New horse struggling to settle

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MummyMoo

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I purchased a 6 year old horse almost 2 weeks ago and brought him home to a lovely livery yard where we stable our other horse.

He’s has been used to living out with open stable doors so he can choose to come in the winter and has been in the same home since being a foal.

Currently, our horses are out all night and in all day and they’re on part-livery so the livery owners will bring them in the morning.

He started out being aggressive towards the other horses. I thought that behavior had settled but some are still coming in with kicks in the AM and obviously, people are thinking that he’s the culprit (he could be…)

When the livery owners are bringing the herd in in the morning, he’s trying to stop them from catching the others by rounding them off and away. When he’s finally in his stable, he’ll just stand all day looking over the stable door. He rarely eats his net and never lies down.

Yesterday he was due to have new shoes and he was terrible for the blacksmith. He could only get one shoe on and then found an abscess on the other foot and couldn’t get a new shoe on. He said he was incredibly ill mannered and I’d have my work cut out with him.

I’m feeling so upset and anxious. We’ve waiting a long time for this second, family, horse and if he doesn’t settle soon, I know the lively owner will ask us to leave. All the other horses who have moved on have settled so quickly (our 1st horse included)

He was so quiet when we went to view him, the vet commented on his lovely nature at the vetting and I’ve seen videos of him being shod in the past and he wasn’t misbehaving! He’s actually been so well behaved to ride so far but he’s just fixated on the field and being out with his field mate and I think that’s where all the issues lie.

Can anyone offer any advice? Should I try a calmer? Did anyone else have a horse that took a while to settle? A horse that was used to living out but eventually settled in the stable?… Maybe he’ll only ever be happy living out and he’ll never be happy on our yard, I just don’t know but if feels like all we’ve had is stress so far…
 
If he has an abscess, yes he may be difficult for the farrier. I've had a saint of a horse behave similarly.

Rounding up the others is a pretty simple solution - get him first.

He may be better out in the day and in at night, many are.

And for the moment I'd do him yourself rather than part livery.

Two weeks is nothing in the big scheme of things.
 
Big hugs to you and your new horse, you both sound very stressed xx

Living space wise, this has been a huge, huge change for him and it will probably take a while for him to settle. Two weeks is a very short period and this change could be likened to us moving to a new house/school/job.

Re bringing in, would it be possible for the livery owners to bring him in first? That sounds like the fastest, easiest change you could make initially.

I know some people who swear by calming cookies/calmers etc, might be worth trying some different things. Also, have a chat with your livery owner as they should understand that he needs time to settle in xx
 
When we got Ozzy in June we expected him to be very unsettled and he certainly was. He'd let quite a sheltered life - same home for 6 years and then a very quiet life for the next two years. So quite apart from the disruption Ozzy had in the month after he was initially sold, we knew it would be a massive change for him. We decided to allow three months for settling.
He was aggressive to our other two horses, biting and kicking. (Much of this was related to food aggression, which doesn't seem to be the case with your new horse). He went through a nasty biting phase. It wasn't pleasant.

He has been with us almost two and a half months now and is much more settled and happy. No more aggression/biting/kicking.
One of our other horses took literally two days to settle fully. The other took two months. Ozzy has taken even longer. Two weeks is not very long for some horses.
Most yard owners will understand that some can be slow to settle. My OH did (and still does) a lot of groundwork with Ozzy and I think it's helped massively. Also, I think Ozzy is beginning to realise that if he goes out for a hack he comes back home and gets a fuss. All these things have helped him to settle.

Finally, I will say that, in the past, one of our horses absolutely hated being in during the day but was absolutely fine being in at night.
 
