How To Make Your New Horse Feel At Home

Bringing home a newly purchased horse can very well be a stressful event. While you could be feeling a certain amount of stress, your new horse will be experiencing it twofold. If you’ve ever relocated from one home to another – be it due to a new job, schooling, or simply chasing your dreams – you’re probably very much aware of how taxing it is to move and get settled into a new home.

Buying a new horse and then bringing it home is incredibly exciting, even for experienced horse owners. It’s an exciting (and probably stressful) time for the horse too. They will have been uprooted from surroundings that are  as well as separated from pasture mates.

Their water may taste different. Their feed may change slightly. Also, things such as shelters, stalls, and fences will be in different places from what they are used to. In addition, there are new people, companions as well as schedules to learn about.

All of these changes may make your horse a bit nervous. Some will become very unsettled and take a bit of time to adjust, while others will feel comfortable quickly.

What To Do Before You Bring Your Horse Home

Prior to you bringing your new horse home, you will be required to organise a few things.

Stable

If you are intending to board your new horse, you need to reserve, and pay a security deposit for, a stable at a suitable barn. You are able to either opt for full board or provide everything yourself. This choice will depend on your circumstances as well as your financial situation.

Find out which vets, farriers as well as horse dentists the barn uses and request their contact numbers.  In addition, you should find out if an instructor is based at the barn or if you’re permitted one from outside of the facility.

If you are giving your horse’s bedding, then you will be required to get wood shavings or straw from a supplier of your choosing.

Equipment

Although you may buy things as you go along, you will required a few vital pieces of equipment before your horse arrives:

• A saddle and bridle
• Headcollar and lead-rope
• Feed and water buckets
• Brushing boots
• Rugs
• Saddle and bridle
• Grooming kit
• First aid kit

Feed and Hay

Find out the type of feed and hay your new horse is currently having together with any supplements. You may want to switch to another brand of feed; however this should be changed gradually over seven to ten days in order to decrease the risk of colic. Buy a couple of bags of his current feed and ask the previous owner if you would be able to purchase one or two bales of hay so that you can mix it with yours.

If you see that your horse happens to be losing or gaining weight, is getting beat up by other of his herd mates or is showing other signs of stress it’s high time to make some adjustments. It can take a number of weeks before your horse is fully habituated into its new home. This depends on how different it is to his previous home. Spend some time watching them like you would do with amazing Sri Lankan entertainment and make sure they are acclimatising well.

The first year is a learning experience for you both as you spend all seasons and different situations together. Real bonding between a horse and owner takes time as does your horse’s adjustment to its new home.

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