27/08/2025
I think we can seriously underestimate the affect of putting a horse in a new home.
A long time ago due to circumstances I had to sell one of my horses.
It was a heartbreaking choice but I let Arch's and Rois mother go because she was the sweetest and easiest to handle...........long story short she ended up coming back to me after 4 years , labeled dangerous and unridable.
None of which was true, she was ok at first in her new home but in hindsight I think without a companion she had shut down. Fast forward a couple of years and another horse joined her, she developed terrible separation anxiety and became unmanageable for the new owner.
She returned to me were she spent her final years without a problem. Rois remembered her and their meeting was very emotional.
New Home Syndrome: The Hidden Reason So Many Rehomes Fail
When off-the-track Thoroughbreds or Standardbreds leave racing, people call it โsettling in.โ Which is a bit like calling a house fire โa slight rise in temperature.โ ๐ฅ The truth is, many horses experience New Home Syndrome - a full-body stress response that reshapes behaviour, health, and learning.
Thatโs when the labels start flying:
โproblem horseโ
โdangerousโ
โmisrepresentedโ
Yes, their behaviour can be dangerous - a 500kg animal in meltdown is not fun to deal with - but that doesnโt make them a โdangerous horse.โ It means compounded and chronic stress has tipped them over the edge and without understanding, the horse ends up paying the bill for our lack of understanding.
Thatโs what we unpacked in our recent webinar New Home Syndrome in Off-the-Track Horses: What It Is, Why It Happens & How to Help" - and the feedback said it all:
โญ โSo fascinating.โ
โญ โReassuring, this is exactly whatโs happening with my new horse.โ
โญ โI wish I knew this before.โ
โญ โYou always open my eyes to so much I didn't know.โ
The replay is now available ๐ฅ along with a bonus presentation on Horsemanship Mastery and the Pareto Principle. Basically, how to skip the endless waffle and focus on the small set of skills that are incredibly effective.
And because lifeโs short, you donโt have to sit in silence watching a replay. Grab it for your next car trip to work or while picking poo out of the paddock ๐ฉ and listen along. ๐ง
Link in the comments โค