It makes me really sad to read this as I can imagine what the horse is going through and it really isn’t yours or his fault.
My homebred has always lived out and when I need to go away anywhere and cope with being stabled it requires a lot of careful management. I would advise the following:
1) always bring him in and out with the same horse as a buddy. Preferably one he's stabled near to/ can easily see. I would try to make that pair the first in and out for a while whilst that routine is established.
2) move his hay and water to next to the door so he doesn’t have to move away from the door to eat.
3) don’t panic about the farrier, it sounds like that’s just unfortunate circumstances, but try to get him in a location that he is most settled for the farrier, preferably next to his buddy, and use food distraction
 
I think that your horse is very stressed & anxious, if he's been at the same home since a foal I'm guessing this was a private home where they were able to do the open stable arrangement so to move to a livery yard, new horses, new owner & environment plus different routine is bound to be in unsettling. My mare took well over a year to settle here & it was a very similar living arrangement to what she had previously. Im sure he will settle in time x
 
TheMule said:
It makes me really sad to read this as I can imagine what the horse is going through and it really isn’t yours or his fault.
My homebred has always lived out and when I need to go away anywhere and cope with being stabled it requires a lot of careful management. I would advise the following:
1) always bring him in and out with the same horse as a buddy. Preferably one he's stabled near to/ can easily see. I would try to make that pair the first in and out for a while whilst that routine is established.
2) move his hay and water to next to the door so he doesn’t have to move away from the door to eat.
3) don’t panic about the farrier, it sounds like that’s just unfortunate circumstances, but try to get him in a location that he is most settled for the farrier, preferably next to his buddy, and use food distraction
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This but also I'd recommend speaking to his previous owner about his diet with her. If his diet has suddenly changed (along with everything else) he might be getting to much of the good stuff. And I'd find a calmer to put him on for a few weeks to help him chill out a bit. We had good success with golden herbs supercalm, but something to help his tummy might also be a good idea.
 
dorsetladette said:
This but also I'd recommend speaking to his previous owner about his diet with her. If his diet has suddenly changed (along with everything else) he might be getting to much of the good stuff. And I'd find a calmer to put him on for a few weeks to help him chill out a bit. We had good success with golden herbs supercalm, but something to help his tummy might also be a good idea.
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Thank you. I’ve ordered the Supercalm. The reviews are good, I really hope it helps. Feed wise, he’s only on a handful of chaff with Equimins Balancer.
 
Amymay Again said:
If he has an abscess, yes he may be difficult for the farrier. I've had a saint of a horse behave similarly.

Rounding up the others is a pretty simple solution - get him first.

He may be better out in the day and in at night, many are.

And for the moment I'd do him yourself rather than part livery.

Two weeks is nothing in the big scheme of things.
Click to expand...
Amymay Again said:
If he has an abscess, yes he may be difficult for the farrier. I've had a saint of a horse behave similarly.

Rounding up the others is a pretty simple solution - get him first.

He may be better out in the day and in at night, many are.

And for the moment I'd do him yourself rather than part livery.

Two weeks is nothing in the big scheme of things.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your reply. Strangely enough the abscess doesn’t seem to be painful, we only knew it was there after the shoe was pulled. Maybe it was bothering him more than we realised though…

Yes, I think the only answer for now if to go up super early and bring him in myself 1st. That’s not going to be easy because I have 3 children to get to school and a job but I can’t see any other way. All the liveries currently turnout at night so if I switch to days, he’ll have to go out just with our other horse. They don’t like each other atm and it would mean re-integrating him into the herd all over again in a few weeks time when only daytime turnout will be allowed.

Yes, 2 weeks is nothing, especially when he’s had such a huge lifestyle change. I actually feel like he’s being quite good for us and even settling better in the stable but he seems to be given other people a hard time and I just know the yard owner won’t tolerate it if she feels he’s a danger to them or to the other horses 😔
 
Jinx94 said:
Big hugs to you and your new horse, you both sound very stressed xx

Living space wise, this has been a huge, huge change for him and it will probably take a while for him to settle. Two weeks is a very short period and this change could be likened to us moving to a new house/school/job.

Re bringing in, would it be possible for the livery owners to bring him in first? That sounds like the fastest, easiest change you could make initially.

I know some people who swear by calming cookies/calmers etc, might be worth trying some different things. Also, have a chat with your livery owner as they should understand that he needs time to settle in xx
Click to expand...
Yes, it has been an enormous change for him. I will ask the livery owner if he could be brought in 1st but I think for the time being, I’ll just have to get up at the crack of dawn and do it myself just to make sure he’s not giving anyone any trouble. I’ve just ordered the Global Herbs calmer too so hopefully that might take the edge off (I might take some too 😂)
 
Bless you, that does sound stressful. This year I moved my mare and gelding to a new field where they are now sharing with 3 others. It has been just the 2 of them together for the past 6 years.

