Personality change moving yards

[I don’t like mondays]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone’s horse really changed moving yards and how long it took them to settle and become themselves again? We moved yards a week ago, he hasn’t been showing signs of outward distress but has had a total personality transplant and has turned into a bolshy bully on the ground (which I imagine is him showing his anxiety/distress at the move). I’m sticking to the new routine, being firm (when he tries to walk over me I push him back etc), I’m using a pressure head collar when leading as he wants to tow me round the yard when I turn out (my kids used to handle him before we moved he was that chilled). Thats all helping but day to day everything is a stressful struggle. I’ve got a supportive new YO and can get more help if needed (I might get someone to help me with groundwork/horsemanship). I loaned him first and have always kept him at the same place (so I know this is really hard for him). He swings his head into me, he wants to barge, tries to tow me round the yard. I correct him and he stops. The next day it starts again.

I guess I’m looking for reassurance that my lovely boy will return. Is this behaviour normal with a move? I’m starting to dread seeing him and feel anxiety when I’m with him (I know he’ll pick up on that, I’m trying to relax and hide it). It’s now knocking my confidence. We’ve done so much together and I always trusted him 100% on the ground and loved spending time with him. Any advice gratefully received, please be kind as I’m struggling emotionally with his behaviour change. Thanks

 

[zandp]

It's very normal, one of mine takes months to truly settle - the other takes at least a couple of weeks.

The one of mine who takes the longest has hated some yards I've loved, never settled in 2 of them and so we've had to move - she is quite particular though !

Just keep being consistent, if you're the same as you were at the other yard they settle quicker. If you had a routine at the other yard try and keep to it, you're the only constant thing in his life currently.

 

[Caol Ila]

Most horses eventually settle.

Except for mine. She decides her opinion on a yard in the first 24-48 hours of arriving there. If she likes the yard, she resumes being sweet and tractable within that two-day period. If she does not like the yard, she fencewalks, boxwalks, and can be anxious to handle and ride, and she stays that way until you concede and move her to a different one. This is how you end up staying on a yard that drove you crazy for eight years, because moving is like Russian Roulette.

Hopefully your horse isn't like this. Most aren't.

 

[Petalpoos]

Yes, I had a similar experience with mine even though she moved with her friends. She went from being a fairly quiet, well behaved horse a to a rearing monster, to the degree that I had to send her away to be sorted out as I completely lost my confidence after she whacked me in the face and nearly went over backwards. I think the effect of moving yards is probably often underestimated, it can definitely be a big thing for some horses. She did get back to her old self eventually, but only after about 2 months at the trainers and then probably a few months once she was back at the new yard. Really she had to cope with a series of moves in that time and her behaviour got even worse once she was at the trainers, so she did not like moving and yes, it took a long time, but did eventually come good.

Just persevere and maybe get someone in to help with the behaviour issues. It is very easy to get anxious about the changed behaviour and of course that compounds it.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

I moved my two to a new yard and they hated it and both became very stressed and one in particular unmanageable. I lasted less than a month before moving them back to my original yard. My younger horse who had been there as a 3 year old walked off the trailer and sighed with relief when he realised he was home. We are still there and I have no intention of moving them ever again. Sometimes they never settle.

 

[Petalpoos]

Oh - and try singing when you are around your horse and nervous! Sounds weird maybe, but it definitely helps.

 

[ihatework]

It’s not un-normal. They are all different.

My young horse has stopped eating hay when he has moved to breakers and then onto competition livery. Seems to take him a couple of months to settle. Yet when he is with me he is fine and a ganet.

My last horse had 3 yard moves in quick succession when I got him - breakers, temporary pro yard then onto permanent yard. The third move literally had him bouncing off the walls. He became very clingy, would jump out of his paddock, drama llama in the stable. I eventually put him on valerian and was just really strict on routine and work. But it probably took him a good 4-6 months to fully relax.

 

[doodle]

I moved soli to my “home” yard after loosing Minto. He moved with his field buddy and stayed with him. He hated it. 3 day stay in hospital £3500 to discover he had ulcers and the advice from vets was to move him back. We had persevered for 3 months. Moved back, he arrived, took a big breath and settled and started putting weight back on.

