I have 2 miniature horses thet cannot seem to get along and I was wondering if anyone has a miracle cure for this situation. I originally had one miniture that I had for 7 to 8 years and he is very easy going and when I acquired the 2nd one everything was fine for the first 6 months and then all of a sudden, all they do is fight. The newest one loves him and follows him everywhere and I do mean everywhere to the point that I think he finally just snapped because he wanted some space! I first noticed they began fighting at feeding time which I know can be normal. They can see me coming with a bucket and they would turn their butts to each other and begin kicking before I even got into the corral. I separated them and began feeding them in separate pins but as soon as they finished eating and got turned back out in the pasture they would have a go at each other. They can graze side-by-side in the pasture for an hour or sometimes all day and then out of nowhere one or the other will start a fight. Is there any way to ease this behavior?
Minis that cant get along
- Thread starter awi720
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Hi, welcome to the forum! What sexes are these horses? Is one a stallion? What could be going on is they are establishing anew who is top dog. The one following the original horse is possibly not loving the other one but showing domination. I have had my mare herd's dynamics change as time went on and the dominate horse was demoted down by another horse for example and not because of a new arrival but because of younger ones becoming more mature. I know it is not fun watching them back into each other kicking, and if it is happening every day they have not worked out which one 'won'. I have had minis for 33 years, watching this happen. Usually when it is decided, calmness returns, thankfully.
When training green horses a trainer's trick is while in the round pen to consistently walk to where the horse is standing and take its place, moving them away fromr that spot, repeating this over and over, this shows domination without ever touching the horse. Possibly your newest horse is doing this. I am no expert, I learn something new every day with these guys, but only my humble opinion.
When training green horses a trainer's trick is while in the round pen to consistently walk to where the horse is standing and take its place, moving them away fromr that spot, repeating this over and over, this shows domination without ever touching the horse. Possibly your newest horse is doing this. I am no expert, I learn something new every day with these guys, but only my humble opinion.
They are both gelded males. Thank you for your answer, that sounds like what is going on here. I have been trying to keep them separated in different areas, which is not what I wanted! I guess maybe I have been doing the wrong thing. Sounds like I need to put them together and let them "work it out". Keeping them separate has hindered them establishing who is king! It is hard watching them kick and bite each other and get all marked up. Hopefully they can work it out quickly! Thank you again for replying to my question and giving me some guidance.
plaid mare
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Welcome to the forum! Your first answer from Madmax is sound advice. Good luck, and let us know what happens.
Hoping that your guys will end up living peacefully together! As an after note, mares usually do not use their teeth, mainly that kicking backwards to each other, and the males like to add their teeth when fighting - I am not happy with bite marks and the welts, so I know how you must feel. You may be on to something when separating them for a bit to calm the situation down, so let us know if it gets out of hand quickly. MY horses are accustomed to me using my voice to control them and if they are being naughty my calling out loudly "hey!" they stop to see why usually low voice mom is shouting, they know I am boss mare. lol
I agree about the domination thing. It is so interesting that horses usually make no noise but use their bodies to communicate. People are vocal, so it is sometimes hard for us to recognize herd dynamics.
I have a gelding whose been with me for nearly 20 years. Other horses come and go but he is my keeper. It really bothers me when new ones start bossing him around. He was always the boss but as he ages, he doesn't want to bother so much. But he still tries to put up a fight for top dog. Watching the two get into a squealing, kicking fight is not pretty. I've had to turn the water hose on them. They will appear to just be standing calmly, then suddenly chaos!!
The dominant horses left me because I was not a strong enough boss mare to manage them, so we were not a good fit. Now I have a young mare who is not dominant and all is calm.
I have a gelding whose been with me for nearly 20 years. Other horses come and go but he is my keeper. It really bothers me when new ones start bossing him around. He was always the boss but as he ages, he doesn't want to bother so much. But he still tries to put up a fight for top dog. Watching the two get into a squealing, kicking fight is not pretty. I've had to turn the water hose on them. They will appear to just be standing calmly, then suddenly chaos!!
The dominant horses left me because I was not a strong enough boss mare to manage them, so we were not a good fit. Now I have a young mare who is not dominant and all is calm.
I would consider putting a fence up between the 2 and realize they may never get along. I don't think it is normal for horses to fight at feeding time. Mine don't. I have a group of 3 mares, a group of 4 geldings and a group of 6 other mares. My 2 stallions are in runs seperate but the cattle or Belgian Draft Horses come up to the end of the runs for company. There is an empty run between them. My 2 rescue Thoughbreds are together in their own group.
Tony
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If you put a fence between them, rest assured, they will NEVER get along. We run our stallions together during the non breeding season and they do fine. Some determine to be dominant and the rest accept it after a few days. When we put them in breeding pastures with their own mares, they challenge each other over the fence, even though they were scratching each others backs the day before we separated them with their mares.
Willow Flats
Well-Known Member
Tony,
Nice picture. Good looking herd!
Nice picture. Good looking herd!
Thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions! I have put them back together and so far I've only seen 2 very short battles! They were peacefully grazing in the pasture and out of nowhere, it was on! Kicking and squealing! My original mini landed a couple solid kicks and the new one quickly turned his butt around to him and walked backward at him as he walked away. He followed him probably 4 or 5 yards, then he went back to eating like nothing ever happened! I'm not sure what starts the wars, but it's not always sparked by hearing the food bucket coming!
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