Arrival of the new horse in the stable
You have bought a horse and of course the new buddy should move to his new stable as soon as possible. Prepare everything well so that the animal feels comfortable from the first moment - after all, everything is new and unfamiliar to the horse.
Horses are herd animals and they feel extremely comfortable in their familiar surroundings, provided they are kept in a species-appropriate manner. But sometimes it cannot be prevented that a horse has to leave this home environment, for example because it has been sold. With heart and mind, the familiarization phase goes very quickly.
The transport of the new horse
- If you want to pick up your new horse yourself, allow enough time. You should have checked the technical condition of the trailer in advance. Is there enough air in the tires? Is the trailer coupling OK? What do the tarpaulin and the safety bolts look like? If you pick up the horse in a remote location, you should come to the farm with a full tank so that you do not have to refuel with the horse in the trailer.
- Depending on where your new partner is currently, plan the travel time. Include any traffic jams, diversions or other time wasters. You should definitely be at the farm on time at the agreed time, nothing is worse than loading a horse in a hectic pace.
- Give the ex-owner time to say goodbye to the horse before carefully making the return trip. If possible, drive through to home in one go so that the horse doesn't have to stand in the narrow trailer for so long.
The arrival in the new stable
- You turn into the courtyard and many curious minds will probably appear. Of course, your fellow riders all want to see the new horse - that's all too understandable. However, not everyone should rush over to the excited animal to give it a supposedly reassuring pat on the neck. First unload the animal in peace and quiet and bring it to its designated place in the barn with a sense of security.
- Most horses run around restlessly at first. If you eat a tuft of hay, it is usually not because of hunger, but rather because of excitement. First, let the horse explore its new surroundings in peace. The sniffing with the box neighbors can be connected with a background noise. Horses like to squeak every now and then.
- Maybe your horse should be integrated into an open stable? Then it would make sense if the animal were first placed in a so-called "integration box". This is how he gets to know his new friends and you can see which of the other horses he gets along with particularly well.
"My horse bites me all the time" - what to do?
Do you have the problem that your horse bites you and others all the time? You know the ...
This is how you handle the horse for the first few days in the new stable
- You should spend a lot of time with the horse. Clean it up extensively and slowly lead it around the stable area. "Show" him the cleaning area, the hall or whatever special features there are in your stable.
- You might want to skip a ride for the first day or two. Instead, take the newcomer for a walk. Let the horse look at everything and "sniff" it, this creates a solid base with you as a reference person.
- However, you shouldn't make the mistake of letting the horse get away with anything out of sheer pity placed in the wrong place. What your horse learns in the first few days in a new stable remains - and you don't get used to it overnight.