Holy cow did it all kick off!!! Fighting, squabbling like you wouldn't believe. We did initially separate them, but even then the little sods were at it over the fence. My d**khead Dales pony was the main culprit, but he and the other gelding really hated each other and my boy came away with some proper scrapes.

Take heart though because within 6 weeks they had ironed out the pecking order (Dales on top, obvs) and now they are a quiet happy herd. The 2 former enemies were even spotted having a mutual groom last week.

Any introduction to an established group is hard - new school, office colleagues, goldfish! They just need time to settle.

Wishing you all the best x
 
Nancykitt said:
When we got Ozzy in June we expected him to be very unsettled and he certainly was. He'd let quite a sheltered life - same home for 6 years and then a very quiet life for the next two years. So quite apart from the disruption Ozzy had in the month after he was initially sold, we knew it would be a massive change for him. We decided to allow three months for settling.
He was aggressive to our other two horses, biting and kicking. (Much of this was related to food aggression, which doesn't seem to be the case with your new horse). He went through a nasty biting phase. It wasn't pleasant.

He has been with us almost two and a half months now and is much more settled and happy. No more aggression/biting/kicking.
One of our other horses took literally two days to settle fully. The other took two months. Ozzy has taken even longer. Two weeks is not very long for some horses.
Most yard owners will understand that some can be slow to settle. My OH did (and still does) a lot of groundwork with Ozzy and I think it's helped massively. Also, I think Ozzy is beginning to realise that if he goes out for a hack he comes back home and gets a fuss. All these things have helped him to settle.

Finally, I will say that, in the past, one of our horses absolutely hated being in during the day but was absolutely fine being in at night.
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Thanks for your reply and I’m so pleased to hear Ozzy is starting to settle. In a few weeks, night turnout will change to days for winter. He might be better then but I worried that the livery owner won’t tolerate him for long enough for us to find out. I’m definitely going to start some ground work with him, it’s really good to hear that it’s made a difference for Ozzy
 
irishdraft said:
I think that your horse is very stressed & anxious, if he's been at the same home since a foal I'm guessing this was a private home where they were able to do the open stable arrangement so to move to a livery yard, new horses, new owner & environment plus different routine is bound to be in unsettling. My mare took well over a year to settle here & it was a very similar living arrangement to what she had previously. Im sure he will settle in time x
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Thank you. I really hope he settles too. The previous owner even said ‘he’s had no rules with her’ so it’s a huge shock to his system. He’s such a gorgeous boy, I really hope he’ll come good.
 
TheMule said:
It makes me really sad to read this as I can imagine what the horse is going through and it really isn’t yours or his fault.
My homebred has always lived out and when I need to go away anywhere and cope with being stabled it requires a lot of careful management. I would advise the following:
1) always bring him in and out with the same horse as a buddy. Preferably one he's stabled near to/ can easily see. I would try to make that pair the first in and out for a while whilst that routine is established.
2) move his hay and water to next to the door so he doesn’t have to move away from the door to eat.
3) don’t panic about the farrier, it sounds like that’s just unfortunate circumstances, but try to get him in a location that he is most settled for the farrier, preferably next to his buddy, and use food distraction
Click to expand...
Thank you for your understanding. He’s stabled next to our other horse and they’re in the same routine. They don’t actually like each other atm though! I’ve moved his net to the door and this has helped a lot! He can now munch while watching the field. I’m going to get some sedation off the vet for the next farrier visit. Hopefully, it won’t be a permanent thing but for now, it’s safer for everyone.
 
MummyMoo said:
Thanks for your reply and I’m so pleased to hear Ozzy is starting to settle. In a few weeks, night turnout will change to days for winter. He might be better then but I worried that the livery owner won’t tolerate him for long enough for us to find out. I’m definitely going to start some ground work with him, it’s really good to hear that it’s made a difference for Ozzy
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Excellent! I think with Ozzy the groundwork was a big thing in terms of consistency. Every time OH went out with the rope headcollar & lead rope, Ozzy knew the routine. It also helped him to listen and focus in general.
 
