New Horse Introduction and Turn Out Issues

[svvdressage]

1st off let me introduce my new guy! Meet Z. He is a 12 year old KWPN gelding. He is super sweet! I have fallen hard for him in the 2 weeks that I have had him.

He came from a BNT's barn in CA. Until 6 months ago he had very little turnout and even less interaction with other horses. 6 mnths ago he went to my trainers and was turned out in a small pen with another horse. He came to me and is now turned out 24/7 in a large paddock by him self. He is not completely alone, there is another pen 10 feet away from him that houses 2 other horses. The horses are always in his view unless they go behind or in their shed. The problem is he paces the fence (closest to the other horses) all...day...long. He has dropped so much weight in 2 weeks and has worn off all his hair on his chest from slamming into the gate. When I try to ride him all we do is battle buddy sourness. I am so frustrated. I thought of putting another horse with him but am afraid the buddy sourness will become way worse. Any suggestions?

[boots-aregard]

My Opinion: You're going to have to experiment.

I had one horse that was SO buddy sour when he was in a rehab situation. Lived in with 3 others, I was there rarely. He was incredibly sour anytime I took him away from his friends.

When I brought him home, he lived with 2 of his "regular" buddies and was worked regularly, and showed no signs of sourness. So it was situational for him.

Try giving him a non-horse buddy first. See if that calms him without creating as much of an attachment that a second horse would. He can see the others, so maybe a goat of his own would give him someone to smell and he'd calm down.

Maybe he's just used to being in a stall and this whole turnout thing is the unsettling thing, and the buddysourness is a symptom, not a cause?

Lovely fella.

[Quelah]

Gorgeous horse. First thing I'd do is run a strand of hot wire across the gate

Do you have the option of keeping him somewhere more in the manner to which he is accustomed? I don't know where you live but it's summer, my horses are turned out 12 hours a day nearly year round. NONE of them would be happy if they were out all day in the summer. I turn out at night in the summer.

You've got a lovely and I imagine expensive horse. It would be a shame if he did himself an injury by pacing. Even if it doesn't show up now, that kind of repetitive "caged animal" behavior is putting real wear and tear on his joints. If you don't have a real barn at home, I'd move him to one and regroup and figure out how to approach this.

[Cookie]

If he's causing himself that much angst and losing weight from pacing, then I would keep him in more, and slowly transition him to longer turnouts. It may just be too much for him, especially where he is not used to being out so much.

[Chisamba]

My mare I got from Dresseur was the same. Does not tolerate being out, starts walking the fence after just a few hours.

She got really unsound and unridable for a while, so was turned out 24/7 at home, and she eventually accepted turn out, but as soon as she came back to the barn, she resumed her pacing fir her stall.

Some times is such an ingrained habit or lifestyle, they do not like it. For example a city raised personperson may never enjoy a log cabin in the woods no matter how natural it is

I guess i am suggesting that horses accustomed to a certain life style may not want what we think they need

[StraightForward]

No suggestions, but congratulations on your new gorgeous hunk of horse!

[svvdressage]

The biggest problem is one of the reasons he came to me is medically he NEEDS 24hr turn out, so I feel like im stuck b/n a rock and a hard place. I think I will have to try putting my mare with him and deal with the undersaddle issues later.

[Chisamba]

The biggest problem is one of the reasons he came to me is medically he NEEDS 24hr turn out, so I feel like im stuck b/n a rock and a hard place. I think I will have to try putting my mare with him and deal with the undersaddle issues later.

Without knowing why he needs 24/7 turnout is hard to offer for good suggestions. If its an old injury issue, then fence running wont help

If its a inhalation problem, it can be well managed with steaming hay and keeping his stall well ventilated. My horse with COPD did worse out than in, despite that being the initial recommendation.

If its stall walking, he is doing the same outside and may need behavioral treatment.

Or, give him a herd lane him out, as you say, and manage the rest. You are selling your mare, is it possible to give him a more stable group?

There is a long acting mild sedative, that they five horses that have been on dusk tasty beige turning them out. Would that help the transition. You can safely ride them, it just takes off the edge. I'llfind the name of you are interested

[piedmontfields]

My mare can be a fool about turn out situations. I think a lot of this is due to behaviors she developed after her original owner died and she ended up at a neighbor's field alone for several years.She is fact is completely sensible when she is with her people so that makes it somewhat easier to deal with than the OPs situation.

