What to Do and Not Do when You Bring Home a New Horse

You have bought a new horse and are bringing him home. Do you know what to do next? If you are a beginner you do not want to take the horse home and hop right on without letting the horse get familiar with his new home.

Once you have unloaded the horse from the trailer lead him around his new surroundings so he can get familiar with them. If you are going to be turning the horse out into a pasture with a barbed wire fence, you will want to lead the horse completely around the fence line so he will know where it is. This way hopefully he will not run through it or get tangled in it and hurt himself.

For the first few nights you will want to keep the horse in a stall or shed and turn him out during the day when you are able to keep an eye on him. After his morning feeding and before turning him out in the pasture, make sure to work with him. Brush him, lead him around, work with his feet (picking them up and cleaning them), let him know you are not going to hurt him, and any other event that will get him familiar with you and vice versa.

If you are a beginner starting from the ground up is the best bet. You must be able to control the horse while you are on the ground or you will never be able to control him while on his back. Every day take the time to longe your horse. This will get him exercise and also let him get used to your voice commands.

No matter what, until after about two weeks, never hop on the horse and take off to where there are no other people around. This could make for a very dangerous situation. Until you are completely comfortable with a new horse and vice versa and you know for sure you are in control, stay as close to other people as possible. Also, keep him in the most familiar surroundings as possible.

On the other hand you may want to lead the horse around to different places and places you know you will be riding him. This way you will also find out if the horse spooks at anything or is skittish around certain things.

If you do notice anything that the horse may shy away from or acts as if it bothers him, take him home and work with him. If, for instance, he is afraid of a flag find a flag and slowly take it around him. Tie him up but keep the rope to where it would come loose if he pulled backwards. Take the flag (without waving it) up to him to smell. If he seems extremely frightened or tense, stand back and just hold it. If there is a breeze then let it blow gently while keeping your distance from him. Gradually, after he has calmed to the idea of it being there, get closer and closer until he is able to smell it and even feel it. Then slowly start waving it until he is comfortable with that also. Do this with whatever he seems afraid of. To get him over his fear may actually take a couple to several days. Just make sure they are consistent days.

Therefore, when you bring a new horse home, do not jump right on his back and just hope everything goes alright. Start from the ground up and stay safe.

Source:

Having horses for over 20 years and having a bad experience with a new one (learned my lesson quick)