Moving tomorrow - advice please!

diamonddogs

Active Member
Apr 14, 2008
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Badiddlyboing, Odawidaho
Kels is off to her new home tomorrow, and I'm stressing about it already!

When I first got her she settled within hours, and when I moved her again she once more settled straight in, but both these places were quiet farm premises with only a couple of horses sharing her field, though at my current place the field next door was full of brood mares.

The new place is more of a proper yard, with more horses to get to know.

Kels is very much the alpha wherever possible, so I need some sound advice on how to deal with her first turnout, which will probably be on Monday when there won't be many people around to help and advise.

I'm tempted to just chuck her in the field and leave her and the herd to sort themselves out (they're mainly geldings but there are mares, all in together, which I heartily approve of in general), but I'm fretting that she or someone else might get hurt whlle they reorganise the herd dynamics (she isn't shod, but I think most of the others are).

Am I just going to get all upset at the inevitable fighting if I hang around and watch, or is this a sensible thing to do? There are two adjoining fields, with a large gap in the hedge that divides them, and they all seem to gravitate to the second field, so should I let her wander off and find the others on her own?

Commonsense tells me that there's nothing I can or should do if they rip lumps out of one another at first, but all the same.......
 
Unfortunatley its just one of those things :( Just let her get on with it - if anyone is really nasty she will just try to get away from them :)

Good luck and hope it goes as smooth as poss :)
 
By the sounds of it, with the two fields to choose from, she'll have enough space to get away from trouble;)
 
Thanks people, but I'm worried that she'll cause the trouble lol - she can be a bit of a handful at times!

Sounds like my best bet's to open the gate, sling her in and let her get on with it then?

At least everyone's rugged so injuries should be minimal... :D

I marvel at the fact that at times I can get through an entire day without worrying about her!
 
Well, our move went really well. :D

She was a little star - walked through a narrow gateway with rubbish outside, went straight up the trailer ramp. Gazed around her on the journey (I followed in the car and watched her looking around her) and walked beautifully off the trailer at the other end, hadn't sweated up at all (very unusual for her), then walked quietly past the other horses to her new stable with her ears pricked but nothing more.

Her new stable is a lot smaller than her old one, but it didn't faze her at all. She did have a walkabout when I thought I'd shut the door properly but hadn't, but stopped when told and stood quietly having her headcollar back on and went straight back inside without argument.

I left her to it while I went home and cooked lunch for six :eek: and when I went back later to give her her tea she wasn't even looking over her door, but called out when she heard my voice.

I left her after about twenty minutes and she just settled with her haybag, one very chilled horsey.

So, just the final hurdle of her introduction to the herd tomorrow.

A right result, as they say.

ETA just got back from the yard, and so far so good (except she's decided that now is a good time to come into season). The herd were waiting for her in the first field where they don't normally congregate, I turned her out and she cantered sedately round the field, tail up, with the herd behind her. Naturally there were one or two squeals and heels, but she paired up with a nice gelding (he comes from a nice family, I checked) and when I left they were grazing together - and this was after ten minutes.
 
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