New Yard Mare Turnout

[Mahoganybay]

I’ve recently moved my mare to a new yard with all year turnout. The horses go out geldings together and mares together in separate fields.

The winter field is poached now and they are due to change to the spring/summer fields imminently so I’ve kept my mare in so she can go straight in the Spring/Summer fields where there is more room and grass to avoid any boredom squabbles. We have been at the new yard for one week.

Unfortunately due to the size of the mares field there is no option of sectioning it off so my mare can be with the herd but separate for integration purposes. There is no choice but to put them out together.

I need to build my mares tolerance up on the new grass and also make sure all horses are safe. It will be a four mare herd including my mare.

What in peoples experiences would be the safest way, my mare out initially with just one other horse? Would you put the quietest horse or the most dominant one?

Would you turn out my mare initially with the other horse and then bring in and let the other mares go out after? Or would you let the other mares go out, bring in all but one mare and then put my mare out?

Any other suggestions?

I am walking my mare out with the other mares so they get used to each other beforehand too.

 

[Cazza525]

I’ve recently moved my mare to a new yard with all year turnout. The horses go out geldings together and mares together in separate fields.

The winter field is poached now and they are due to change to the spring/summer fields imminently so I’ve kept my mare in so she can go straight in the Spring/Summer fields where there is more room and grass to avoid any boredom squabbles. We have been at the new yard for one week.

Unfortunately due to the size of the mares field there is no option of sectioning it off so my mare can be with the herd but separate for integration purposes. There is no choice but to put them out together.

I need to build my mares tolerance up on the new grass and also make sure all horses are safe. It will be a four mare herd including my mare.

What in peoples experiences would be the safest way, my mare out initially with just one other horse? Would you put the quietest horse or the most dominant one?

Would you turn out my mare initially with the other horse and then bring in and let the other mares go out after? Or would you let the other mares go out, bring in all but one mare and then put my mare out?

Any other suggestions?

I am walking my mare out with the other mares so they get used to each other beforehand too.

Put them all out together and leave to let them get on with it

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

Introduce them together in the arena. One at a time for half an hour a day. Then increase it to two when they try fine then by the time you go into the field they will all know each other. Chances are the grass will be too tempting for them to be arguing much

 

[PapaverFollis]

I've seen horses seriously injured by the chuck out and hope method so don't do that!!

I would put out with one other mare in the morning, when they are both hungry for grass. If the owners were cooperative I'd probably do this for each of the 3 others for a few days each. I'm not am expert but just thinking what I would try.

It's a shame you can't section off because I think that's a far better way of doing it.

 

[Goldenstar]

Can you hack out with any of the owners of the mares .
I always introduce horses by getting all the into a stable next to the new horse over a few days and hacking them out together letting them have a sniff on the yard after riding I then turnout with the horse I trust most and add in the others depending on how it goes .
The hacking together does help .
It’s always a worrying thing and worse with mares in my experience .

 

[throwawayaccount]

maybe when the day of turnout comes, you could advise the other liveries your mare will be going out- in case they decide to bring theirs in a bit earlier/turn out later for whatever reason. i tried this when my mare moved onto my current yard and a few people filtered their ponies as a result.

my mare still ended up getting a kick, nothing nasty luckily. horses will be horses, the more you prevent something the more likely it will happen.

 

[Mahoganybay]

Put them all out together and leave to let them get on with it

Gosh! Sorry but no ??. I know horses will be horses but this would be too much of a heart in the mouth kind of scenario.

 

[Mahoganybay]

I've seen horses seriously injured by the chuck out and hope method so don't do that!!

I would put out with one other mare in the morning, when they are both hungry for grass. If the owners were cooperative I'd probably do this for each of the 3 others for a few days each. I'm not am expert but just thinking what I would try.

It's a shame you can't section off because I think that's a far better way of doing it.

This is my train of thought,

I've seen horses seriously injured by the chuck out and hope method so don't do that!!

I would put out with one other mare in the morning, when they are both hungry for grass. If the owners were cooperative I'd probably do this for each of the 3 others for a few days each. I'm not am expert but just thinking what I would try.

It's a shame you can't section off because I think that's a far better way of doing it.

This is my plan hopefully, along with hacking out with the other mares.

The field is vast, if I was to section off and the horses went out of sight I know my mare would panic. Or else, I agree this is absolutely the best way.

 

[PapaverFollis]

If the field is big then it is a great help as it gives them space to get away from each other.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Put them all out together and leave to let them get on with it

Yeh great till you end up with a mare with a shattered splint bone in 19 pieces like I had

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Can you keep in in an adjacent field to get used to the others. This is what we do 1 week on their own then gradually introduce them to the members, saying that it went pair shape with a welsh section A 2 year old, arrived yesterday,she went through the electric fence 2 times and broke the fence. So had to let her in with one other, now she is a lot calmer.

 

[AUB]

Normally we turn out alone next to the herd on day one. On day two we turn out with the dominant mare. Depending on how that goes, we introduce to the herd in the afternoon on day two or on day three.

 

[Birker2020]

Put them all out together and leave to let them get on with it

I had to do that at the one yard I was at and I had three separate horses (all at different times) that were all put out with the one herd of geldings. They all mingled okay and apart from the odd scrape or the one horse that would continually get himself into dire straits following the Dales horse through the barbed wire it had managed to pull down to get into the next field.

I wouldn't hesitate to turn out a new horse into a herd environment now although I would choose individual turnout due to the issues I have had previously and my current horse nearly lost her life in a herd situation and is far too precious now, to go out with others.

 

[Mahoganybay]

There are three huge fields (and when I see huge, you can’t actually see the boundary.

One is the winter field where mares go out one day and geldings the next.

Then there is the geldings field which runs adjacent to the mares field. So there is absolutely no room for turning her out alongside or sectioning off the field.

So would people say turnout with dominate mare first or quieter mare? And whichever you choose, can you explain your reasonings behind it?