 

[I don’t like mondays]

Thanks so much to all of you for the replies. That’s reassuring. So far no fence walking, calling out or trying to escape. He’s been eating lots of hay and enjoying his feeds so looks settled but the bolshyness must be his way of telling me he’d rather be at the old yard. I’ll try the singing, good idea

 

[I don’t like mondays]

I moved soli to my “home” yard after loosing Minto. He moved with his field buddy and stayed with him. He hated it. 3 day stay in hospital £3500 to discover he had ulcers and the advice from vets was to move him back. We had persevered for 3 months. Moved back, he arrived, took a big breath and settled and started putting weight back on.

i moved to DIY to save money. I really hope I don’t have to move back ;-) If he really hates it I won’t force him to stay of course

 

[Pearlsasinger]

We had one who was the other way round. She was pretty chilled when we viewed her, although I have always thought they were 2 hours late delivering her because she wouldn't load. We spent 6 weeks at the yard she was delivered to, where she hated the indoor boxes with quite low ceilings, and she was a complete nightmare, jumping from one field to another, difficult to lead from the yard to the fields, she was found on the road on one occasion and rescued by a local farmer, f ortunately. We decided to move her, to a yard a couple of miles away and to lead her rather than risk trying to load her.
She was horrendous to lead, it took 2 of us to keep her steady, to the point that we we only half jokingly talked about leaving her in a field and coming back for her when we had had a rest. Just after that moment we turned onto a farm track. It was as though she heaved a sigh of relief and settled at that moment. We had about 500 yds to go along a busy road and turn off at the other side, she coped with that much better than we expected and when we finally arrived at the new yard, she went into her new box, quite happily.
We stayed there 10 yrs, moved her to a friends farm and then to our own land when we bought it and she was never as unsettled again.

 

[I don’t like mondays]

I’ve also been considering ulcers (can they cause bolshyness?). I’ve got him on Top Spec Ulsa Kind as a precaution for the move. Does anyone know if you can buy an ulcer treatment without going through scoping? I saw one you add to their food forgotten the name, it’s clear in a pump, quite new. I’d rather not put him through a night in hospital and starvation (on top of this move) if I can give him something myself. I might ring the vet to ask too

 

[I don’t like mondays]

We had one who was the other way round. She was pretty chilled when we viewed her, although I have always thought they were 2 hours late delivering her because she wouldn't load. We spent 6 weeks at the yard she was delivered to, where she hated the indoor boxes with quite low ceilings, and she was a complete nightmare, jumping from one field to another, difficult to lead from the yard to the fields, she was found on the road on one occasion and rescued by a local farmer, f ortunately. We decided to move her, to a yard a couple of miles away and to lead her rather than risk trying to load her. She was horrendous to lead, it took 2 of us to keep her steady, to the point that we we only half jokingly talked about leaving her in a field and coming back for her when we had had a rest. Just after that moment we turned onto a farm track. It was as though she heaved a sigh of relief and settled at that moment. We had about 500 yds to go along a busy road and turn off at the other side, she coped with that much better than we expected and when we finally arrived at the new yard, she went into her new box, quite happily. We stayed there 10 yrs, moved her to a friends farm and then to our own land when we bought it and she was never as unsettled again.

Wow, they definitely tell us when they like somewhere (or don’t). That’s great your girl found her happy place. My boy is strange in that to anyone else, he looks happy munching in the field/stable but as soon as I do anything with him he’s like “No! Leave me alone, I’m going this way”

 

[Fransurrey]

Yes, I moved to a yard many years ago and personality changed with the two I had at the time. One was constantly escaping the field (despite it being ungrazed for months previously) and my ridden pony became a nightmare - went from being a bitless wonder to a fire breathing dragon in a Wilkie. It was only them in their field, so not bullying related, although I did find out a few weeks after moving that they fertilised the field every single year, so I assume it just blew their brains. Probably not coincidence, but one had laminitis for the first time, too. I moved them back to the old yard and the relief on their faces was visible. Aside from rich grass, the new place was lovely and the yard owner took it really personally.

 

[Gingerwitch]

I have had 2 very bad yard moves. One we lasted the day and the yard owner asked me to leave as he could not cope with the noise and the potential damage. Horses hated it. And one when I moved counties. Horse flipped and if I had just brought her I would have said she had been doped. We lasted a couple if weeks. Moved to a new yard and she returned to her normal self.
Sometimes they know more than you xx

 

[paddi22]

some horses just hate change but settle. but then some horses just never take a new yard/routine. I was on a yard I loved but my horses just were miserable there, I haven't a clue why as yard was excellent. I ended up moving.

 

[fankino04]

Most horses eventually settle.

Except for mine. She decides her opinion on a yard in the first 24-48 hours of arriving there. If she likes the yard, she resumes being sweet and tractable within that two-day period. If she does not like the yard, she fencewalks, boxwalks, and can be anxious to handle and ride, and she stays that way until you concede and move her to a different one. This is how you end up staying on a yard that drove you crazy for eight years, because moving is like Russian Roulette.

Hopefully your horse isn't like this. Most aren't.

