BRINGING A NEW HORSE HOME

Bringing a New Horse Home

Getting a new horse is an exciting time, but it can also be daunting, particularly for your new horse. Throughout the process his health and well-being are paramount, so following certain procedures to help this is crucial. For horses, the move is stressful and tiring, which places extra demands on his immune system. However, with a little careful planning, it is possible to limit the horse’s stress and help him to settle in as easily as possible.

Prepare the environment.

Stress makes a horse more susceptible to illness, so it is essential that the environment you are bringing them into is scrupulously clean. Use a disinfectant such as Aqueosin the stable, and make sure all water buckets, feed buckets, utensils, grooming kits and rugs are also disinfected – in fact, anything that you are going to be using on your new horse should be disinfected (unless it is brand new, of course).

Horses can also bring infections into the yard that can spread if not contained. Keep the new horse isolated for two weeks and follow barrier nursing advice, such as only one person dealing with the horse, changing clothes before dealing with different horses and disinfecting footwear. It may seem excessive, but it can make a huge difference to the well-being of all the horses in the yard.

Mimic management systems

Find out from his previous carer what his management systems were and follow them as closely as possible to start with. Make any changes gradually to allow him to adjust without stressing him further. Within a few weeks you should be able to incorporate him into your own management methods.

Feeding and bedding

Changing feed too soon is a big cause of colic. Stick to his old brands to start with and introduce new feed types gradually. If possible, get a couple of bales of hay from the old suppliers and then mix your own hay or haylage in with it. The same holds true for bedding; try and use the type he is used to in the short term until he is settled.

Turnout

Yes, you’ve guessed it – follow his old routine to begin with. If your horse lives out but he is used to coming in at night, he will find it a bit of a shock to be left out 24 hours when he first arrives. Instead, leave him out for longer periods over time.

To start with, turn him out on his own, but in sight of other horses. Horses are herd animals and have not evolved to be alone. However, turning a new horse into an established herd without taking precautions can lead to injuries as a new pecking order is determined. It’s also important he remains out of touch with other horses while he is in isolation.

When the time is right, introduce a less dominant horse to the new horse, and allow them to become used to each other. You can then start introducing him to the other horses – just remember to keep it as stress-free as possible.

Exercise

It’s tempting to jump on your new horse as soon as he arrives – but resist! He needs time to settle and become used to his new surroundings. Some horses have a more laid-back temperament and will tolerate being ridden straightaway, but others will be stressed and may react badly. For the sake of safety, leave it a couple of days, then ride out with a calm horse.

So the takeaway message here is to keep everything clean, clean, clean (with Aqueos disinfectant, of course!), and make changes gradually. Hopefully you and your horse will have years ahead together, so there’s no need to rush this stage – you’ll get a better bond if you help him deal with the stress as best as you can.