Loosehorse! said:
Bless you, that does sound stressful. This year I moved my mare and gelding to a new field where they are now sharing with 3 others. It has been just the 2 of them together for the past 6 years.

Holy cow did it all kick off!!! Fighting, squabbling like you wouldn't believe. We did initially separate them, but even then the little sods were at it over the fence. My d**khead Dales pony was the main culprit, but he and the other gelding really hated each other and my boy came away with some proper scrapes.

Take heart though because within 6 weeks they had ironed out the pecking order (Dales on top, obvs) and now they are a quiet happy herd. The 2 former enemies were even spotted having a mutual groom last week.

Any introduction to an established group is hard - new school, office colleagues, goldfish! They just need time to settle.

Wishing you all the best x
Click to expand...
Oh wow, that must have been stressful for you. He’s been used to living out with a max of 4 other horses. He’s now out with 13 others in a mixed herd. He’s fought his way to the top and I thought the drama was over but the former leader has come in with a swollen chest this morning so now I’m not sure 😞 It’s really hard when other people horses are involved and I feel like mine is the ‘monster’ at the moment.
 
Nancykitt said:
Excellent! I think with Ozzy the groundwork was a big thing in terms of consistency. Every time OH went out with the rope headcollar & lead rope, Ozzy knew the routine. It also helped him to listen and focus in general.
Click to expand...
Is he following any groundwork ‘plan’ in particular or just doing his own thing? It’s not something I’ve bothered to do much of before but needs must…
 
MummyMoo said:
Is he following any groundwork ‘plan’ in particular or just doing his own thing? It’s not something I’ve bothered to do much of before but needs must…
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We do the TRT basic patterns - leading, stopping, getting the horse to go backwards, moving the hind legs, moving the front legs etc. There's also a lot of emphasis on tension release exercises, which Ozzy absolutely loves. He was totally 'blissed out' after one of the sessions.
I'm not a firm disciple of any particular method (and a lot of TRT is hard sell) but the basic TRT exercises have worked really well with Ozzy.

As a start, basic leading, stopping, moving the horse back, changing pace etc seems to do a lot of good. Ozzy was very bargy when we first got him and he had a nasty habit of pulling away and running off; the leading exercises were very effective in changing this behaviour.
 
Did your yard not do a slow introduction? Something like next to the herd, then with another friendly horse, then both back in the herd? I don’t allow my horses to be turned out with others (I have multiple horses at each yard) so that if there is any silliness the horses concerned are all mine.
 
Nancykitt said:
We do the TRT basic patterns - leading, stopping, getting the horse to go backwards, moving the hind legs, moving the front legs etc. There's also a lot of emphasis on tension release exercises, which Ozzy absolutely loves. He was totally 'blissed out' after one of the sessions.
I'm not a firm disciple of any particular method (and a lot of TRT is hard sell) but the basic TRT exercises have worked really well with Ozzy.

As a start, basic leading, stopping, moving the horse back, changing pace etc seems to do a lot of good. Ozzy was very bargy when we first got him and he had a nasty habit of pulling away and running off; the leading exercises were very effective in changing this behaviour.
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Sounds perfect. I’ve been doing a lot of that with him tonight and he’s done so well. I’ll look into the basic TRT exercises and start them tomorrow. Thanks so much
 
lme said:
Did your yard not do a slow introduction? Something like next to the herd, then with another friendly horse, then both back in the herd? I don’t allow my horses to be turned out with others (I have multiple horses at each yard) so that if there is any silliness the horses concerned are all mine.
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No, they go straight out into the herd. Usually there’s not issue but the ink he was totally overwhelmed after being used to a small herd and suddenly being faced with 10 or so others
 
I'd have a chat with the previous owners - and try to find out exactly what his routine what. Things like timings of feeds, turnout, etc., and particularly what sort of horses he was turned out with, and what sort of pasture.

This probably isn't going to be of much comfort, but one of my liveries purchased a lovely gelding back at the beginning of summer. He was intended to be her "dream horse", and he certainly was a stunner.

Sadly though, over a period of two months, he just did not settle. Even me going out poo-picking, or walking past his pasture section with a headcollar to bring my horse in, stressed him out completely, he just lost the plot.

