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Elite Veteran
Posts: 710
 
| I'm moving to Wyoming from California at the end of March, and the plan was to bring my gelding with me. He's very sweet, but has been in a barn most of his life. He had a old injury, so I'm constantly worrried about that. At the ranch I'll be working at for the next 6 months, he'll be outside with 20 other horses in a large pasture, fenced by barb wire. I'm so nervous for him, I don't know how he'll do and what if he gets beat up or crippled? He's 11 in May and has never really lived with a pasture, only barn mates. He's friendly to other horses, but I'm just worried. Is there any way I can prepare him? Or get him used to barb wire somehow?
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 Tried and True
Posts: 21185
  
Location: Where I am happiest | Don't they at least have pens you could put him in? Personally, I wouldn't do it. Your horse isn't used to any part of that kind of life nor is he a herd mate. He WILL get the crap knocked out of him. I sold a super nice buckskin filly to a ranch home. She got tangled in the barbed wire fence and is crippled for life. Fact they weren't even sure they could save her. Maybe you can find someplace close by to keep him at if they don't have a separate pen for him? |
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 Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| How big is the pasture? My experience is horses are much happier with the freedom to graze and move around. When introducing a new horse to my crew I always let them get to know each other across fence lines or hand grazing before I turn them loose together. I have barb wire as perimeter fencing and have had no problems but I have 100 acres so plenty of room to run and play without getting run into the fence, if it is a small pasture that would be my concern
Edited by rodeomom3 2017-02-28 7:28 PM
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 710
| ThreeCorners - 2017-02-28 5:26 PM
Don't they at least have pens you could put him in? Personally, I wouldn't do it. Your horse isn't used to any part of that kind of life nor is he a herd mate. He WILL get the crap knocked out of him. I sold a super nice buckskin filly to a ranch home. She got tangled in the barbed wire fence and is crippled for life. Fact they weren't even sure they could save her. Maybe you can find someplace close by to keep him at if they don't have a separate pen for him?
I don't think so. I'm having anxiety so bad about this, I've had him 8 years and he's been babied. Not used to ranch life. I don't believe they have a separate pen. They said there is no pens near the front for him. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 710
| rodeomom3 - 2017-02-28 5:26 PM
How big is the pasture? My experience is horses are much happier with the freedom to graze and move around. When introducing a new horse to my crew I always let them get to know each other across fence lines or hand grazing before I turn them loose together. I have barb wire as perimeter fencing and have had no problems but I have 100 acres so plenty of room to run and play without getting run into the fence, if it is a small pasture that would be my concern
It looks very large, over 20 acres? I talked with the boss about giving him a friend before we set him loose out there. I guess that would help. I'm just nervous and trying to figure out if I should just take my other horse that is more ranchy, but that would mean my gelding would be stuck doing nothing for 6 months, I don't trust anyone to ride him properly. |
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 Northern Chocolate Queen
Posts: 16576
Location: ND | All my horses live in the pastures, in barbed wire & I have no problems.....BUT they are born here, live in a herd their whole life & have always been in barbed wire and/or hot wire so they know not to mess with the fences. There is NO WAY I would take your horse & turn him out in a barbed wire pasture with 20 other horses. He's not used to living in a herd or being in barbed wire, he's very likely to get hurt. |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| I would see if they have some panel gates you could set up while introducing him, or if they mind if you purchase and set up a smaller pen for him.
Herd politics aside if he's not been on pasture he should be introduced over a period of time anyway, much the same way you would switch grain.
I firmly believe in turnout for horses and believe the fact that ours can move around as they please, and are either turned out on or regularly ridden on pasture with rolling hills contributes to our low injury rate and minimum maintenance needs. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 823
Location: East Texas | We got a horse a couple of years ago that was 20 and been stalled at least the last 12 years. We put her in a lot with pipe fence for about a week and then she went out in the pasture with the other 5 horses, barb wire and all....... she loved it. She got to be a horse. Yes, there were herd politics to get settled, but after awhile we were able to nearly cut out her meds. I think you are prob. over stressing and worrying over something that will be fine. |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Maybe buy you some panels so you can make a pen for your horse, I would think since these are horsey people they would understand what you are feeling. I would just build his own pen untill he got used to the new set up. Just dont throw him out in the pasture with all those horses. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 672
| No matter what you decide or end up doing, I would highly suggest riding him around the perimeter of the pasture before turning him out. I've seen horses get to running in new places and not even see fences or see them too late and it's a wreck.
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 The Bling Princess
Posts: 3411
Location: North Dakota | I would spend more time trying to "get out" of having to throw your horse in with 20 other horses, than being worried about barb wire. My 40 acres is fenced off by barb wire because we run cattle on the other side. I've never had an issue, until this year, with a cut and it was only because we have so much snow it drug a bottom wire off and we didn't see it in time.
I would never never never throw a horse into a pen with 20 other horses, when they are the new guy on the block. That is just asking for trouble.
Like someone else said I'd be building him his own pen to live in while your there. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 695
Location: Windoming | I once took a horse in for training that had lived his whole life penned up. I started hand grazing him in our hay corral. After a week or so of doing that, I decided to turn him loose in it, since he seemed well adapted. Three sides with pipe fence and one side with wire, a large pen. 5 minutes later, he tore through the barb wire fence and took off down the highway. He ran and ran and ran. Ended up breaking his neck....... I will never forget that. I don't know to this day why he did that. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 710
| Good news, talked to my boss and she is giving him his own pen. |
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | KPwuvsOliver - 2017-03-02 2:29 PM Good news, talked to my boss and she is giving him his own pen.
Glad to hear this, its always better to be safe then sorry later on.  |
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The Bling Princess
Posts: 3411
Location: North Dakota | KPwuvsOliver - 2017-03-02 2:29 PM Good news, talked to my boss and she is giving him his own pen.
Oh thank goodness!!!! |
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 My Heart Be Happy
Posts: 9159
Location: Arkansas | KPwuvsOliver - 2017-03-02 2:29 PM
Good news, talked to my boss and she is giving him his own pen.
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Need opinions on bringing horse to pasture