Helping new mare settle

[Framewhite]

Hi we took arrival of dd’s new pony. Pony had always been handled by children and was great during the viewing. Vetting was good.

i took for granted that given her calm nature she would be just the same with us. In fact she is quite the opposite. Searching online this is very common as her whole world has changed.

she is very bargy but we are working on this and she is getting better. But she gets stressy. Throws her head up and gets very alert. We are waiting for saddler so been unable to ride her and so have been doing a lot of ground work. I have actually enjoyed this and she is doing well.

i know that this is all common but it’s kind of thrown me. I know that they say it can take months to settle but it feels like all the things we want to do with her like hacking, low level comps etc feel so far away as there’s no way I’d try any of those anytime soon.

So I suppose I’m asking that if you took delivery of a new horse, how do you help them settle. Any activities to do that really help with the bond so she feels more safe etc?

I don't know about the 'bond' but the number 1 thing that I've always found helps them settle is plenty of turnout and establishing their place in a herd. For most horses human contact and love just isn't enough and the hardest thing about a move is having to make new horse friends - often yards will insist on an isolation period for infection reasons too and then of course at this time of year turnout is sometimes limited anyway. But I'd guess getting a good amount of field time with companions will be a big help.

Other than that, keeping her feed and routine as close to what she's used to, stabling her next to a friendly calm horse, making sure she has constant access to forage/ulcer prevention measures, and doing some quiet groundwork, maybe long lining will help her settle, other than that just time and consistent handling. Good luck!

I agree and would try to compare your stabling/ lifestyle against the one she has left. My horse settled so badly in a wooden stable yard once we had to change yards. When I considered his perspective he couldn't see any other horses and there were rattles from branches at the side and the top of the stables which really upset him. He had come from a brick stable with high ceilings and windows and views of herd member horses. I would take things slowly and see how you can get her more settled in the stable, until the barging is sorted I would avoid child handling where she is stressed, ground work sounds positive

We're kind of in the same boat with our new pony.

Got him 3 weeks ago and he definitely seems more alert than when we viewed him and I feel like I am worrying and over thinking everything.

It can be impossible to keep the same routine as before but you can start and be consistent with a new routine at your new yard.

In my head I'm writing off the first 3 months in terms of progression and not even contemplating taking him to shows etc. we're using the time to really get to know/understand him and he us.

I've even said to dd it might be the school summer holidays before we go anywhere.

There is no pressure and I feel better now I have taken a step back.
Lots of hacking and little bits of schooling to get to know him.
Maybe you take the lead with handling so she gets that routine and then I produce you dd's slowly.

Good luck

Mares often come into season when they change yards. Is she in a mixed herd? What’s her turnout like?

Hi she is now turned out with the herd. It isn’t mixed. She has been with me a couple of weeks and her routine at the previous yard was pretty similar to our routine so that’s working well. I had references from both previous owners who said her temperament is amazing, so hopefully with time she improves. We have been doing lots of groundwork and she is doing brilliantly.

in terms of bargy, she isn’t barging out the stable, but barging to the stable door to see what’s going on. I have tried tying her up in there but she gets agitated when she can’t see out the door. If I tie her by the door it’s a tight space due to the configuration that end of her stable.

Yes I totally get that. I’m not sleeping. Worrying constantly. I feel like we are in a similar boat. I am thinking the coming months are going to be somewhat different to how we envisaged, but I see it as playing the long game. I don’t think I would feel quite ready to take her out hacking for another couple
of weeks. I need to work on her getting a bit more confidence I think. I feel she’d be a flight risk at present!

Ah bless you, you sound very stressed and so does she. The barging to the door to look out sounds like anxiety to me, are the horses she's stabled next door her herdmates or different ones? Might well be a symptom of her still finding her place in the herd especially if she's a dominant or very low ranking mare as they tend to need to beat one another up a bit before all eventually settling to be friends . She could well be in season too, it's not always obvious, one of my mates you could only tell because she was suddenly very stressy and vocal towards other mares, no other signs, not remotely interested in the boys . If it's an ongoing problem a hormonal supplement like regumate may help.

In the meantime, do you absolutely need to be doing much handling of her in her stable? Lots of horses are not especially good with humans in their space, my current boy can get a bit bargey and territorial which is a little scary in an enclosed space, so I just do everything I need to with him tied up on the yard, he's quite happy then especially if he has a haynet to nibble. Yes sometimes it would be nice to groom or muck out with him inside rather than having to tie him in the rain but it just makes life easier all round really to do it that way, particularly if there are kids under foot.

With the ridden work do you have an instructor and what's their opinion of how she's doing/advice? It's a lot easier to feel confident about things like hacking out for the first time with an expert alongside you, I'd definitely invest in some lessons, groundwork ones just for you rather than ridden ones for your DD if need be... Sure it will all come together in the end!