Mine is exactly the same! Perfect from getting off the lorry or a stressy idiot who then becomes worse everyday until she's actually dangerous. Never have figured out what makes a good yard for her, off work and turned out though any field will do, never have field issues lol

 

[I don’t like mondays]

I have had 2 very bad yard moves. One we lasted the day and the yard owner asked me to leave as he could not cope with the noise and the potential damage. Horses hated it. And one when I moved counties. Horse flipped and if I had just brought her I would have said she had been doped. We lasted a couple if weeks. Moved to a new yard and she returned to her normal self.
Sometimes they know more than you xx

that’s how I feel about my boy now, if I’d just bought him I’d say he had been doped

 

[Gingerwitch]

that’s how I feel about my boy now, if I’d just bought him I’d say he had been doped

Really sorry to say but for me it got worse. The day the box arrived to move us that horse was on the box within a heartbeat. She was leaving that day. Tbh if I had not moved she would have really hurt me or herself. We got off less than 12 mins away and the horse (Gingerwitch) returned to normal it was night and day different and I never had a problem again we came home 5 years later and she went back to the original livery yard she had lived at most of her life. It was quite sweet really as Gingerwitch ended her life at the grand old age of 25 on the yard she had lived at fir all but 6 of these years.

 

[Bluewaves]

I've got two.

My older boy moved to my current yard first. He settled mega quickly. He has had a few moves with me and he always seems to settle quickly. He moved to a different place for retirement livery in a field and that was just that for him. He loved it from the word go.

My newer horse came to my current yard when i bought him so i couldn't really tell if he was settling in well or not. A year later, i realised it had taken him a year to settle lol. But he was also getting used to me I guess. His form of settling in was trying his luck with trying to get away with things and getting too close too quick to some of the other horses.

 

[Tash88]

Yes sometimes they don't settle straight away and in the grand scheme of things a week isn't long at all. I moved my horse (the first time I've moved him apart from when I bought him three years ago) 2 months ago and the move meant a change in routine and management as well, from out individually overnight to out in a small herd with two other geldings during the day. I knew it would be better for him in the long term for lots of reasons, but then I also knew that it would be difficult at first and was SO worried about him getting hurt, or hurting the other horses. He was generally okay but inwardly stressed I think, he became bolshier as well. He always had that side to him and needs to be kept in his place, but I think when horses are stressed they revert to type, so some may become spooky, others bolshy and so on.

Two months on and I wouldn't say he was truly settled yet, but he has got a lot better. He is eating more, put on some of the weight he dropped and his work is improving all the time. I don't constantly feel like I've made a mistake and he is happy.

I used valerian in the first week and also bought some Rig Calm which was brilliant, as I think some of the problems were due to a mare coming into season in the next stable. I also kept his work routine consistent, and just had to be firmer with him. It didn't help that I was stressed too, but I just had to keep a lid on it! I wouldn't want to go back to those days but I'm pleased I moved. Short term pain for long term gain I hope!

Best wishes and I hope that your horse settles soon x

 

[Sussexbythesea]

I’ve done two yard moves with my old boy. I was at one yard about 4 years and then moved to my trainers yard. It was a big mistake. He turned into an absolute monster partly because he latched onto a mare and became obsessed with her. When I sorted that out by moving field and stable he was better but remained much less settled. (My farrier still mentions it occasionally as he was more difficult to shoe) I just think he sensed bad vibes about the whole set-up.

After problems with the trainer/YO and his care I moved him to another yard closer to home and never looked back. Been there over a decade now. He settled right away and returned to his former self. I think he just didn’t like the yard or the YO and after I left pretty much everyone else did and nobody stayed for long as she was always advertising spaces.

 

[EllenJay]

I moved my boy to a new yard last October. Now he is not a spring chicken - he is 20 years old, and in his past life went to a lot of events, including stay aways. But this move really upset him. It is only now, in the last few weeks that he has truly started to settle and relax. He is now becoming my lovely old boy rather than the snorting dragon he was after the move

 

[Identityincrisis]

It took my horse 2-3 months to settle, he went from a lovely, sweet, chilled boy to a stereotypical Arab! Rearing/wheeling in his stable, sweating buckets, awful to handle and tie up. I really thought I'd made the biggest mistake ever. The key was, and probably not possible for you given the time of year, turning him out 24/7 and letting him find his footing in the herd. Previously, he'd be in at night

 

[Shysmum]

Whenever I've changed yards with Shy, including moving to our own place here in France, the only way I could literally stop him tanking off or rearing up,in excitement , was by leading him in a chifney. He's that bad. But then suddenly settles down after a hew days and is an angel again.