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Re: [RC] Introducing horse to a new herd - Truman Prevatt

I agree basically with Jonnie. I put a new horse in a small pasture next to where the others are. This is where I do things a little differently. After a few days I put in the alpha mare- the head mare - the master of the herd. I let them come to terms and the new horse gain her acceptance. While she is the head mare she is very benevolent and is happy to have a new horse if they will accept her dominance. After a few days of this I put another horse in with them. In a few days they are ready to go into the herd. Once accepted by the lead mare a new horse has an easier time. If he tries to stir things up, the lead mare will take care of that - and the new horse knows it.

This has worked well for me. If I didn't have a lead mare that ran the show, I would use the alpha gelding in her place. IMO opinion throwing a new horse in the pasture to "let them sort it out" makes as much sense as throwing a person afraid of water into 10 foot water in a lake to teach them to swim.

Truman

Jonni wrote:

I have found that is it not in a horses best interest to just be tossed out into an established herd to figure things out. The new horse is entering their territory, and those horses know each other, and the order of "command". The new horse is usually viewed on as an intruder, and unless very aggressive itself, others will try to establish dominance really quick. I have a method that works well for me, but it can be time consuming, and I am not in a boarding situation. But, I'll share, for you to consider.
New horse arrives, is kept in smaller corral area for a few days, then turned out into a 2-3 acre pasture I have, alone. Other horses can meet the new horse over the fence, but usually after a few min. of this, they wander off, and have little interest. After a couple days, I introduce my bottom of the pecking order horse, INTO the small field, which this new horse, is feeling is his home. While my horses can come and go into the field normally, the new horse is establishing it as his new home. I levels the playing field a little. Then, if those tow get along fine, I intro the new horse to the next horse, to is up one rung on the ladder. I only have 5 horses, so when the last one came in, he had 4 others to meet. But it seemed by meeting them one on one, in a smaller area that the new comer was comfortable with, when he was eventually turned out in the big pasture, they had all met, and I had very little problems. Also, I did find the new horse is usually bottom of the pecking order for awhile, until the herd dynamics start flowing again, and he figured out he could maybe push around one of the others.
But I will personally never throw out a new horse to fend for itself suddenly into an established herd. Even if it was only 2 others. And actually, now that I found by having the new horse first establish an area as his field, or living area, and then bringing in the other horse into that area, I have seen much less fighting.
But again, time consuming for some....but might save some vet bills.
Jonni



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"Problems worthy of attack prove their worth by fighting back."

- Paul Erdos (1913-1996)




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Replies
[RC] Introducing horse to a new herd, Jonni