caught herself on the gate or something? Is there another gate you could try? Could you ask someone to walk behind her?

I think this is all something you may have been better sorting last week rather than the day/ before a new horse arrives

Best of luck though! I’d be having an absolute melt down!
 
Beausmate said:
I have successfully done this with a horse that wouldn't walk into a stable. I walked parallel to the stable, turned away so he was lined up facing out and reversed in. Worked every time.

But you need a reliable, straight walk back before you try it.
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My horse panics going in a stable. He will literally flatten you. Tried all sorts to resolve it. We have been backing in for a number of years now, he pretty much positions himself . I also back him out the trailer as he rushes down the front ramp.
I
 
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