You have recently acquired another horse and are anxious to bring the beauty home. How do you make the transition as smooth as possible for your new (and current) equine companions?

Whether you board or keep your horse at home you will most likely want your new friend to go out to pasture with a few buddies. Introducing a new horse to an established pasture can be rather nerve wracking but a few precautions along with a little time and patience can make all the difference.

Placing the new horse in a pasture with a shared fence line next to the most suited candidate(s) for this new herd member is a good first step. Allowing horses to smell and assess each other from the safety of a secure border creates a less stressful situation for all. Give this several days and carefully watch everyone’s reactions. A few challenges with arched necks and pawing are normal and no reason for concern – this just establishes who is in charge. If you see one or more of the established group charge at the new horse and/or if the fence is kicked down and a chase ensues then it is time to reevaluate your intended pasture combination.

As long as the above goes smoothly with no real displays of aggression by any one member of the intended pasture grouping it is time to start placing horses together.

If you only have one other horse then it is time to put them together. Have them both wear a halter and keep a lunge whip handy. Stay close and make sure that nothing occurs other than the usual posturing of arched necks and a few grunts. These are typically accompanied by a rather lengthy and precisely executed sniffing assessment of every inch of each other's body. Often times the formal greeting is short - the horses say a quick hello and the newcomer will then move on to check out the fencelines as well as what’s good to eat in their new home.

If a challenge ensues stay nearby to break it up if it gets too intense but unless a chase or an intentioned kicking match happens don’t intervene too soon. If they are butt to butt kicking with harmful intent that is the time to flail that whip and separate them. You can then give them more time next to each other and hope that they will eventually become, if not friends, at least tolerant of one another.

If you have more than one horse to contend with pairing the new horse with the lower herd mates and working your way up until you reach the lead mare or gelding works in many circumstances. The only time this may not work is if the lead horse is not a confident leader. This sort of introduction when an insecure leader is in charge often leads to a desperate attempt to regain the herd’s respect by chasing off the new horse. If you are faced with an insecure leader then placing the new horse with this animal first generally works better as it helps retain the leadership position unchallenged.

Knowing your current horses’ personality or trusting the knowledge of the barn’s managers with whom you board is the best tool one can have when introducing a new horse into an established pasture group. There may be a few scuffles but unless an all out assault takes place most horses do find their way into a new herd without great harm.

Horses are, in general, gregarious creatures but there are those that are loners.
These types will not miss the companionship of other horses and may, in fact, do far better if not stressed by others with which they would rather not associate. This does not preclude such animals from being good friends with humans and they can in fact be perfect for a one horse situation.

Happy riding and see ya ‘round the barnyard.