Introducing New Horses to Your Herd

People change horses as often as they buy new cars these days. “New” horses are always coming and going. There are people who have had 5-7 horses in as many years. Many of these “new” horses already now how to behave in the herd. They know how to yield to the dominant horse, how to read posture, how to get out of the way, when to back down, and how to be a horse. Unfortunately, many of our pampered pets don’t know a whole lot about being a horse and this can get them into trouble when they most need it.Since you can’t ask the horse, it can be difficult to determine how your new horse is going to act with an established herd. So it’s better to be safe and control this introduction a bit than to deal with veterinary bills and frustration.
It’s always best to quarantine or keep a new horse separate from your established herd until you are sure that the new horse is free of disease or any other malady. When the horse is determined to be in good health, then it’s fine to begin the process of introducing him to the herd.
Many people that won’t let their horses be with another horse because they are afraid they’ll get hurt or that they are too valuable. Sure, getting hurt is always a risk –horses are some of the most “accident prone” animals on the planet. But, like our kids, we can’t always protect them from everything. No doubt they do cost a lot of money, but horses are herd animals and they value the companionship of another horse more than just about anything else.
There are numerous ways to introduce a new groupon horse carriage prices horse to the herd. Many people just throw the new guy out into the pasture and let him work it out with the established herd. This can work, horses have been doing this on their own for years before we ever got involved. This method works best if you have a lot of room for the horses to utilize their inherent herding traits just like they would in the wild. But, if you have a confined area where territory has been established, pecking order, friendships, etc. then you may want to intervene in order to control the success of the new horse in establishing himself in the herd.
If you just have one horse and you are bringing in another one, you’ll probably have two very relieved horses and your job won’t be too big. Horses are herd animals and it takes more than one to be a herd — it’s really not a fair deal to keep a solitary horse. Many times you’ll be surprised that if you throw the new guy out with the others that he’ll go stand by himself and wait until he is invited in by the dominant horse.
However, if you have one horse to integrate with many others (which is more likely) then you may have some issues. It’s likely that the resident horses are going to set the tone for behavior. Horses can quickly determine where they fit into the dominance “food chain” on their own. They know their station in life, but they are also always trying to improve their status. Horses have nothing but time out in the pasture — they do this all day with other horses; flicking their heads, displaying dominant posture, and even kicking and biting when they feel like it’s necessary to reinforce their position in the herd. Leaders get used to leading. Expect that a horse who was dominant in a herd that he last came from is going to try to regain this status with the new herd.
Spoiled horses or horses that haven’t had much horse to horse interac