Surely the horse is terrified in a new environment, away from the familiarity of the people it knew?

Well yes, but that's why the OP is here asking for advice no? Also it's probably not the people she's missing, more so the horses and environment she's left behind. I know some horses are more people-oriented than others but I'm pretty sure I could disappear from the face of the earth tomorrow and my horse wouldn't be at all bothered so long as he still gets his grub and to go out in the field with his friends 😂. Take away or add even one horse to the group though and they're all more or less upset for a while until things settle down again, and I think as a generalisation mares /all mare groups tend to be even more stressy over herd changes than boys or mixed herds...

Is this your first horse OP? Is she being handled by someone other than you and your daughter? She may well settle with a confident adult handling her more. And yes, I’ve known mares who are territorial in their stable and prefer being tied up outside with a net.

Couple more questions. What’s she like for the farrier? Is she girthy when she’s saddled, how is she to rug? Can you easily pick up all four feet?

This might sound silly but can she see other horses from her stable?

This is what I was saying, my horse was in a very flat line of stables with pinned back doors which meant he couldn't see any of the other horses, he never settled and others had been unhappy there before. So I was trying to say consider the stable set up from the horse's perspective to try to see where the roots of the issue are. I don't think its a silly point at all.

Just reading your post again op and your comment about the configuration of her stable, is her door way a bit like a corridor into the main part of her stable?

If so that could be an issue if her hay and feed etc is in the main stable she might feel quite isolated from the others.

If that is the case you could try and put her hay in the door way (annoying) but then she munch and see them.

If the layout makes it difficult to groom etc then I would definitely try tying her up with a hay net so she can see the others.

Hi, we got our new pony back in June last year and I’d say she’s still settling in, when she first came we did hacking only, it was easier because of the time of year but we started going v early in the morning when the roads were quiet and with company, then built that up to busier times of the day and going alone. Spent the whole summer hacking only and she was turned out with the herd 24/7. All was going well until they started to come in at night for the winter, she’s very unsettled when she’s either the last to come in at night or last to go out in the morning, she’s very tense and hates standing still, doesn’t want to be tacked up, brushed, only happy when she’s eating, she’s rude on the ground but under saddle is great, we’re doing a bit of ground work with her and just limping through to the spring when they can go back out 24/7 again!

Couple of thoughts on the door barginess. Could you fit a breast bar/chain across so the door can be pinned open and her still kept in stable. Not all doors are the right height for their residents and this way she can see out more easily which may help her settle.
Second thought is groundwork and in particular backing up. Some trainers recommend asking a horse to back as you enter the stable. Horses are herd animals who need to trust the handler to be in charge. To back up on demand is a sort of sign of respect.
All of that said I do one slightly anxious pony who always likes to have his head out the door. He is perfect in all other ways so I just work around him as he stands like this. As problems go with a new horse it’s not the worst.

Is she big enough to easily see over the stable door so she can see other horses?
Our horses live out 24/7 unless there is a storm- could this be an option. Also when ours come in they can actually touch each other and interact in their stables as the partitions are only full height for half their stables, so they can escape interaction if they want to but can touch, groom etc if they want to as well. I couldn't go back to enclosed stables now I have seen how nice it is for them.
Is it possible to move her to a different stable to see if position in the yard might help. Is there a pony she seems keen on when turned out? Maybe being stabled close to that pony would help?

Can she see other horses when in her stable?
One of mine gets really upset if he can't see any of his friends and we have had him for years.

I'd not try to do anything with her in the stable for now. If you want to groom or whatever tie her up outside the stable near to another horse.

I'm sure she will settle in time.

The horses she can see from her stable are ones she is either turned out with or who are adjacent to her. She gets agitated tied up as well outside. I can’t even use a haynet outside as when she is anxious/stressy she isn’t bothered by the haynet. Complete opposite as during viewing I was chatting with the seller for some time and she didn’t leave the haynet at all.

i do have an instructor who says that we will get there. She has given me a lot of confidence and I’m learning as i go.

No this isn’t my first horse, nor my first mare. She is handled by the pair of us and someone who works on yard and does the turnout etc.

Not had farrier out yet but I have videos of her in her previous home having her feet done. Not girthy. Fine with rug changes. And yes no problems with feet.

Yes she can but she is one of the end stables so doesn’t see as much of what’s going on

No her stable is a regular shape but the door is in a corner so she has to be in the very corner to see iyswim

Sorry to hear that. Hopefully the groundwork will really help

i have been doing back up with her and actually she is responding really well. But it all goes out the window when something is xgoing on in yard and she barges to the door to inspect