Cute, little... and a bully!

[Carmen]

View media item 2797Hello!

First of all, saying I am new at horse ownership and I think I am being lucky for now, being able to handle my 5 rescued minis...

But they all have different personalities and there is one mare who gives me the hardest time of all

Here is all I know about her: Nothing.

Weeks ago, I went to the Kill Pen where I am taking out my babies. I went to pick up a mare (one that happened to be a stallion) and there was a big group of horses and donkeys.
Among them, there were two minis, very scared, and one of them was clearly a foal.
I asked the owner how much did he want for the filly and as I only had room for 2 horses in my trailer, I took the filly with me.
There were no papers, nothing.
That night she kept calling her mom. So next morning I asked the kill pen owner about the mom and he said she was scheduled to be loaded in the truck taking them to slaughter that afternoon.
I was hoping I could have some more time because I didn't have any money left.

I managed to get the whole bail amount and went back there to get the mare.
They were sick, and malnourished. The filly was so weak she barely walked around, spent most of the day laying and sleeping.
Same with the mare.

We managed to heal them and the filly is slowly recovering.
But OMG the mare is a bully... I thought she was just being protective of her baby but now she bullies her own daughter once in a while.

This doesn't happen at feeding time only, happens all day long. She doesn't want any animals around her.
The only horse she likes (a LOT) is the stallion. But she still bites him if I feed them together.

She is SWEET with people. OMG I love her by pieces. She is halter broke and lets me brush, pet and love her.
But she is horrible with other horses no matter my attempts to put some order.
She has learned to respect other horses in my presence but as soon as I leave, she chases my other minis.

Anything I can do? Is this really bad?

When I took her and her baby, the idea was to rehome her or the baby. Looks like Rosita, the mare, will be rehomed first once she gets her feet done and the vet comes back to make sure she is healthy enough already.
Is this something that I should correct?

Another question, is she a mini or a Shetland? She is very small, about 30 inches. Fuzzy, cute... love her!

 

[Ryan Johnson]

Some "Horses" in general just do not get along with others. Once they begin to interact with each other, the pecking order is usually decided. Its really good that this mare is being respectful whilst you are around. Unfortunately there is not much you can do apart from separate them , whilst you are not there.

Mares can be extremely protective of their foals. Some mares actually turn into flame breathing dragons How old is the Filly ? You dont want to wean the filly until she is healthy enough, especially with what she has been through of late.

If she is loving the stallion (ALOT) I would make sure the two of them are separate or you could just be adding another one to your collection

 

[Marsha Cassada]

You are new to horse ownership. First rule is keep stallions and mares separated. The reason you got these horses is because someone disrespected life dynamics and allowed the mares and stallions together. This caused too many horses and you see the result.
Once you've had them long enough to see which ones work best with you and are healthy, then you are thinking rightly to rehome. Good for you!
I once heard a very silly woman bemoan her stallions breeding yearling fillies: "Why did God allow that?" It's because you have them all trapped in a single pen, silly woman! And she was too parsimonious to have those inferior stallions gelded. That's why she ended up with 40+ little horses that she couldn't care for. (My sister and I purchased (!) 6 of them, including a stallion, and I turned her in to the sheriff, but I have refused to go back there. It was too upsetting.)
Good luck with your herd. Have fun with them! Keep us posted.

 

[Carmen]

Thank you both for your answers, I do really appreciate any advice!

First rule is keep stallions and mares separated.

I know, Marsha... problem here is, when I bought this beautiful stallion he was supposed to be a mare, because I still don't have appropriate buildings for them and I didn't want to get any stallions because of that. Working on it though, and probably gelding the stallion as soon as I can.
I had the mare and filly isolated because they were ill when I took them, but had to put them inside a shed and build a provisional enclosure.

Oh dear if I told you the reasons why people leave these minis at the Kill Pen or sell them at auctions not giving a damn about what happens to them later... not just over breeding.
Lucky poor creatures that don't breed as much as dogs and cats which are the pets I have been rescuing all of my life.

You did good by reporting that woman. If she was at least responsible and cared for them...

I have had all my babies checked by a vet, specially because the mare and the filly were sick. I will have to ask their ages next time the vet comes over.
But it looks to me that the mare is already weaning her baby...

I was concerned about her behavior in case it was something I should correct. OMG she is the cutest miniature horse ever! Can't believe how sweet she is when I am around them and how much of a little fluffy devil she becomes as soon as I get inside.

They spend the day out if weather allows, so her bullying turns into nothing as soon as they get a few steps away from her.
If any horse seems to be having fun or munching on something yummy, there goes Rosita to shoo them and take over.

 

[goatkisses]

It's still early days yet. Gelding the stallion as soon as possible will help with the herd dynamics and as Marsha said, not add to your herd. When I add any mini to my little gang (after quarantine) I find that it takes at least three months for everyone to settle. My little mare Sarah especially does not like newcomers.

Rosita sounds like a real character!

 

[Ourcozycoop]

This is how our mini mare was after foaling. She became very pushy and dominate. She didn’t even like the other horses at the fence line near her. She was not this way prior too. I def. think it’s a protection thing. Ensuring everyone in the herd knows to back off she means business. She calmed after weening. But it took some time. I mean after all we get pretty hormonal ourselves when pregnant and after giving birth. I don’t blame them really. Not to mention lord knows what she’s been through prior to coming to you. I also noticed she wanted no part of our Willow. Before, during or after anything. She simply didn’t like her. Good luck and good job!!