New horse not settling... ADVICE PLEASE!

[_jetset_]

Well, she had done some poos this morning, so that was one worry off my mind!

But, I put her in the field with my own mare (who wanted nothing to do with her at all) and she just started galloping around. More horses were introduced and she still galloped about, trotted and walked, but not eating at all.

The others are all in now and she is still not settling at all. It doesn't help that one keeps galloping at her with its ears back, but once she sets off it takes her ages to settle.

I don't think she has been in a herd before (there are 9 horses in the field now in total) so I am hoping she will soon learn what the herd etiquette is. The only problem is she is absolutely trashing the field and I am worrying about legs etc.

I have never known a horse constantly running around like this, and am just worried that it is taking her so long to even have a bit of grass. She is acting like a racehorse I used to know who had never been in a field in its life before.

It took me 20 mins to catch her to take her rug off (she was wet through) but then she wouldn't leave me once I let her go again.

Poor baby... does anyone have any suggestions?? Some people have said to bring her in but i just think it will make it worse because the same thing will happen tomorrow morning.

Rebecca x

 

[filly190]

Rebecca, dont worry it takes time. Your horse is using it fight or flight instinct at the moment. You can not settle until she knows she is'nt going to be harmed and there is no danger.

An established herd has a leader who usually is the one who will go up and shoo her away, the leader will then prevent any of the others from making friends with her. So they will ignore her.

She has to accept this, as gradually the other horses will introduce themselves. The pecking order will have to be re-established. Firstly the herd leader will let her know who is boss, then the others one by one.

She will sort herself out, this is what horses do in the wild, the only major difference is that they are in a paddock and are constrained to the acres.

This all takes time and does not happen overnight. Unfortunately as there are nine horses in the paddock, I hope its a big one and she has room to escape.

My advice to you, is do not take her out, each time she is put back in, she is having to go through it all again. Leave her for a few days if at all possible, let the herd re-establish and a balance develop.

If you and other people are standing watching, then the horses will come looking for food and fights start. Watch from a distance.

If you find she is getting kicked, which does often happen in a large herd, lets hope it's not serious and she learns to get out the way of the others.

All horses have strong natural instincts, they are herd animals, even if she has not experienced this before, she will cope, so dont worry.

It would have been ideal if you could have slowly introduced her, by putting her in a paddock next to the herd for a a week or so. If you can identify the herd leader, ask their owner if you can ride out with them, this really helps and will speed things up for her.

Good luck, dont worry, I would keep her rug off for a day or so, just to avoid any accidents and not keep bringing her away from them. As I mentioned before by doing this, you are creating another situation where when she returns she has to be chased around again. The longer you can leave her to settle the better.

 

[_jetset_]

The herd leader is my mare and she was fine with her, just not particulaly interested, but she gets her mignons to do the job for her a lot of the time!

There has been no kicking just running full pelt with ears back.

I tried to do it gradually, but it's impossible on a livery yard when everyone just wants to get theirs out. We don't have an area to fence off, and the way she was going I suspect she would have gone through a fence anyway.

I am just worried about the field getting trashed... the YO is very proud of her fields. However, horses are horses and there is not much I can do.

She is only on turn out during the day as we do not have 24 hour turnout...

 

[Weezy]

She will find her place I am sure bt the more you interact with her in the field environment, the more she will not settle - jst take a deep breath and let horses be horses however hard it is it is the best way

 

[PapaFrita]

I had a mare that reacted JUST like that (TB of course); ran around field and paced around stable. Some horses just take longer than others to settle in.
Shame that there's no way to introduce her slowly, or in a smaller paddock, but I'm sure she'll be fine.

 

[_jetset_]

Just nipped back up and watched from my car. She is still pacing a little but she is also squirting and flashing at the boys in the next field so the whole situation is not being helped because she is in season!

 

[PapaFrita]

Oh, well, when PF is being really slutty like that I KNOW she's comfortable!! Didn't come into season visibly ONCE at 2 previous yards... now she's almost permanently giving come hither looks and flashing her bottom at all the boys on the yard.

 

[_jetset_]

My mare is the definition of slut, even when she was in foal she was flirting for the first couple of months, little hussy! She can't be bothered now, she must feel too fat!

I just feel so sorry for her... she is in a new place and no one wants to be her friend apart from a small coloured pony (gelding in the next field) who just wants her for her body!

The one good thing to have come from all of this - you should have seen her beatiful floating trot when she was having a stress, WOW! I can't wait to channel that and get riding her. I got so excited when I saw it, had only seen a small side of it when I went to see her but when she really got going she just floated across the field!

 

[PapaFrita]

Oh, I'm quite sure she's not as slutty as PF!! Even Fabian, who has been a groom for years and years, says he's never seen anything quite like her!!

 

[_jetset_]

He he... she likes the boys then!

When I took Hannah to the vets at 65 days in foal, I honestly believed she had reabsorbed. She spent the whole day flashing at a gelding in the field next to hersm spreading her legs in front of him, and generally driving the poor horse crazy! The vet scanned her, looked at me and said, "Occasionally, and I mean very occasionally, you get a mare who shows all the signs of coming in season even when she is in foal." I replied, "So are you saying she's a tart?" and the vet just smiled at me knowingly!

We should start a hussy horse appreciation society!

 

[MagicMelon]

Do you have to put them all in together straight away? Maybe if you just put her in a next door field with another (friendly, calmest) horse for maybe 2 days first? Then she can get to know them over the fence first?

When I get a new one, I put it in the stable and allow the other horses to sniff it over the door (the stable leads straight out into the field). I leave the horse in all day usually until my horses have got bored with it and buggered off again. Then I let the horse out with my oldest calmest horse in their own paddock next door for 2/3 days. Then I usually let them all in together. I find letting them touch over the fence / stable door for a while first gets most of the tension away before introducing them.

If you cant do this (ie. its a livery yard where you cant move horses about etc.) then Im sure she'll calm down soon. Make sure she's got decent boots on all 4 legs just in case. Ideally a thin rug is useful as it reflects some bites from the others. Maybe put out loads of hay in loads of piles round the field so the rest settle and so will she?

 

[_jetset_]

We have no problems with the grass... there is loads of it!

I didn't put boots on her because she didn't come with any and I don't think she has ever had any on either. I didn't want to stress her out even more by putting back boots on, but I think I will try that tomorrow now she has been out once.

There is no kicking or biting, just charging!

 

[Frazer]

Dont worry, I moved my mare yesterday, she seemed fine (although had ACP) and she wouldn't even get into her stable, just rearing and backing up! Turned her out this morning, on her own and she started charging etc... at the mares the other side! I just went to bring her in as dont want her out to long at the moment (just off rest) and it toke ma a whole hour to even catch her! And when I did bringing her back to the yard she was runing around me etcc and looking pretty unhappy! However everyone has just said give her time, and that she is just coping with it badly

 

[allijudd]

relax...i tell all my owners to go home and leave us to it.....

if there is a major probelm then we would remove the horse...but we have only done that twice, once for a mare who had never been with gelding and once with peg10 when her mare nearly went into the quarry.......(but she didnt and she is really happy now!)