Our first 24hrs on the new yard

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LHIS

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What an eventful first day it was too! We arrived on Friday evening and after calming him down a bit (eyes on stalks) he went into his stable and then the rest of the herd came in for the day. He seemed to get on alright with the two horses next door, he's in an American barn style stable so can see everything. I put him to bed and left for the evening once he seemed more settled.
Upon arriving the following morning I was pleased to find him where I left him. He was restless so I took him out and walked him around the yard, he calmed down a little bit not much. I returned him to his stable and he came back down, and I mucked out around him whilst he followed me around, resting his nose on my shoulders. All was well.
For some unknown reason the big gelding next door suddenly took a dislike to my gelding and proceeded to kick 10 barrels out of the dividing panels, which subsequently shattered. My boy was not innocent in all of this as he did retaliate, which didn't help. Was then told that big gelding is very dominant and they would be turned out together shortly.
I put my gelding and a friendly mare out together first, and all was fine. Then the big gelding was introduced, as expected they had a kick and squeal, but after a few hours seemed to settle. Sadly introducing them over a fence is not an option at this yard.
When the time came to bring them back in I caught mine with no issue, thankfully, and waded through some deep sticky mud to retrieve him. Next came the leg washing, my gelding has never had his legs hosed before. The hosing was treated with suspicion and it took around 30 mins for him to accept it and settle. Unfortunately during this a lady, who I was later told is not horsey, tried to step in and help, she caught a flying leg to the thigh :(. As I was in the midst of trying to hold my gelding I wasn't able to check if she was ok, and she had left by the time we'd cracked it.

I had a few 'what have I done' moments yesterday I must admit, but on the whole I was pleased with how he has coped, apart from the kick but it wasn't aimed at her I am sure, he was trying to get away from the hose (he eventually realised it wasn't going to kill him and stood like a rock whilst we cleaned his legs).
 
Oh my! What an eventful start.

Hopefully you will look back on this in a few months and laugh. I'm sure you would have heard if the lady wasn't ok.
 
It really was quite eventful but I am sure as the days go by it will get better, do you have to hose there legs every time they come in its a bit of a strange yard rule and not one I would want to be doing everyday.
 
LHIS said:
Unfortunately during this a lady, who I was later told is not horsey, tried to step in and help, she caught a flying leg to the thigh :(. As I was in the midst of trying to hold my gelding I wasn't able to check if she was ok, and she had left by the time we'd cracked it.
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Just for the sake of getting along with folks, I'd have stopped what I was doing fro a few minutes, just to make sure she was ok. I'd be pretty miffed if someone's horse kicked me, and the owner did/said nothing.
 
These things are never easy are they? I'm sure things will settle.

For what it's worth, if I was struggling with hosing my horse's legs and someone unhorsey came along being "helpful" I'd be more interested in holding my horse than checking on them too. I wouldn't worry about it.
 
Tiddlypom said:
So he's being turned out with a horse who he has been having a kicking match with through the stable partition, plus you didn't stop hosing his legs off to check if the lady he kicked was ok?
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kinda agree-there's no way my horse would be turned out with the other one without a gradual introduction either.
 
Certainly not when the initial in stable introduction had not gone well! and with a mare in the way :eek3: IME dominant geldings can usually be matey enough until there is a woman on the scene then it all goes downhill, I'd certainly be watching turnout closely.

Is leg washing mandatory??
 
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Why would you introduce a new procedure like hosing legs to a horse who is already stressed by a move and by a dominant horse he is 'forced' to spend his day with.

Sorry, but the lack of horse-empathy in this has made me quite cross and also fairly despairing of horsemanship today.
 
JulesRules said:
These things are never easy are they? I'm sure things will settle.

For what it's worth, if I was struggling with hosing my horse's legs and someone unhorsey came along being "helpful" I'd be more interested in holding my horse than checking on them too. I wouldn't worry about it.
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If your horse kicked someone, you wouldn't bother to check they were ok? I don't care how much I was struggling with a horses behaviour, if that behaviour resulted in them kicking someone, Id tie the damn thing up for a few minutes, while I did the decent thing
 
Auslander said:
If your horse kicked someone, you wouldn't bother to check they were ok? I don't care how much I was struggling with a horses behaviour, if that behaviour resulted in them kicking someone, Id tie the damn thing up for a few minutes, while I did the decent thing
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^^^^this!!
 
My word, a horse would get run off its legs and beaten up if a horse was introduced to our herd after one night, but they are a bunch of bullies. It's a month minimum over the fence for us, but we've learnt through experience.

Fwiw my horse would barely have noticed a new yard, just got on with eating, he's lived in the same place for 13 years but has been to rehab and vet stays enough lol.
 
I would strongly suggest you regardless of any fault find the lady who got kicked or leave her a note and apologise profusely, thank her for trying to help and give her a box og chocs- you are at a new yard and don't want ot get a reputation.
I would strongly advise you also next time you move find a more horse friendly yard as immediate turnout with a dominante gelding is asking for a broken leg.
 
