Taking horses on days out!

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gallopinghooves

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I just brought a horse and its day three of being at the new yard. She is quite unsettled and stressed and I would imagine that if I was to have ridden her in the last few days, she probably would have bolted etc. So...my question is - how do horses cope when being boxed up going to fun rides and days out hunting? I can't imagine her just getting out of the lorry and being relaxed and standing at a meet for example. Or is this a very different scenario for them?
 
Is this her first time moving / leaving the yard where she was born? I'm sure she'll settle soon.

Good basic training is the answer to your question. Ensuring the horse loads calmly, travels calmly and has good 'firsts' - first time travelling, first time at a new place (potentially just leading around in hand), first time ridden in a new place. Learning to stand and wait on the horse box. All bitesize learning moments that need to be considered. My horses haven't needed to spend months or years learning, after a handful of good experiences they've been good 'day out' citizens and happy to go to new places and happy to stay overnight somewhere new. I think having 'their' familiar human helps so taking time at home to really get to know each other is never wasted time.

I do think moving home is a very different experience for a horse than a day or weekend away. Generally their handlers are different, the routine is different and potentially even the food. If you can, replicate her old routine as much as you can to minimise the 'new' things she's having to deal with.
 
I’d say about 50% of horses learn to be polite our at new places and doing as they’re asked, 40% really enjoy it, think it’s a great adventure and would go out every weekend if you could, and 10% aren’t happy about it.

In general, going out for a jolly involves a familar human, normally a familar lorry and quite often, even a familiar destination after a year or so - mine have always known their way around local show centres or venue hires. So it’s a lot less stressful.

A new home changes everything - people, place, smells, food, water, the lot.
 
Thank you both - makes sense. This is her fourth new yard I believe. She has had a big change in routine too - at the previous yard she was only getting 30 mins of turnout a day and no hard feed ... here she gets much more turnout and hard feed (she needs to gain weight!). So it is all very new. She is good all things considering, she's just having a few 'moments'. It just made me think about future days out but that makes sense that days out are different so hopefully she will be fine! I'd really love a horse I can go off and do things with!
 
You've turned her world upside down. On days out, they tend to be with you, the same owner that they've built a relationship/trust with, with not much time to dwell on things. Moving yards, they don't even have the same handler and if she's moved around, as far as she's concerned every trip with a new handler means 'it's happening again'. I think having their person with them to reassure counts for a lot in yard moves and trips out.
 
Gloi said:
Don't feed hard feed yet to put weight on. Make sure she has forage 24/7 and her teeth are 100% then look to adding calories if that is not enough. There are many threads on here about none heating feeds.
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This a million times! There's plenty of time to start filling with feed but often the most important thing is good adlib forage and you risk heating her up with feed.
 
Days out wise, when she's properly settled then treat her like a youngster. Short trips to start, all nice and enjoyable and low pressure. I take 3 year olds out in the trailer, unload and walk in hand, browse the hedges, etc. Load up and go home. Then a few shows - again, not all day. Gradually increase the duration.

Mine strides onto the trailer and always comes off ears pricked, ready for the next adventure. Once they know you they'll have the reassurance when out.
 
They generally settle with more trips out.
My mare does start every year (we don’t go out in winter) coming off the wagon completely wild but she’s generally better than she used to be. It used to take two of us to handle her because she was impossible for me to manage on my own, but I can deal with her alone now when we are out.

She does tend to get wound up at busy fun rides and I always marvel at people’s quiet horses munching beside their boxes, while mine screams, spins and acts like she needs visiting by an exorcist..
 
I took my new one out 5 days after I got her and her behaviour was perfect but that was the type of horse I was wanting to buy.

Your horse obviously needs time to settle. Then see if you can get some regular hacking friends, then try a ride in the horsebox with the friend. Then ideally box out to somewhere you can hack home from and hack out and box home another day.

Nearly all of them settle. Just take it slow and build a good relationship and get done positive experiences.
 