We've found that it works best for her to have more than one buddy in her paddock. That lessens the attachment to a single horse a bit. She also does best in a very low key, low energy herd---where social interactions play out a bit slower than in some herds!

[Chisamba]

Agree, a herd is better than a buddy

[Cookie]

Without knowing why he needs 24/7 turnout is hard to offer for good suggestions. If its an old injury issue, then fence running wont help

If its a inhalation problem, it can be well managed with steaming hay and keeping his stall well ventilated. My horse with COPD did worse out than in, despite that being the initial recommendation.

If its stall walking, he is doing the same outside and may need behavioral treatment.

Agree, and also would add, don't forget to look at the big picture. There are lots of things that "necessitate" 24 hour turnout, but if the horse isn't tolerating it well, you might need to adjust that plan accordingly.

[Hayburner]

No suggestions - But, He's Gorgeous !

If he really needs that much turnout - I'd look into putting him with the others and hope that he doesn't get sour.

[texsuze]

Can you find two other geldings that he'd be safe to be in the same turnout with? Not sure you should put a mare with him, even if he is gelded. Some guys do ok, some turn into teenagers again ask me how I know. Your gorgeous, but obviously sensitive guy is having to deal with a whole host of changes all at once, so it will likely take time for him to settle to his own "normal". When riding him away from friends for the time being, you might want to focus on his need to listen to you for short periods of time, rather than more intensive schooling.

[orono]

Can he be in a smaller paddock with a buddy for part of the day? Sometimes having extra space to pace and get worked up isn't helpful.

Sometimes my mare can get very upset with a chance of living arrangement (and she is always out 24/7, but has been moved to a new paddock or lost a neighbour). Depending on how she is it can either be helpful to keep working her and help her settle, but on some occasions I have found it better to leave her alone completely for a week or 2 and let her sort things out on her own. Then when we resume I have my 'old' horse back, instead of a flighty and distracted one.

[piedmontfields]

SVV, how is your new guy settling in?

I had yet another reminder last night of my mare's fragile equilibrium in herds: One of her herd members (who was at the barn in training) left to go home for the rest of the summer. When I showed up, she was despondent--despite other herd members still being there.

They are emotional creatures!

[kande50]

SVV, how is your new guy settling in?

I had yet another reminder last night of my mare's fragile equilibrium in herds: One of her herd members (who was at the barn in training) left to go home for the rest of the summer. When I showed up, she was despondent--despite other herd members still being there.

They are emotional creatures!

Some of them really feel like they should go when any other herd member leaves. If they could go I'm not sure how they'd feel about leaving the ones who stayed behind, but maybe given the choice they'd run back and forth?

I tried to bring the old mule in and leave my Trak gelding and Halfinger mare out in the pasture and that was a no go for all of them, but I can bring the Trak back and forth from his stall and no one cares.

Sometimes I get tired of all their drama and just put them where I want them to be and let them holler and run the fences, except for the old mule who gets whatever he wants.

[Tuffytown]

It always appears to me that when the alpha-leader in a group situation leaves it most upsets the herd, particularly the insecure alpha wannabes.

[exploding pony]

I would be very careful about putting the mare in with him. That could make things about a thousand percent worse when you try to separate them.

My chestnut horse is super funny about stabling. Must see other horses but not be able to touch them. We need to rotate his turnout so he doesn't get bonded. I tried to let him live outside and he became so bonded to his neighbors (not even in the same pen) he was pretty much unrideable.'

Moved him into the barn for a few years, tried again last summer. Because I feel so bad that he has to live inside with turnout. He was in a mare motel with a mare on one side. Worked for exactly five days. On the sixth day, the owner took the mare out to ride and he darn near took down the fence trying to go with her.

He just can't handle it, it's not who he is.

[svvdressage]

He is moving to another barn tmrw, but he will have to be turned out with my mare. Unfortunately thrre is no other better options. The only other is to turn him out with a mixed herd of 25 and that scares me. I will be able to put him in a stall when i take my mare out so he dsnt kill himself. He is seeming a bit calmer in general the last few days.

The reason for needing 24/7 turn out is ge has a mild case of shivers.

[orono]

How soon do you think your mare will be leaving?

[svvdressage]

As soon as shes sold, could be a week, could be a couple months