Single horse transition suggestions

[LilRanger]

I am in the market for a horse. I have researched a breeder near me (3-4 hours), who has a number of young prospects. I can’t go meet any just yet, my employer is discouraging out of state travel , and I need income to support a horse! I don’t want to buy without meeting them because I want to make sure I get the right personality fit. Because of all this, I thought I would use my time getting some suggestions about how I can ease the transition not just to a new home, but to a new lifestyle as well.

One horse is all I can afford (actually, I can afford 2, but my hubby is quite anxious about money, so the compromise is one horse). I will be keeping horse here at my place, there are horses next door, so seeing other horses will happen. However, I’m concerned because the breeder raises the young in a large herd (which is good!) So new horse will go from living out in a herd, to living with no physical contact with other horses. I’m thinking maybe a large goat as a friend? I’ve had goats and horses before, they all got along fine. Hubby knows goats are not as expensive as horses.

Any other suggestions on both how to help the transition and how to meet social needs?

Suggestions of another horse, such as an pasture puff friend (which I would totally do myself) are unfortunately not possible due to hubby’s financial anxiety.

[IPEsq]

What is the age range you are looking at?

[LilRanger]

2-4 years old. All of them are ground broke, but unstarted. I’m leaning toward the older horses, but if a younger horse works better, I’m open to that.

And I say horses, but they are Fell ponies.

[IPEsq]

Honestly, at that age, they really need other horses around. That’s why the youngsters are in herds. It’s more about learning life skills and being properly socialized more so than just having companionship (although they are herd animals).

So, I would suggest if another horse is not an option, that you board the new horse for a while. Or you take in a boarder or two.

[LilRanger]

Yes, that is ironically why this breeder is great, the ponies get to grow up like ponies. It’s a good suggestion about a boarder, that might work. It would allay cost concerns, and offer companionship.

Just out of curiosity, is there an age where a horse is more able to manage just seeing other horses rather than sharing space? Is it more age or particular to the horse?

[Feliz]

Personally I think horses really need other equine companionship so maybe there’s another way to make this happen without the purchase/financial concern -
A mini - hopefully cheaper than another horse - but they do have different dietary needs and mutual grooming is trickier (plus they can have horse-sized vet bills)
Offering a spot to someone’s retired horse
Fostering a pony for a (good) rescue group

Of course then the tricky bit is making sure you can take one away from the other for care/handling/riding.

I’ve gone from 1 to 3 equines since we moved to our little farm in Nov last year. I did have a friend’s older horse as a companion to start with and he was perfect - very chilled, didn’t care when I took my horse away. Sadly she needed him back for her youngsters.

Now I have my main riding horse, an elderly mini who was gifted to me, and a 3yo who will become a riding horse. Mr Feliz is resigned to his fate

[LilRanger]

I agree that they need equine companionship, but that may not be possible outside of a boarder. There are horses across the fence, so horse won’t be isolated. We had a mini, and yes, the cost there is the same, except volume of food! Goats, however, don’t seem to have the same issues. My husband really likes goats, so I’m hoping that may work.

I am listening, I am trying to figure this out before bringing any horse here, so thank you for your input!

[joiedevie99]

I wouldn’t want to take a 2 or 3 year old out of a herd situation. If you go that young, board with the breeder for a few years. 4 year olds are often moved to training barns, and put into the “show horse” program, which often means turnout alone. Maybe not ideal, but done frequently.

Some horses will be absolutely fine if they can see others next door. Others will not. If you are concerned about cost, talk to a local rescue about fostering. Many rescues will pay for all hard expenses (food, farrier, vet). You provide labor/care, and stall/paddock space. Then you have a plan in your back pocket than can be set in motion fast if needed.

[Libby2563]

Yes, I would look into fostering for a reputable rescue or boarding a friend’s retiree. I would not keep a young horse in that situation, and probably not even an older one. I don’t think your neighbors’ horses would be adequate.

[LilRanger]

That’s helpful, since there are two rising 5 year olds, in addition to the younger. If I had my druthers would simply take two, just to keep them happy, and have half sibs, but Mr. Ranger isn’t having any of that (right now, at least). And as I only have one bottom, training two would probably be too much time wise anyway.

But I’ll see about rescues, that could also work well.

[No1]

Goats can have tons of issues. Especially if you get a wether.

They get obstruction causing stones easily if they pick up much of your horse’s alfalfa or high protein grain. They also commonly eat anything in sight and get rumen obstructions. Knowing how to deworm them for your area is important, or they could have life threatening blood loss. They can get tons of diseases, they often chew their horse pasture mates tails, when they’re young it’s common for them to be stepped on by larger pasture mates…

I used to work with goats regularly. I wouldn’t get one thinking it would be easy and cheap. Personally, I have minis.

