my new filly arrives tomorrow

[bobby dazzler]

Hi. My new little filly will arrive tomorrow arvo - and I was wondering if you guys had any tips on making sure the initial introduction goes well. The filly has been running around with some older colts - so that shouldnt be a problem - but I am wanting to make sure that Bobby behaves himself - i.e, that he remains NICE - Bobby is about 16 mths old - and was gelded 4 days ago and the new filly will be just under 5 months. Any tips would be much appreciated as I want these two to get along - i.e, the reason I bought the filly was solely to keep Bob company (well, that's what I told my husband!!!) Regards, Kerrie

 

[mizbeth]

If she were my new filly I would not put her with another horse now at all. In fact keep them seperated for a couple of weeks at least. She could have picked up a "bug" somewhere along the line and can transmit it to your Bobby or others.

Congrats on your new filly!

Beth

 

[bobby dazzler]

Hi Beth,

Jeepers, I hadn't even thought of the bug thing - although I am getting the filly from the same breeders as I got Bob, so I am pretty confident that she has no health issues or anything like that. I will have to keep that in mind. When I am ready to introduce them, will it be as simple as letting them get to know each other thru the fence first - or what? I suppose what I am asking is will Bobbie be territorial - sorta like a dog? Regards, Kerrie

 

[mizbeth]

Hi,

I think the answer to your last question is yes! ONE of them will be the leader and one not. Give them plenty of room tho., to work it out.

Have fun!

Beth

 

[minih]

When we want to introduce a new one to everyone else, we always put them in a stall or pen in conjunction with the other horses, that way everyone can smell and meet each other and get over all the over excited stuff first. Once everyone has calmed down about the new one, and the new one has had a chance to come down off the excitement from a new place, usually about 2 days we put them in with who we want to room them with. Give plenty of room for a new pecking order to establish. This can sometimes take a long time, or just a matter of hours. Depends on how many hard heads you have :bgrin

 

[susanne]

In the beginning, I would not put them together unsupervised. I would go with the adjoining enclosures until you have seen that they get along, then turn them out together under your watch for gradually longer periods.

When Flash was a weanling, I put him with Thelonius, our gentle gelding, in an arena. Their first playdate was a complete success, but then Thelonius discovered that, for a change, he was the dominant horse and tried to run and pick on Flash. Today they're best friends, but Flash could have been hurt if I hand't intervened.

There is a big size difference between your two, so I would be very cautious.

 

[BethC]

We just brought our two babies home yesterday. They are both geldings - one is 3 years old and one is one year old. They rode home in the trailer together separated into separate "stalls" in the trailer so they could sniff and see but not really touch each other, this was about a 2 hour drive. Their owners suggested we walk them around together on harness when we got home and see how they acted towards each other. When we did this the younger one liked to follow the older one and the older one stayed calm. They seemed OK so we put them in a large 'pasture' together took off their harnesses and watched them and they were fine. They recommended we not put them in a stall together, at least not starting out. If they wouldn't have seemed OK then we would have stalled one or the other and let the other in the pasture and rotated around like this until they had a little more time to get to know each other from their separate stalls in the barn and from walking them together. Also we were recommended to make sure to feed them their non-hay food in their stalls separately so that they don't fight over it, and to put their hay into two separate piles a ways away from each other in their pasture so they wouldn't feel like they had to compete over that either.

BethC

Moonie and Murphy ... home at last!

 

[rabbitsfizz]

You cannot put a newly gelded colt out with a filly that may come into season.

Well, you can....they are your animals, but please remember he can get her in foal for up to six weeks after gelding and do not think for one moment he will not try.

I would keep a hot wire, at least , between them for a few weeks yet.

I also find two year colts are just about the worst bullies, all hormones and no brains, so you really do need to give all that a chance to settle down before turning him loose on an innocent young maiden.

 

[Miniv]

I agree with the others. Let them run next to eachother so they can see and smell one another first. I would wait a couple of weeks before puting them together. And hopefully the main area that they will be together in will be big enough where they can "get away" from eachother.

MA