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I got my gelding a week ago and boy is he nervous :( he gets really shaky everytime I put his halter on and lead him around, and then is really jumpy when the train goes by (I live near train tracks). I gave him some time to settle in... But then the rain came. And when it rains, it pours. So here I have a nervous, wet and miserable horse who does NOT like the shelter I built for him. Everytime I put him in his barn he shakes all over and then when I let him go, he gallops away. I have tried numerous times but each time I am unsuccessful. I've put hay in there, forcing him to eat, but he just runs away. I've tried luring him in with a snack which brought me some progress but I need to speed up the process because he could be getting really sick in the rain. Any suggestions?
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Horses get rained on and do just fine. Unless he is so thin that he can't spare the extra calories, I doubt you really have anything to be concerned about, in fact, he's pretty normal! It seems like the vast majority of horses will stand out in the rain rather than use a shelter humans have provided them. So long as he has plenty of hay to munch on, he'll keep warm enough unless you live somewhere where the temps are usually in the negative double digits, and even then most horses don't have a problem.

Is he your first horse? It's only been a week? Take a deep breath- you will both settle down with time. :)
 

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He may feel trapped in the barn or is sensitive to noise when inside. My barn has a metal roof that's pretty noisy in a hail storm. The horses, who go in at their option, scoot out the door and stand in the hail, butts to the wind. About all you can do is continue to place feed in there but do it in such as way that he can easily look out the doorway or opening. If it's raining and windy place his hay next to the sheltered side of the barn, outside. At least he's out of the wind. They prefer that they can keep an eye out for predators which can't be done when inside and they don't know if one is lurking around outside. During inclement weather a horse's senses are muddled by the weather which often makes them flightly - self preservation.
 

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Is he your only horse? He may be nervous because some horses do not like to be alone and feel calmer withna companion.
 

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Horses get rained on and do just fine. Unless he is so thin that he can't spare the extra calories, I doubt you really have anything to be concerned about, in fact, he's pretty normal! It seems like the vast majority of horses will stand out in the rain rather than use a shelter humans have provided them. So long as he has plenty of hay to munch on, he'll keep warm enough unless you live somewhere where the temps are usually in the negative double digits, and even then most horses don't have a problem.

Is he your first horse? It's only been a week? Take a deep breath- you will both settle down with time. :)
He is not my first horse, the only reason I became aware of the problem was because he shivers and does not like the rain. My property is split into two fields- they are connected with an opening of barbed wire. He does not like to go on the side the shelter is located, because of the train and road are closer. The grass is going to run out and snow is on it's way so I wanted him to be used to going into the shelter before then. It is not because he likes standing in the rain- he comes from a stable where he was inside and loved it- it is because he is scared and nervous.
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Feed him something more enticing then hay try feeding him with sweet feed. Put it in a place where he can still look around and get out easily if he needs to. Maybe put it fairly close to the entrance the first day where maybe he has to stick his head in there then each day move it back a little further. Until you can get his whole body in there just leave him be and show him where the food is. It may take him awhile to think about it but I bet he will go for it. I do something similar to trailer train my colts. I put their food for the night and show then its in there eventually hunger wins every time.
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some time it just take time put a blanket on him and that will help keep him warm
 

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Did you know it can take upwards of a year for horses to settle into new places? Give him time and food, he'll get used to his new digs and calm down.
 

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Put the hay where you want him to end up, which is the stall/shelter. Leave him a trail and let him figure it out.

You may be making this worse by trying to make him go in.

The more you fuss over this, the worse he will get.

Ignore him. I have never yet seen a dead horse from refusing to go in a stall and eat when good food and hay is available.
 

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Agree with others. You need to give him time to settle in this new place & a week is far from it, esp if he's got to get used to trains, being alone, being outside, a new & untrusted human.... sounds like a very stressful change for him. Giving him some 'rescue remedy' or such to help him could be a good idea too, so long as your giving it doesn't stress him more.

Agree that you're not helping him with either the environment or building trust in you if you try to force him into stuff he's frightened of. Horses also do tend to be less stressed - & happier & healthier - when part of a herd, so if getting another horse or pony is out of the question, a goat, sheep, cow or such should help him.

Horses generally cope fine with a bit of rain & cold, but if he is acclimatised to being kept in a cushy barn & it's midwinter or such, put a rug on him when the weather's bad.
 

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Yeah if it's possible a companion could really help. Around 10 years ago when I moved away from Tulsa pepper went from being with a bunch of horses at a barn to a 15 acre pasture by himself. And he was scared and had a hard time adjusting so we bought a mini mule and it made a huge difference. He just needed a friend :)
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