Pasture buddies, NOT

[Trenna]

My mare and gelding have been getting along great in a pasture together since early August. I was out of town when my husband had to break up a kicking and squealing contest on the 14th.

When I purchased the mare I knew she was not happy being bred (which was not a problem for me) but now I'm wondering if my gelding thought it might be possible and that caused the disagreement.

I have never seen my mare show any type of heat cycle in the last year when pastured next to a gelding. How do I tell if she doesn't have any signs so I'll know when to not put them together

Thanks for any advice.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

It may be that she was in heat which makes some mares a bit testy but it could just be that after being together for a few weeks she felt he was stepping over the line and felt she needed to remind him she is boss horse. It isn't all that uncommon for horses to bicker over things (the best piece of grass or where they are going to stand etc.) and doesn't necessarily indicate a problem. How long did the disagreement go on, was there extreme chasing...? Some mares are hard to catch coming in to heat unless you know them very well. I would observe their interactions and see if they seem friendly most of the time. My boss mare just kicked her gelding buddy in the ribs with both feet tonight for crowding into her space when she wanted to be closest to the feed, 2 minutes later they were sharing a bit of hay. Still friends, he doesn't hold a grudge and will be more careful to respect her boundaries in future.

 

[Jill]

We have had geldings "breed" mares. Ones I personally saw gelded and was an extra set of hands for the vet during the procedure (so no chance of a retained testicle). I know geldings can get ideas and pursue those ideas. That may have been what happened, but they are also new to living with each other and setting up their relationship with each other. I think they will sort it out and the mare will basically let the gelding know she's the boss (at least, that's how it usually turns out -- the mares are even bosses of the stallions). Plus, the gelding won't have the same intense drive to "do that" as a stallion if that was how the disagreement began. He'll accept no means no a lot easier I think!

Additionally, I'm not sure geographically where you are located, but if it's coming up on fall, probably your mare will have a break in her cycle which should help things be calmer as the horses figure each other out.

Good luck!

 

[Trenna]

Thank you all. I think my gelding is the boss (at least originally) but the heat cycle might have made Emmy take charge.

I guess they were squealing and kicking at each other, my husband was who broke it up.

 

I think lots of times we think there is a problem, when there really isn't. Horses "show" each other who is dominant -- and it can sometimes sound and look awful -- but they are just doing what horses do, and it will seldom last long. I just watch to make sure it's just a dominance thing and don't interfere, unless there is tooth lashing and actual biting that opens a wound. Most times, it will sound terrible, but will be over in just a few minutes.

 

[shorthorsemom]

I have two geldings. Sometimes they go butt to butt and squeal and put on quite the show of pretending they are each the biggest macho guy.

One of my reasons that I sent my one gelding back to his former home last year was the "thought" that these two guys hated each other among other reasons I convinced myself that if they didn't get along, then one would be happy alone. wrong....

Once the one gelding was gone, the other was sad, he moped around and all my attention in the world didn't make up for his "hated buddy" being gone...

So, I got the other boy back... He stepped off the trailer and they were both yelling back and forth obviously thrilled to see each other.

I felt horrible for separating them and for thinking that my one horse would be ok with just goats for company.

The other funny thing is that I noticed.. is that the kicking and squealing has returned, and it doesn't result in damage and it does seem to be just something they do. Sometimes my one boy runs away and squeals even when he is not being chased and he gives me the "did you see that?" looking for sympathy even though he was the only one doing anything and my other boy was just eating hay.

I do not tolerate them giving each other "tude" in my presence, but when they are together, I do think it alleviates boredom and they enjoy pushing each others buttons.

Also, when in heat, many mares get crabby and many flag and flirt with geldings and then they fight.

Unless I see blood or damage or think that the aggressive behavior is dangerous I don't worry. I had more fights when my hay feeder was pushed up against the fence. Now that they can circle, no fights over hay. Same is true when I only had one entrance to my run in shed... If they can pin the other horse inside the shed, it got scary. Once I opened up a second door on my shed, so nobody could get pinned, if chased over hay, one pops out the door, goes around the front and back into the other door.

Also, with my layout, it really only works for 2 horses. When I had three, there were more fights and one was always being pushed out into the weather by the other two.

Hope this helps.