I moved my horse last week Saturday. I stayed with him for about half the day when he was moved. First we left him in a paddock on his own to check things out. Then after a few hours I walked him in-hand all over the yard, allowing him to get used to the sights, sounds & smells. Also had him meet some of the horses to see what they're like.
However, he's a cheeky bloke, wants to play and irritate everyone. So for the first week he was kept in a seperate paddock bordering the shared field so he could get to know the others over the fence. First time he went out he walked straight to the dominant gelding and nipped him in the neck! He's now been out with them for three days and everything's ok.
I also went to visit every afternoon, and yes the first day or two he was visibly relieved to see me. Aparently it's a good sign that they've settled if they lie down to sleep at night.
His food is slowly being changed over from what he had been on to what they feed at the new yard, which I think is very nice if the yard can accommodate that.
In the end he took the whole experience as one big game. It's just over a week later, we had our first lesson today and he seems settled.