It's two different scenarios, once your horse is settled with you, she will be going out and coming back each time with you & a familiar set up. Personally I wouldn't feed up with hard feed immediately even if she is having a lot more turnout, just plenty of hay & low energy feed. Just for context I would say my mare took well over a year to settle but went out bloodhounding & hunt rides fairly sensibly mainly because she was with lots of other horses which gave her confidence & security.
 
She's only just met you, you haven't yet established a relationship. Once she realises that you're the constant, you shouldn't have too many issues taking her out because you'll be at the other end of the journey.
 
Yes, let her settle, it may take some time. It can take a year or more for them to feel secure and really trust you. Lots of good advice above.
Our young pony was most stressed at going out and about in his own to start with, at age 5/6. For the first few outings he was impossible to tack up and kept swinging around and biting us. He just suddenly seemed to relax and get it, and now he really enjoys it, be it a hack or a competition. And that is a pony who had been with us from age 6 months! He likes to know what he is doing, and gets stressy if he isn’t sure.
 
I was told it can take six months for horses to fully settle in a new place. My mare has had nearly three weeks and seems quite relaxed, but not fully calm yet. Or maybe she’s not as calm as I was told. 😜
 
I've recently relocated 4 hours away from where i was living and whilst me and my horse have moved yards before (3 times but all yards within 30mins of each other) this move has really unsettled my mare. If I hadn't of owned her for the last 4 years and had just bought her I would be thinking 'omg what have I bought'. She was very anxious for a good 10 days and it really took some time spent showing her around and reconnecting with her again. It really highlights what horses go though when being sold and moving to a place they don't know with people they don't know. I knew it was out of character for my horse to be that anxious but i also knew what was 'normal' for her so it was a lot easier for me to see that we were making progress, if you don't know the horse it's so hard to know.

My advise would be to take all pressure off, get in a good routine, if she's not stabled at night bring her in for a feed anyway, let her settling in her stable with some hay for 20-30 mins and then put her back out. Until she's relaxed coming in and out there isn't any point moving on to the next step. next steps would be 2. putting tack on and off 3.in hand walking with tack on, inc patting all over, standing at mounting block 4. having a ride round arena. if anything falls apart with any of the steps i'd go back one.

Once your comfortable at home then think about venturing out, give it a good 3-4 months and you will know your horse so much better. My horse is usually great at comps (thought the warm up ring will get her excited) after our recent upset I plan to go to some arena hires before a comp to check that we are over the move blip.
 
lialls said:
I've recently relocated 4 hours away from where i was living and whilst me and my horse have moved yards before (3 times but all yards within 30mins of each other) this move has really unsettled my mare. If I hadn't of owned her for the last 4 years and had just bought her I would be thinking 'omg what have I bought'. She was very anxious for a good 10 days and it really took some time spent showing her around and reconnecting with her again. It really highlights what horses go though when being sold and moving to a place they don't know with people they don't know. I knew it was out of character for my horse to be that anxious but i also knew what was 'normal' for her so it was a lot easier for me to see that we were making progress, if you don't know the horse it's so hard to know.

My advise would be to take all pressure off, get in a good routine, if she's not stabled at night bring her in for a feed anyway, let her settling in her stable with some hay for 20-30 mins and then put her back out. Until she's relaxed coming in and out there isn't any point moving on to the next step. next steps would be 2. putting tack on and off 3.in hand walking with tack on, inc patting all over, standing at mounting block 4. having a ride round arena. if anything falls apart with any of the steps i'd go back one.

Once your comfortable at home then think about venturing out, give it a good 3-4 months and you will know your horse so much better. My horse is usually great at comps (thought the warm up ring will get her excited) after our recent upset I plan to go to some arena hires before a comp to check that we are over the move blip.
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It’s interesting, my horses are used to boxing places to hack. When moving, I’ve tried to move horses first thing, take for a long hack at new home, then turnout early afternoon. Work next morning and repeat. Think takes a few days to realise aren’t at a camp or competition but no stress.
 
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