They don’t get clipped or blanketed, trimming feet is super easy and I do it about every 8 weeks or so (goats sometimes need this, too). They get to use the remainder of the tube of the horse’s dewormer.

I could go on, but I think I’ve ranted enough about the goats

[LilRanger]

Yes I have had dairy goats in the past, they are certainly hands on, but I didn’t have many health issues with them. Probably because of the climate here, and general lack of deer?

But you’re right, they do like eating things, though mine were not as incident prone as horses. Or maybe it was just my horse with his special ways? Or because they were does?

[four2farm]

I would be hesitant to bring a horse home by himself. There are so many cost saving options for a companion. Horses just do not seem to thrive in that situation.

I have lent horses to friends as companions often and successfully. I pay all my horse’s expenses. They get a companion, an occasional riding buddy if needed and I am happy to do chores for a weekend away, etc.

I generally send horses that are good buddy match but are older or retired. I do not need to be there every day and try to stop by and check on my guy without
“invading”. This can be short term, like a few weeks while shopping for a new horse, a few months, while a horse is out at training or years, ie. the case of my gelding who was a companion to a blind horse.

It worked very well. I dropped grain /bedding off once a week, paid half of the hay bill, came with my checkbook to vet and farrier appts. I did not pay board per se, but their horse had a companion for the cost of water, grass and stall cleaning. I farm sit when needed, lent a hand for that two person fencing project and otherwise pop in to check my guy often without being invasive.

There is also plain boarding, but then you get into a different plan all together.

Either way there are lots of options, a mini, a pony, a donkey, a goat. My friend has a pony mule that is an air fern. Either way, a horse alone is a stressed horse, IMHO.

[No1]

Does for sure don’t have the urinary tract problems that wethers do.

It also depends on how you keep them. If they’re kept more like farm animals than pets, they seem much less likely to eat things that require surgery.

It’s also true that my experience (working in an emergency hospital that sees farm animals) mostly only shows you the train wreck situations. I’ve spent many a long night in some sort of goat surgery or doing blood transfusions.

[trubandloki]

Please talk to your insurance representative about how much the additional insurance will be before you take on a boarder.

[Bluey]

An older friend has trained horses all his life.
He thinks all horses should know to chill out alone, is a learned skill, an important one for ranch horses, that will have to be alone when hauled and working cattle as much as with other horses around.

Every horse he gets, any age, he puts in some far off pens.
Also serves as a quarantine time.
There are cattle there, but no other horses.
He goes there twice a day to feed and work with the horse, maybe just brush him or ride him.
After about three weeks, he brings horse to headquarters and puts him in a pen by other horses.
After another day or two, he is turned out with the others in a section, 640 acre horse pasture.

He has his horses trained to come to a whistle and to want to come in for extra good feed and that the time with humans is quiet and gentle time.
His horses are sought after because they are so gentle and sensible and also are finished ranch horses, they truly help you when working cattle.

My friend say, even horses that came with warning that they were very buddy or barn sour or walked fences and weaved quit all that and would stand by the gate quietly waiting for him after their time by themselves right off, before they could get attached to a new place with other horses.

I would say, have a plan, consider the horse, but if you have to keep a horse alone for some time and all is ok, don’t let anyone make you feel guilty, some times, it is ok, depends on the horse.

Young horses need to learn to be a horse and being with others does that best.
They also should learn, as domestic horses, to be adaptable and to be alone without stressing may just be another skill to learn.

I would say, it depends on the horse and management how contented a horse may be.
Being alone or with others at any one time is just one more management concern that can depend on other than an absolute “no horse ever alone!”

[lenapesadie]

I only have a small sample size to draw conclusions from. I’ve known @ a dozen horses that were kept alone. The ones that adapted without major stress indicators were more mature individuals, double digit ages.

Overall, I think the cost of a second horse is relatively small compared to the cost of setting up or acquiring a horse property. Perhaps you can pitch a second horse as a necessary expense to enjoy the first horse?

YMMV

[LilRanger]

Yes your experience is certainly in the worst case scenario! No wonder you aren’t sold on goats!

[LilRanger]

That is a very good point! Thank you!

[LilRanger]

@Bluey

Also serves as a quarantine time.

This I forgot about!
Horse can be about 100 feet or so from the neighbor horses, is that far enough for quarantine? I’ll keep him from the fence too, with panels so no touching anything that could be touched by others.

Thank you for that reminder!