Hi All,

I found the lady who got caught by his leg today, apologised profusely and she assured me she was fine and there were no hard feelings. For those who asked about the leg washing, I have never seen a muddier horse, once he spends his day grazing in the field and not having fun with new friends (they are all getting on, even dominant gelding) I hope he will be less caked and I can get away with not having to hose his legs. FWIW he was tonnes better today with his leg washing and he stood quietly for the majority, which is a massive improvement.
For those who have said about the introduction, an over the fence would absolutely be my preference too, but I did not have a choice at this yard, and not checking that when I first found the yard is a result of me being a novice horse owner (but willing to learn, hence why I ask so many questions of all of you!).

On the whole he was much happier today and a lot calmer.
 
I have to say I've yet to be on a commercial livery yard that introduces horses gradually - every one without exception has expected you to turn out with the herd from day one. It was always a tense time suited and booted with fingers crossed!

I have individual turn out now - not my preferred option overall but a lot less hassle.
 
Sussexbythesea said:
I have to say I've yet to be on a commercial livery yard that introduces horses gradually - every one without exception has expected you to turn out with the herd from day one. It was always a tense time suited and booted with fingers crossed!

I have individual turn out now - not my preferred option overall but a lot less hassle.
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I've actually had the opposite experience. We always introduced gradually over a fence when we ran our own yard and it's been the same on the 3 commercial yards I've been on since, one part livery and 2 DIYs

Have to say I wouldn't join a yard which didn't have such a policy.
 
My yard just turns new horses out once they are passed their quarantine period - no gradual meeting over the fence. A few horses have been pulled out for bad behaviour. All 3 were geldings who thought they were stallions.

It's a big turn out area so there's room for them to have space which stops too many arguments.

My 2 are in a separate field luckily!
 
Glad it's al turning out well for you OP. It's hard having to fit in with a new livery yard and having to abide by their rules, hopefully you will find a buddy who can give you support there too if you need it :)
 
Glad to hear that today was better. However, since you posted not so long along that your lad was on box rest at your previous yard due to a kick and resulting suspected #radius, I hope that you are keeping a very careful eye on things...

Turning a newbie out with the others willy nilly is always less than optimal, both for quarantine reasons and social reasons.
 
Rowreach said:
Are you happy with that?
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I think it's sensible to have quarantine but I can't help what yards are available and what they offer. If I decided quarantine and slow intro to group turn out was a must I'd not Be able to have a horse at all because AFAIK no yards in the area insist on this. I've also never been on a cheap run-down yard and always paid higher prices for the local area which are high compared to the rest of the country. All are well maintained one was even BHS approved. Luckily I've also never been on a yard that has strangles or anything else contagious whilst I've been there.
 
Tiddlypom said:
Glad to hear that today was better. However, since you posted not so long along that your lad was on box rest at your previous yard due to a kick and resulting suspected #radius, I hope that you are keeping a very careful eye on things...

Turning a newbie out with the others willy nilly is always less than optimal, both for quarantine reasons and social reasons.
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Yes watching like a hawk and checking him over thoroughly twice a day re. the previous injury, though upon sign off from that (an experience I hope never to repeat) vet said he was satisfied there was no fracture to the radius.
 
Sussexbythesea said:
I think it's sensible to have quarantine but I can't help what yards are available and what they offer. If I decided quarantine and slow intro to group turn out was a must I'd not Be able to have a horse at all because AFAIK no yards in the area insist on this. I've also never been on a cheap run-down yard and always paid higher prices for the local area which are high compared to the rest of the country. All are well maintained one was even BHS approved. Luckily I've also never been on a yard that has strangles or anything else contagious whilst I've been there.
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In 25 years of running yards I've always had a quarantine system and a careful introduction to turnout. IMHO it should be standard good practice. I'm quite shocked at your experiences TBH.
 
Quarantine only came in at my yard after a horse got sick - thankfully nothing serious. It's still less than optimal IMO.

There was a time last year where I wandered up on a fine summer evening to the paddock another lady & I shared to find a rather stunning back mare in there. No one had asked either of us and the new horse hadn't even been wormed. I was livid. Like the above poster tho, I'm in a part of the world where it's hard to be fussy. Livery yards being swallowed up yearly by housing developments.
 
I am not sure what point there is to quarantine unless you are running a completely closed yard
I quarantine only horses from dealers or those recently arrived from Ireland .
It's just feels a bit pointless to me to quarantine horses while their yard mates go out and about to show clinics hunting competitions all manner of places where all sorts can be picked up .
 
Goldenstar said:
I am not sure what point there is to quarantine unless you are running a completely closed yard
I quarantine only horses from dealers or those recently arrived from Ireland .
It's just feels a bit pointless to me to quarantine horses while their yard mates go out and about to show clinics hunting competitions all manner of places where all sorts can be picked up .
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I agree with that - and unless the yard staff are getting washed and changed in between, bugs are being spread all over the place anyway.

My old yard didn't quarantine, on the basis (quoting the vet!) that it inevitably breaks down anyway so you might as well save yourself the hassle and just deal with it if anything goes wrong.
 
Brace yourselves. Back in the nineties at pony club camp we were asked to take ponies back shoes off and for the week at camp they were all turned out together at night. No introductions, no quarantine. Very much doubt that happens now! But must have been happening decades without incident.
I've never known a livery to do quarentine or gradual introductions. I've been on one yard that had strangles we had no idea where it came from as there had been no introductions to the yard for months but everyone survived and apart from a heap of mucusy snot it wasn't as bad as it could have been.
 
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