His owner and her daughter did ride him out together a few times; however his behaviour both ridden and in-hand began deteriorating adversely, and it got to the point where they just couldn't get him to leave the yard. These were not novices, they were people who'd been around horses all their lives, and the situation became so bad that the owner felt that the only possible thing was to PTS.

This horse was the only gelding among four other mares in the particular field he was in (sub-divided into "herds). We did wonder if this was what was unsettling him so badly; he seemed to be unduly stressed by every single little thing that was happening elsewhere on the field and up in the yard. We are not a formal yard, we are a DIY set-up, and don't really have any "routine" as such as everyone was turned out at the time. Perhaps he couldn't deal with this, who knows (he was a RoR TB).

The owner(s) put together a very honest advert; fortunately someone was prepared to take him on. In the new yard he is apparently doing brilliantly; and is a lovely sweet boy.

Hating to say it, but some horses are just not happy in a place, and sometimes you just can't figure out why.

Sorry OP, not exactly what you want to hear.

I'd be inclined to get a professional out and assess the situation, see if they can offer any insight. A fresh pair of eyes might pick up something.

Good luck. 'Tis a bummer when they won't settle I know.
 
MummyMoo said:
No, they go straight out into the herd. Usually there’s not issue but the ink he was totally overwhelmed after being used to a small herd and suddenly being faced with 10 or so others
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Poor boy it’s a lot for him and a big change. I’m sure he will settle in time and the change in routine may help.

Don’t worry about the farrier, they tend to be very opinionated! The pain is probably making him tricky to handle too.

Did you get him vetted with bloods? If he was quiet when you tried him he could have been doped? You could run the bloods now to check? It would help answer some questions and could give you possible grounds for return if that is what you wanted to do…either way if you have the bloods from a vetting id definitely ask the vet to check them now x
 
I had a golden oldie with knackered back legs last year as a companion. Same home for a long time. First morning to turnout, I thought I’d leave him to last as he seemed chilled in his stable. He lost the plot. Jumped out of his stable. Onto concrete and cleared a 1.3m field gate to follow! All because he was stressed. Some do take time to settle
 
exracehorse said:
I had a golden oldie with knackered back legs last year as a companion. Same home for a long time. First morning to turnout, I thought I’d leave him to last as he seemed chilled in his stable. He lost the plot. Jumped out of his stable. Onto concrete and cleared a 1.3m field gate to follow! All because he was stressed. Some do take time to settle
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Oh wow! I really hope he was okay! Yes, I’ve had a very stressy Arab for many years. When they’re anxious they act completely out of character and can be a danger to themselves and others. This boy doesn’t show his stress in the same way as my old horse but I know it’s there. Had a lovely night doing ground work with him and practicing picking up his feet. He’s been absolutely wonderful. My husband is going to catch him 1st thing to hopefully avoid the morning stress. I really hope he settles and stops giving the livery owners grief 🙈
 
MummyMoo said:
Oh wow, that must have been stressful for you. He’s been used to living out with a max of 4 other horses. He’s now out with 13 others in a mixed herd. He’s fought his way to the top and I thought the drama was over but the former leader has come in with a swollen chest this morning so now I’m not sure 😞 It’s really hard when other people horses are involved and I feel like mine is the ‘monster’ at the moment.
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If the former boss horse has a swollen chest it is because he has been hassling your horse and he has been protecting himself. This will only truly settle down when they have each acceoted who is top dog.
 
I bought a homebred gelding from his home, he was 6 and I ll never buy one again. He was spoiled, had no boundaries and his behaviour was appalling. I kept him for 18 months and when he left he was a much nicer horse and settled.
 
maya2008 said:
Just checking but - your horse doesn’t have back shoes on does he? I would want them off if he is actively fighting.
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I too would do this until settled. Not only will it help protect the others, and handlers, but it is also a concession that other owners can see you are making, and so showing respect for them.

Your other updates sound great, that you are actively sorting the issue.
 
maya2008 said:
Just checking but - your horse doesn’t have back shoes on does he? I would want them off if he is actively fighting.
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No back shoes. The blacksmith has said he needs them but I’ve refused. I might look into back boots once he gets better at having his back feet handled
 
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