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  Discussion on Problems introducing my new horse to herd
Author Message
New Member:
Jaymjudy

Posted on Wednesday, Apr 23, 2003 - 8:00 pm:

I recently brought a well mannered quarter horse to our property. Before introducing him to the other three horses on the place, I kept him in a paddock of his own for a few days. When I put him in with the other three horses, two paid no attention to him. The third horse, and the one that I would least expect to, went after him with a vengance. Kicking, biting, chasing, etc. If anyone has any suggestions as to how I can curb this behavior, I would appreciate it. Thanks, Jay Miller
Member:
Hwood

Posted on Wednesday, Apr 23, 2003 - 9:58 pm:

Hi, Jay,
Were the horses able to "nose" eachother over the fence before you put the new gelding in with the others?

Basically, you are seeing perfectly normal behavior . . . . there is really nothing you can do about it . . . it is something that has to happen between "the new guy" and his pasture mates. They will work it out between themselves . . . and after the horse you least suspected is finished "getting to know" the new guy, don't be surprised if one of the others takes his/her turn . . . . .

If the behavior is extremely vicious and you are afraid your new horse is going to be badly damaged, then the alternative is to change the herd dynamics by subtracting one or two horses from the pasture and placing them in an adjoining pasture.

Holly
Member:
Dhunt

Posted on Wednesday, Apr 23, 2003 - 10:55 pm:

Jay - Hollywood is correct, this is normal behavior and you should not try to worry. These things have to be worked out amongst themselves. Get some ointment for the bites/kicks, but it should not come to more than that. It may take up to 2 weeks but normally just a few days and you'll find that your horses have paired up. I've found that an even number of horses seems to work best in the pasture as nobody is odd man out!
Member:
Leilani

Posted on Wednesday, Apr 23, 2003 - 11:37 pm:

I would also remove back shoes if any. I understand that teeth can do a lot of harm also, but there is not too much you can do about them:-)
Member:
Tangoh

Posted on Thursday, Apr 24, 2003 - 1:08 pm:

Take heart Jay - this too shall pass, even though it doesn't seem so right now. Our new quarter horse mare had the stuffing knocked out of her by both her new pasture mates (they took turns) after they had spent a good week visiting over a fence. When we finally turned all three together there was definitely action, but all quite normal, although I was worried too. It's been a month now, and they are co-habitating just fine. She is definitely bottom horse but she knows it and keeps her distance if she has to at times. Nothing left now but some hairless bite marks that are recovering nicely. The aggression towards a new horse usually looks a lot worse to us humans than it actually is, horses have to be horses. The most important thing was to make sure she had access to her share of food and shelter during this difficult time. We just made sure there was always more than 4 or 5 piles of hay so if she got chased away from one, she could always find another one.
Member:
Beasley

Posted on Monday, Dec 8, 2003 - 9:20 pm:

I've gotten into a bit of trouble when trying to add a new horse to my group of two geldings. The two guys are normally easy going, kind, etc. My new horse is under weight and in medium/poor condition. I made a mistake by putting my "boss" gelding with the new guy in a large paddock. It was ugly. The new guy stuck in a corner while my "kind" horse beat him up....vicious biting mostly. Now, I am keeping the new guy separate, but accessible over a fence and doctoring his wounds. My questions are: how long should I keep them separate? Should I try to put the 2nd (not boss) gelding with the new guy before putting all 3 together? Should I wait longer for the new horse to get stronger? The problem I have is my good pasture where the two boys are is my only grass (about 8 acres) and I need to get the new horse on the grass, gradually, but ASAP. Any help would be appreciated, knowing how bad a feel about the error of too much too soon. Thanks.
Member:
Rjbraun

Posted on Monday, Dec 8, 2003 - 9:57 pm:

Hi JO ,I had this problem with a boss mare she was with 4 other horses and I let in a 2 year Q,H this mare beat the hell out of him. Tryed 10 times same deal . JUST HAD TO KEEP THEM APART .Or have a on happy group AND A BEAT UP HORSE OR HORSES. Bob.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Dec 9, 2003 - 6:55 am:

