The First 14 Days After a Move, How to Set a Horse Up for Success

Most horses do not struggle because they are difficult.

They struggle because change is difficult.

A move, whether to a new barn, a trainer, a showground, or even a different paddock, is one of the most significant stress loads a horse can experience. Herd separation, transport, unfamiliar horses, new routines, confinement, and new handlers all arrive at once.

Owners often expect the horse to “settle quickly.”

The horse’s nervous system does not work that way.

The first 14 days after a move are not just an adjustment period.

They are the foundation period.

What you do in these two weeks will shape the horse’s comfort, regulation, and trainability for months.

The Core Principle, Reduce Load Before You Add Expectation

In the early days, do not ask the horse to prove anything.

Your job is not performance.

Your job is stability.

Training succeeds fastest when the horse feels safe enough to learn.

That begins with management, not pressure.

Days 1 to 3, Arrival and Nervous System Reset

1. Keep Everything Simple

Arrival day is not the day for intensity.

The horse is processing:

• A new environment

• New smells and sounds

• New horses

• New boundaries

• New people

The brain is scanning.

Do not overwhelm it further.

2. Forage First, Always

Forage continuity is one of the greatest stabilisers available to a horse.

Provide free choice hay or consistent forage immediately.

Forage is biological familiarity.

3. Hydration and Quiet Observation

Some horses drink less after transport.

Ensure constant access to clean water.

Observe quietly rather than interfering constantly.

Let the horse breathe into the new space.

4. Minimal Demands

Short hand walking is fine.

Deep schooling is not.

These days are about orientation, not obedience.

Days 4 to 7, Routine and Predictability

5. Build a Rhythm

Horses thrive on rhythm.

Feed at the same times.

Handle at the same times.

Turn out at the same times.

Routine is neurological safety.

6. Do Not Stack Stressors

This is where owners make the biggest mistake.

They add new feed, new herd, new work, new confinement, all at once.

Change one thing at a time.

Let adaptation occur.

7. Social Stress Matters

A horse entering a new herd is navigating politics.

Even quiet paddock interactions are stress.

Do not assume turnout equals relaxation.

Monitor integration carefully.

8. Begin Calm, Low Pressure Work

If the horse is settled, light sessions focused on softness and relaxation can begin.

Short, positive, non demanding.

The goal is availability, not achievement.

Days 8 to 14, Building Confidence Without Crossing Threshold

9. Watch for Threshold Signs

Many horses appear calm until suddenly they are not.

Learn the early warning signals:

• Elevated head and locked neck

• Shallow breathing

• Tight back

• Fixed scanning

• Reduced blinking and chewing

• Sudden reactivity to small stimuli

This means the horse is approaching overload.

Do not push through it.

Bring the horse down.

10. Gradual Exposure to Novelty

Confidence comes from controlled exposure.

One new thing at a time.

Let the horse look, process, and return.

Do not flood the nervous system.

11. Movement Supports Regulation

Appropriate turnout and gentle movement help the horse regulate.

Confinement without movement increases tension.

A moving horse is often a settling horse.

12. Keep Training Sessions Short

In the first two weeks, frequency matters more than duration.

Ten calm minutes is better than one long session that pushes the horse over threshold.

You want the horse finishing with capacity, not depletion.

Feeding Consistency During the First 14 Days

Nutrition should support steadiness, not volatility.

Abrupt concentrate changes during relocation are a common source of added load.

The horse’s digestive system adapts best with consistency, forage foundation, and a clear feeding program.

Thrive Feed Required Transition Protocol

Thrive Feed must be introduced using the Thrive Feed transition method.

Do not mix Thrive Feed with sweet feed, grain mixes, or any other concentrate feed.

Required Changeover Steps:

1. Stop all other concentrate feeds

2. Feed forage only for a full 24 hours

3. After this 24 hour forage interval, begin Thrive Feed at the recommended daily ration

This is the required protocol for transitioning to Thrive Feed.

Always ensure free choice forage and constant access to clean water.

The Biggest Mistake People Make

They treat the move as logistics.

The horse experiences it as survival disruption.

Owners often ask, “Why is he acting like this?”

Because the horse is carrying the full load of change.

The right response is not force.

The right response is design.

Reduce stressors.

Build rhythm.

Stay below threshold.

Thrive Feed's View, The Horse Settles Into What You Build

The first 14 days after a move are not about making the horse comply.

They are about making the horse stable.

A regulated horse is a trainable horse.

A comfortable horse is an available horse.

The best horsemen do not rush this period.

They respect it.

Because the horse that feels safe enough to think is the horse that will thrive.