Intoducing a new horse

[Ed Thayer]

Our new border horse showed up yesterday at the farm and it was, well, interesting to say the least. Our Belgian gelding has been the boss of the barn and seemed pretty agitated that a new horse was in his territory. He lost his last friend about a month ago to colic.

Once we released the mare he started chasing her and finally cornered her and bit her. The mare went throught the fence, across the brook and into the back pasture. We cought her ok but she was stressed out.

I left her in a box stall last night which is right next to our geldings stall. We thought it would allow her to relax, eat and drink without him bothering her. He was free to come and go from his stall and paddock but could not get access to her.

So how long before we try to introduce them in the same pasture again? Or is that an imposible question to anwser with the information I have given?

Ed

[Tom S]

Ed,

I turn all my animals in together and I have had as many as 19 in one medium size corral. I usually give them a couple days to get used to each other before I turn them in together. No mater how long it is, they are going to establish pecking order. Once that is done, most usually they become passive to each other, except one is the boss and eats or does whatever it wants before the other. My corrals are solid so they cannot push them down. If I were you and I didn’t want to go chase them down, I would find a good medium to large pen that will not come down, then turn them in together. It won’t take long, but there will most likely be some mild fighting.

In all the years I have turned animals together, including a stud with my mares and geldings, I have had few that didn’t work out their differances. I do have a stud donkey that one of my mules doesn’t like, so he has to stay in another pen. It gets bloody when they clash so I put them together once every few days, to see if they will work out their differances. They are slowly coming to terms with their differances, but not yet.

[mitchmaine]

hi ed,
i agree with tom. we never put out that many horses together but whatever the count, new horses always have to do the dance. we soften the blow a little by separating them by a fence for a few days so they can blow and squeel at each other, but sooner or later they have to go in together and sort it out. top dog wins and its all settled.
when you finally get to the point where you can harness and drive the new horse and feel confidant enough to hook them with their opponant, i’ve found that once they are hooked and work together in harness, all disputes are settled. mares and geldings, anyways. mitch

[LStone]

Hey Ed,

Pretty much my experience too. I let them familiarize to each other over a fence for a week or so then turn them in together. Kids will be kids but so far for me anyway it has settled down on its own within a couple days. They are all individuals granted, but its your farm to run not the horses’. Once in together I split hay into piles covering more area than can be covered by the dominant animals so the lower guys can get their share of the hay too. Unfortunately I haven’t been successful getting everyone fed with just a single pile of hay yet.

Larry

[Ed Thayer]

Thanks for the replies. As you all thought, they have worked it out and even stand in the same stall together every once in a while.

Ed

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