The trip was long. The horse will arrive tired and may be quite stressed if he is not used to travelling.

Some horses show it by becoming restless, temperamental, nervous or even aggressive.

Do not worry about these reactions, in 2 or 3 days you will see significant changes.

Make sure the horse does not have a fever when he arrives and is decaying normally. If not, contact a veterinarian.

Set up a routine as similar as possible to the one he had with his previous owner and introduce changes in his habits very gradually, even if you think these changes are for the best!

• If the horse was living in a box, leave it in a box for now, because that's where he will feel most secure.

• If you can, put him in a box where he only has one horse on one side and not one on each side.

• If he is a stallion, avoid putting him near a stall where there is a mare.

• If the horse lived in a paddock with other horses, put him in a nearby paddock, let him see them, but don't let him free with new horses.

• After a few hours in the box, you can take him out and give him a tour of his new facilities so that he can begin to familiarise himself with his surroundings. Use this time to brush him, clean his hooves, etc.

• If he tries to pass you when you take him out of the box, back him off.

• Talk to him a lot and in a friendly tone, but remember that you are in charge. If he does something inappropriate, use the word NO and a firm (but not aggressive) tone of voice.

• Don't start working him out until he's had at least 8 hours of rest.

You'll be eager to ride…but you should follow these few tips to ensure you both have a good experience.

• Don't ride him the first day, but do some lunging work with him when he's rested from the trip (you know, at least 8 hours). Slow lunging on the first day will help you get to know each other. If he is still a little tired, move him only at a walk.

• Use your voice and sounds to communicate with him. In Spain, we use the "frog" (mouth noise) to get him to move forward and the short whistle to ask him to stop. Try it when you're lunging to see if your horse recognizes it; if so, you can use it later when you're ridden on the horse.

• Don't let the horse rest longer than that, even if you read on the internet that the horse should be rested for a week before riding. Remember that he will probably have been out of work for more than 5 days. The sooner he returns to work, the easier it will be for you, especially if the horse is a stallion and used to regular work. Remember to avoid changing your habits as little as possible.

• Lunge the horse before riding, at least for the first few days. “Walk, trot, and canter” are words he'll recognize to change his gait if he already knows how to work on a lunge.

• If you don't have much experience, ask a professional to ride the horse before you for the first time.

• Put on your helmet, even if the horse seems very calm.

• Equip yourself with spurs and a riding crop if you know how to use them. If you are not very good with them, don't use them yet.

• Ride him in the arena / paddock or, if you don't have one, choose a place with boundaries, not an open field. There will be time to take him for a ride when you know each other better.

• The first few days you go up, take a lot of steps and a lot of gait transitions. It's not about doing a training session, but about getting to know each other.

• Do not do sessions longer than one hour at the beginning.

• Do not go outside with him until you know him perfectly in the arena.

• Don’t go out for a walk alone. The first few times you should go with another horse who already knows the stallion and is not afraid of anything. When you get to know his reactions to the unknown and unexpected events, and see that you can handle him, you can date him alone.

• If you have any difficulties when you start riding your new horse, seek professional help. It is important to solve even the smallest problem as soon as possible to prevent it from getting worse. If you don't have anyone around you who can help you, or if you can't solve the problem, ask someone to record you two in a video and send it to me, explaining what your difficulty is.

Most horses lose weight during travel. It is estimated that they can lose up to 0,55% of their body weight per hour of transport.

And studies show that horses traveling for more than 12 hours lose up to 5% of their body weight.

This is because they eat less food during the trip (they only eat hay) and lose more body fluids, becoming dehydrated as they urinate, excrete and sweat more due to the stress of being in a moving box.

But don't worry, because it will be restored in less than a week.

I always ask the seller to include a small bag of food from the one he is taking so that you can mix it with the one he is going to take home and make the change of diet easier.

• Gradually mix the food. You can start with a 3:1 ratio, adding a little more of your own product and a little less of the small bag each day.

• If the horse was not receiving dry feed, you will not receive this bag. To introduce food into his diet, do it little by little, starting with 1/2 liter and supplementing his diet with hay.

• If you plan to keep it in a meadow with grass, remember that you will also have to adapt him gradually. You will need to limit the time he will be in the paddock and gradually add time until you can leave him in the paddock all day, especially if the horse arrives in the spring.

• If your horse has to stay in the paddock, deworm him again after 2-3 weeks.

• You can give him treats (fruit, horse biscuits, a bit of bread…) but don't overdo it. Do NOT give sugar.

• If your horse begins to bite, immediately stop feeding him with your hand and correct him when he does. It is an unpleasant and dangerous habit that can turn into a vice. You can easily avoid this by leaving treats in the feeder.