Horse Yawning,Licking and Nudging Part 2

by Elaine Polny
(Palgrave, Ontario, Canada)

(Because my comments will only allow 3000 characters I needed to make a new page to answer your further questions.)

Hi Amanda!
It's a fantastic idea to get Zero a companion! Even if it is a more dominant one, he would love the company!

I love donkeys too! But they do have slightly different needs (really easy keepers). They are known for having a natural instinct to protect the herd which is great if you have a larger group. But because there are so many unwanted horses, you will have no problem finding one so I would encourage that route first. As far as male or female goes again with only two it wouldn't matter much but in the end it would be best for another gelded male. There would likely be less squabbles but don't be alarmed about that. When two horses first meet they will challenge the other to decide who is the best leader for the group, this is just Mother Nature's way. Sometimes the initial fights can seem brutal for us humans but rarely does anyone get seriously hurt. I have noticed in my experience that the first introduction can be a bit explosive then it all quiets down until another 6 weeks, then another in 3 months. But with just two horses it solves itself very quickly. Plus one will always be a bit more pushy than the other like around food, but again do not worry, this is natural and good because we want them to keep moving around.

The best way to introduce a new horse is to have them on either side of a fence for a few days first. That way they can smell, squeal and act out without total physical contact.

When it comes to pasture space, it does vary greatly from one place to another so I don't know what the rule of thumb would be for your area. But what I can do is offer you this information on Natural Horsekeeping and would highly recommend the book Paddock Paradise that is on that page. It offers great solutions for limited spaces. Do however also take the sweet feed out of his diet, just stick with whole oats and some beet pulp instead, have salt available too.


Your quote," I'm sure with a companion his metabolism would be higher and more space would be okay? (Is that right?)" Basically yes, the more space the better yet depending upon the nutritional needs more grass may not be. See also this page on Safer Grass, for that info.

Nutrition is a huge subject of itself and I would prefer to direct you to either an equine nutritionalist in your area and/or this website thehorse.com, it's full of all kinds of great information.

The dried up blood you found in his ears was likely caused by little bugs biting. Great job on cleaning them up. (Your Mom is a great resource! :0)

Now blankets are really not a good idea. Providing the horse is healthy and has access to shelter a blanket can cause more harm than good. The reason is because horses have an internal thermoregulatory system whereby they can raise and lower the hair on their bodies to either expel excess heat or retain it. The use of blankets impedes upon this natural muscle function and can stop them from growing a nice winter coat as needed. So don't worry about him getting too cold, Zero sounds like he's in good health and good hands!

Thank you for being the compassionate person you are!

Elaine