My horse and I are moving to a new barn soon, and I am a little nervous about the transition. He will be going from sand paddocks and a stall most nights to living out in a field with a friend. I am excited he’ll get to be a horse for awhile, and get to stretch his legs and eat grass, but I am worried he will hate the new lifestyle. I can always move him to a different situation if need be, but I would think this new barn should be a horse heaven. Any tips on how to make him (and me) more comfortable through the transition? Should I ride soon after the move or give him time? Hand walk around? We’ve already discussed the food transition as he is not used to living on grass, and I will bring his grain to make that switch easy too. Do most horses do well in these types of living situations, or is this not a style for all horses? Thank you!
In my experience, horses like to know what’s expected of them in a new place or situation. When you move to your new place, keep his expectations consistent. If you typically ride every day, ride him moving day as well. Expect that he may be a little insecure and that may show up in his energy level or his manners etc. but if you keep your expectations of him the same, it will help him know what’s going on. For example, if you are typically a stickler for good ground manners when grooming/tacking up don’t give him a pass because it’s a new place. Be kind, but reinforce that ground manners are important here, too. I see more horses spin out of orbit in new situations because their owners are trying to be easy on them than those who are expected to behave the same way as at home. Adapt your approach if necessary, but keep “the rules” the same.
As to whether most horses like living out? Sure - if their needs are met: do they have enough space from other horses, can they get access to feed/forage/water without being stressed by turnout buddies? Can they get out of the weather if they need to? (shade, shelter, etc.) Most horses can adapt to a lot of living situations, but you’ll likely find you need to adjust your care. He may need more calories if he’s expending more energy motoring around his larger space. He may need more blanketing - or you may need to stop clipping him and let him be a fuzzy beast through the winter. You may find his personality mellows and you have a lazier horse on your hands, or you may find you have a superfit horse who is spicier under saddle. Really, it depends on the individual horse, but so long as you’re an attentive owner, he will likely be able to adapt.
I moved barns this summer. In fact, my trainer and all her clients moved together. The day of the move was quite busy, so we didn’t ride, but the second day was business as usual. Because we all moved together, and trainer does the feeding, feed stayed the same.
Keeping rules consistent is great advice, whether moving barns or just going off property for a show or some other activity. They can look, but are not allowed to forget their manners.
As a safety net, I got two tubes of Ulcerguard, started a few days before the move and continued until it was gone.
Good luck with the move!
might take a few days for the lad to adjust, I just moved a horse from the stall he had been in for twenty-five years, it has taken him three days to understand go to this other stall not his former home
They do adapt but give him time and don’t change things again too soon.
Good advice here already.
But I have to ask:
Will grass the only source of forage for the field-kept horses?
Depending on how rich the pastures are watch for some digestive adjustment in your guy.
He may have some loose manure until his gut acclimates to wet (grass) from dry (hay).
You don’t say where you are, but Winter can mean pastures do not supply enough forage.
Will barn supplement with hay if this is the case?
You may find he is able to maintain weight & condition on grass alone or you may need to keep feeding grain < also what exactly is your “grain”? Whole feed like oats or pelleted commercial mix?
As for living out that depends on the individual.
My TB went from a Life of being stalls - from living at the track for 5yrs to boarding barns with limited turnout until I brought him home at 22yo.
He loved being out 24/7.
I am sure you have considered the need to acclimatise gradually to the grass- that will be a big change for his system!
If you are concerned about stress, start the horse on 1/4 tube of Ulcerguard per day at least 4 days before moving, and keep it up for the first few weeks.
Accept that there may be a few small cuts/bites as the horses sort out the pecking order. After a week or so, make sure you watch feeding time for a few days to make sure they’ve settled into a routine and each horse is getting to eat their own grain. Some barns have this down to a science (or tie, or have feeding stalls, etc.), and it works the first day, but I think it’s better to judge a week or so out at most places. If they’re getting hay to supplement bad/winter grass, make sure you see that being fed too.
Keep your routine the same. Most horses do great living outside.
Other than the food stuff, which it sounds like you’ve got a handle on:
Whenever I moved my horse I would keep him to as normal a day as possible. When we moved barns and the haul wasn’t long, I moved him in and then rode him later that day. (Same with shows, for the record - he was a relatively well traveled guy.) longer hauls I might do a lot of hand walking and maybe a light lounge session or a hack instead of “we ride/work” but he was still doing something.
Above horse moved from a situation with really minimal turnout to an all day thing - prior to his first time out I rode him (burn some of the energy he may have had) and then stuck him out - the horses he was with he had known before and been turned out with prior so that was not a concern.
And at that point, just monitor. Keep things as routine d normal and check in frequently for signs of struggling - weight loss is a good indicator something isn’t quite right, and you can reassess af that point if necessary.
Jet had always been stalled with half day turnout in sand paddock for first 14 yrs of his lfe. When i moved him to pasture turnout with shelter, i was so worried, and if it rained, or was really windy would bring him in. Then i found out that if he stayed out and it rained and got muddy, he would quietly walk around. But if i brought him in, then turned back out the next day, he would run like an idiot and slip on the only wet spot out there. So i started leaving him out. He gets fly sprayed daily, blanketed when needed. And is happy as a clam these last 6 yrs.
