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I would normally not come on here about my horse's problems, but I'm a bit confessed about this... So... to start off this long forum... I would normally mix my geldings and mares together, but I started to slowly try and get one of my new gelding to join them. He is a 5 years old thoroughbred with grey black-ish coat. I've worked on him for nearly 3 weeks to help him to join in with the others. There are four mares and two other geldings. There ages range from 15 years old to 25 year old and over...
He has been struggling to mix with them and I left him in the field for about 4 hours yesterday with them. (Me and my family kept an eye on him now and then just in case.) He had a couple bite marks on his back and around his hind legs, but I knew that is only for sorting out the ranks of the herd, so I didn't think much of it.
Today was different though... I stayed out to watch the new gelding going in with the herd again and things changed completely... The two other geldings actually chased him off and the mares mostly bucked at him. Me and my Dad rushed out and quickly got the young gelding out and into his stall. He looked glad to be out of the field... (Within the 3 weeks I went from taking each horse to meet him at his stall door, then over a fence one by one and then the whole lot over a fence. And the last three days actually in the field with them.) My idea is what is happening is that the older horses doesn't trust the younger gelding... but I don't know... Ideas? |
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Usually when introducing to a mixed herd (after meeting over the fence and such) you would put the newcomer in alone with the lead horse for a week. And slowly add one more horse after every few days until eventually the whole herd is together.
What you are seeing is pretty normal herd behavior. And a lot of the reasons why most people tend to prefer to segregate mares/geldings. Even though they are gelded they STILL will take possession of mares and that can lead to more aggression when a new gelding appears.
It's going to be a rough road for your gelding but proper introductions can help. |
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Jellos Warmbloods said:
Usually when introducing to a mixed herd (after meeting over the fence and such) you would put the newcomer in alone with the lead horse for a week. And slowly add one more horse after every few days until eventually the whole herd is together.
What you are seeing is pretty normal herd behavior. And a lot of the reasons why most people tend to prefer to segregate mares/geldings. Even though they are gelded they STILL will take possession of mares and that can lead to more aggression when a new gelding appears.
It's going to be a rough road for your gelding but proper introductions can help.
Yeah tomorrow I might try and just put him with the leader of the herd, but he has a really short temper mostly because he is 27 years old thoroughbred.
I just thought that being in a mixed field with older horses would set off a lot of high attention. I have mixed many older and younger horses together before and it was really bad..
I do have a back up plan just in case this doesn't work out. My dad is picking up two more geldings later next week. There ages are closer to this young geldings, so it might be better to try with this herd and then if it doesn't work. My dad will have two more geldings for me to mix together with a herd. (I have two free small fields.)
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With any of mine, I just leave them. Give them a big field and plenty of space and let them be. Don't interfere unless they are literally running him through the fence. I have 3 geldings and a mare in one pasture, the lead horse(about 13yrs) absolutely HATED the youngest one (4 years). He ran him off and would never let him eat with the rest. But they figured out how to stay in the same pen together and they are fine. The lead will always run him off, but they can be together, just not close. I would just leave him and let them sort it out. But don't give them 4 hours, give them a few days. Check on him when you can but I'm sure they'll be fine. Let nature sort itself. Too much human intervention can sometimes have a negative affect. Edited at June 22, 2018 02:41 PM by Double Empire Ranch |
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Double Empire Ranch said:
With any of mine, I just leave them. Give them a big field and plenty of space and let them be. Don't interfere unless they are literally running him through the fence. I have 3 geldings and a mare in one pasture, the lead horse(about 13yrs) absolutely HATED the youngest one (4 years). He ran him off and would never let him eat with the rest. But they figured out how to stay in the same pen together and they are fine. The lead will always run him off, but they can be together, just not close. I would just leave him and let them sort it out. But don't give them 4 hours, give them a few days. Check on him when you can but I'm sure they'll be fine. Let nature sort itself. Too much human intervention can sometimes have a negative affect.
Thanks I will try give them a few days to sort things out, starting tomorrow so it's easier than putting them out at night together. I would normally not put them out at night because the weather over here is Britain can be a bit off and on. Thanks for your advice! ^-^ |
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How big is the pasture they are all in together? |
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Bristol Farms said:
How big is the pasture they are all in together?
If I remember correctly my dad said that the barn they were in is about 4 to 5 acres but they aren't in it all the time. Some of the stalls open into the field on the right side and most of the time I see them relaxing in their stalls.
Smaller fields are about 1 to 3 acres.
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Closing the stalls will help them not be able to corner the new kid in one of them. That can be very, very bad. Other than that, I agree with Jello on the method to introduction. |
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Bristol Farms said:
Closing the stalls will help them not be able to corner the new kid in one of them. That can be very, very bad. Other than that, I agree with Jello on the method to introduction.
Alright, Thanks for the advice! ^-^ |
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I had the same problem when I got my new gelding ( This was years ago ). We put him out with the others which included three horses we'd owned since birth ( A gelding his mother and his sister). Our gelding was very possessive over the mares and kept chasing the newbie away from them. We just let them settle it themselves. Just stick close to make sure he doesn't get cornered and make sure there's nothing in the pasture he can hurt him self on.
PS: after a few weeks the geldings where best buds XD |
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