Hello Jo,
We have a whole other section on this at » Care for Horses » Routine Care & Procedures » Horses & Pasture Mates. There are many helpful suggestions there. Note: I would not introduce horses together in a paddock, there should be plenty of room for all.
DrO
Member:
Christos

Posted on Tuesday, Dec 9, 2003 - 7:14 am:

Removing the naughty ones from the herd IMMEDIATELY when they act up and putting them in a round pen or other area where they can watch the rest of the herd from a distance, seems to work pretty well.
Most horses get the idea immediately, after all this is what they'd get in the wild for bad attitude.
Some others, as Bob says, will never settle.
Member:
Megster

Posted on Tuesday, Dec 9, 2003 - 1:27 pm:

Although this is natural behaviour, its awful to think that limbs can be broken as a result of these fights, when something as severe as this could be avoided. A friend of mine had to have her horse put to sleep as a result of a kick in the field. I had a similar problem when I bought my Cleveland Bay mare. I took her to a yard where there were 7 mares and a gelding who happily lived together. I was 'told' by the yard owner that my mare would be turned out with her next door neighbour (another mare) for a few hours on their own and then other horses would be introduced to them. Although I didn't agree with this method i went along with it foolishly thinking the yard owner knew what she was doing. She was fine with the mare and then the next horse to be let in was a big cobby gelding who ran up to her at full speed, to which she ran back at equal speed and as they met they turned and proceeded to double barrell each other with their back legs. It was really really nasty and very upsetting for both me and the owner of the gelding. My mare was blamed as the newcomer and I was told she obviously had a condition called nympomania (I'm sure you can work this one out for yourselves) and wasn't allowed to go out again. So, I moved her, this time to a yard with two mares and two geldings. This time, more sensibly, we introduced her into an adjoining paddock so they could nose and squeal at each other over the fence. She was next to the others for a couple of weeks before being turned out with them and things were fine. From other experiences, I would suggest where there is a particularly aggressive horse, that he/she is removed from the situation until all of the other's have been introduced over a fence and are OK once turned out together. Then remove all of the others and introduce the two with the problem over the fence. If the aggressive horse doesn't have any friends to turn to or any other horse he feels he needs to protect the chances are he will eventually turn to his new companion. It may be a bit of a logistical nightmare initially but I would certainly try this approach if I ever came across this problem again. All the best. Sarah
Member:
Tlcstabl

Posted on Tuesday, Dec 9, 2003 - 3:07 pm:

No matter how you decide to finally introduce the horses in the same pasture, I have found that putting a stable blanket on the newcomer will save some of his/her hide and hair until all settles down! Good luck!
Member:
Beasley

Posted on Tuesday, Dec 9, 2003 - 8:47 pm:

Hi all: Thanks so much for the advice and sharing. My heart has finally stopped pounding after watching my new guy get beat up. I will check the referenced article, Dr. O. I need all the help I can get! I think a full two weeks over the fence and I have considered letting the new guy wear a blanket...the other may tear it off, however, don't know. That may be a little tricky. I did remove the boss horse as soon as I could and isolate him...glad that was a good idea. I just did it because I was so upset! Thanks again.
Member:
Cowgrl

Posted on Monday, Jun 21, 2004 - 12:31 pm:

When I bought a new QH and turned him out with our other two geldings, he calmly walked over and started eating some hay. One of the others (2nd in command) came over to check him out. New guy (WooDrOw) lunged at him with teeth bared sending 2nd in command (Cisco) running back to herd boss (Whiskey). Cisco tried again with the same effect. That was the end of it. WooDrOw was now No. 2 horse and never, ever challenged Whiskey for leadership. He was actually afraid of him and wouldn't load for a while if Whiskey was already in the trailer. It's as though WooDrOw had no interest in being herd boss but refused to be pushed around either. Of course the three of them became great friends and would often play together.
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