New Horse - 'Not as described on the tin' !!

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sjward

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Just wondered how long new horses have taken to settle in. Had cob for six weeks, tried her out in all conditions, school, roads, hacking three times over a month before purchasing and she was as calm as a kitten, stood rock still to get on, quite strong but good brakes and felt very safe.
From day one she has been very very spooky, can barely get on her for her spinning round and round to avoid, when I am on her she's tanking off, thrown in a few bucks although this seems to have calmed down and is generally very stressy. I know it can take awhile for horses to settle down, I've had all normal things checked and she was 5 staged vetted. I'm 100% sure there was no drugging or under-handedness from seller.
I'm taking things slow and going right back to basics and being very patient with her but I'm baffled at the difference in her and just hope that time and consistency will result in the horse that I tried.
She is here to stay and will be with me forever so we have plenty of time to sort teething troubles out, just wondered if anyone else had experienced this or anyone have some 'kind' advice.

She is an absolute sweetheart on the ground, standing for ages to be groomed and you could put your granny on her if walking in hand.

Thanks.
 
Is her routine much the same as with previous owners? for example is she being turned out for long enough has her food changed, have you been hacking with another quiet horse to start with?

have you spoken to the previous owners about this?

just to add I don't thing 6 weeks is all that long in the grand scheme of things strange place strange person it might have just thrown her a bit.
 
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I've spoken to previous owners and they have said that she could be nappy when leaving her field companions although I haven't experienced this with her. She was out 24/7 and now in at night but she was stabled at night prior to them getting her. I work with her for an hour in the morning, as doing something with her everyday does seem to be making things better and apart from this she is out in the field with others until about 5pm. So quite a change for her from being out 24/7 (livery yard doesn't offer 24/7 turn out) but she seems to enjoy coming in and is always waiting for me and not been a problem at all over night in stable. She is better ridden out with other horses but still quite 'joggy' she doesnt really fully relax.
 
It could just be a combination of coming in at night mine have a bit of lively few weeks when I change over to day turnout and that's at a home they are used to, and the fact that it's all new to her, maybe give her a bit of lunge to get some energy out before riding and stick to hacking with someone for now and keep your routine as same as you can so she knows what she is doing, I am sure in time she will settle some just take longer.
 
Have you tried riding in the afternoon when she has been out all day, some are sharper after a night in eating plenty of hay, a few other suggestions to run past you, is she getting enough hay so not having an empty tummy, this can lead to ulcers or just a grumpy horse, is she getting hard feed, sometimes they will react to ingredients such as alfalfa or too much sugar or starch, is she warm enough overnight, it has not been really cold yet but she may be chilly and that can make them silly.
Hopefully it is just a case of her settling and you getting to know each other but it is always worth tweaking their routine and diet if things are not going well.
 
Is she fed?
Fed the same feed as before?
Hay/haylage?
Does she get more grass than she did before?
Lots of questions sorry
 
Questions are fine. She was out 24/7 before with no additional feed. She now has a very small feed (so she doesn't feel left out in morning and evening when others being fed) but this is grass pellets and she has ad lib hay overnight. The grazing is very similar to where she was before.
 
be positive said:
Have you tried riding in the afternoon when she has been out all day, some are sharper after a night in eating plenty of hay, a few other suggestions to run past you, is she getting enough hay so not having an empty tummy, this can lead to ulcers or just a grumpy horse, is she getting hard feed, sometimes they will react to ingredients such as alfalfa or too much sugar or starch, is she warm enough overnight, it has not been really cold yet but she may be chilly and that can make them silly.
Hopefully it is just a case of her settling and you getting to know each other but it is always worth tweaking their routine and diet if things are not going well.
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She seems to be the same whatever time I ride her so have started just trying to be consistent with her everyday. She is quite a hairy cob so she isn't rugged at night but I'll give anything a go :-)
 
Persevere some horses can take a while to settle - how long was she in her other home? I had some problems with a homebred pony I bought (6yr old) and I think when they are not used to moving around they will test the boundaries until they feel safe and secure with their new owner. No time spent with her will be a waste even it its an hour of learning to stand whilst being mounted.
 
Midlifecrisis said:
Persevere some horses can take a while to settle - how long was she in her other home? I had some problems with a homebred pony I bought (6yr old) and I think when they are not used to moving around they will test the boundaries until they feel safe and secure with their new owner. No time spent with her will be a waste even it its an hour of learning to stand whilst being mounted.
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Thank you for your reply. She was with previous owners for about 6months and before that spent 9 years with gypsies, whilst she didn't have a terrible life it was a fairly hard one so she's only really known love and kindness for 7-8months. I'm sure she'll come round and I have all the time in the world to get her there. Despite our teething problems I'm enjoying having her and already love her to bits, she's not going anywhere she's stuck with me so we'll just have to sort ourselves out x
 
I'm in the same boat as you, not that far in though!

2 weeks down, im just waiting it out! showing her she has a constant routine, friends and food!

feeding mainly Fibre, and she is out 8-5.30 everyday!

SO not v helpful, just a little 'you aren't alone' message :)
 
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