Sorting it out

Hi I just got two horses. They have been absolutely fine until today when I went out and found that the older one had a bite mark on him. They haven't been trying to bite or kick each other and they are pretty good buddies are they still trying to sort it out? Its their 4th day here.

Yes, they are sorting things out. Were they together before you got them? Even if they were, the change of scenery can often prompt a re-sorting of the herd dynamic. A single bite mark is nothing to worry about.

Are you sure its a bite mark and not a scratch from the fence or a tree (or on stone while rolling)? My paint likes to scratch her butt on pine tree, my qh likes to scratch her head on feeder (usually in fly season), both get marks once in while because of that.

P.S. And yes, sometime it takes longer than just 4 days to get to know each other and establish the order.

I've found that horses generally will not "work it out," and first impressions and the first few minutes will in most cases set the overall tone for what you can expect whether they'll be good pasture mates.

Thanks they sorted it out. Very good buds now

There are lots of great books and articles on basic horse care, here is one example if you want to take a look:

Basic Horse Care Information

Some suggestions:

Feeding: please feed your horse by weight according to the horse's age, amount worked, and during Winter if you live in a colder climate, please provide additional feed - that provides added warmth. Consider purchasing or borrowing a scale to weigh feed so the horse is getting what he needs according to his ideal weight, otherwise you may under- or over-feed without realizing it.

Horses do best when their diets and routines are not changed drastically. Any changes in feed ideally need to be made gradually. Horses are large and powerful but in many ways are fragile.

Please provide a salt/trace mineral block, and water 24/7, and I hope you have adequate shelter so the horse has the option of getting out of the elements.

Regular hoof trims.

These are some of the very basic basics.

As for learning how to work with your horse, if you have no prior experience, I suggest finding someone with experience who has a soft hand and a good manner with horses, it's best to learn by real watching and doing. If you don't have a person like that available to learn from, and are off of books, videos, and so forth, please be careful - some trainers are great marketers but unfortunately that's about it.

They are such good buds now that I can't ride without him bolting back to the barn were his buddy is.

I would put a stop to that before something happens and you end up hurt.