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Discussion on Introducing my horse to "friends"
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Tammy Taylor
| | Posted on Monday, Jun 26, 2000 - 3:27 pm: |   |
Hi,
I've been pondering this for awhile. I'm new to horse ownership, and really do not want to see my horse get hurt (not to mention, the vet bill). My horse, who seems to be recovering from EPM (YEAH!!!), gets really excited when other horses come into our arena. I think he wants to go out and play with the other horses, or is he being territorial? He was turned out with 2 other horses when I bought him. Although he can see and touch noses across the fence with a mare next door, I really think he wants some playmates. How would I go about introducing some friends? My brother in law who lives nearby has 3 horses that he brings over to the arena. One of the three, is of course, the dominant horse. My horse is a gelding and so is the dominant horse. Should I start with one of the older, lower horses on the totem pole? My horse has seen each of these horses come and go on several occasions. Another factor, my horse is current on all his shots, but these horses have yet to get their spring shots. One more thing, these other horses will only be coming over for a couple of hours a week, is it even worth it? Would it put more stress on him to do this now, since he may have EPM?
Although I am happy with the way things are now, my horse gets so much energy and comes "alive" when other horses are around. Everything I've read says that a herd situation is ideal. The only problem is, these would only be visits and not a permanent thing. Any ideas or insight would be appreciated. Thanks. |
Linda Antipala
| | Posted on Tuesday, Jun 27, 2000 - 2:19 pm: | |
Aloha Tammy - I've been following your posts, starting with "Is He Lazy?" and really glad to hear your boy is doing better. If you are happy with the way things are, having your horse by himself, then I don't think there's a need to invite "playmates" over. We recently had two visiting mares come to our pasture (to get ready for a big community parade where we need seven horses in the unit). The two visiting girls were paddocked off from our geldings; but my husband's "studly" gelding went nuts when one mare went into heat, got a mean bloody kick from one of the visitor (thru the fence!), and was too injured for the parade! It takes a while for horses to get acquainted, there's always that dominant thing going on. And I don't think they exactly "play". If they get along they'll just graze or hang-out near each other. If they don't get along it'll be kicking, squealing, biting, chasing. Also, you want your horse to focus on YOU, and not be distracted by other horses when you are around. My Arab gelding is obsessed with the two mares over the cross fence on our property. It's a struggle to keep his face away from their direction and concentrate on our arena work (the arena is on his side of the pasture!) I've even had people tell me to put him in a pasture away from the mares so he can bond to me better (not really possible, but that's how extreme it can be). Anyway, bottom line would be, in my humble opinon, for your own horse - that having the mare he can touch noses with is company enough! It is good to exposure your horse to new ones, mainly so they will not get hyper if you go on trail rides or events with plently of strangers there, but keep remembering that a horse under saddle needs to concentrate on the rider! PS: We made sure that the visiting horses were up to date on shots and worming. After this parade fiasco (my husband was heartsick he couldn't use his horse because of the kick), we have vowed to not have any more "visitors"! |
Tammy Taylor
| | Posted on Tuesday, Jun 27, 2000 - 4:02 pm: | |
Linda,
Thanks for the input.
I try to expose my horse to other horses away from home. I'll walk him over via lead rope and visit my brother in laws horses (them being in the corral & him in hand). He gets excited, but not to the point that I can not control him. He just goes on alert. On one occasion, he did try to strike another horse thru the corral with a fore leg. It's things like this that worry me about turning him out with another horse. I definately do not want my horse hurt, let alone feel responsible for someone elses.
I think what I will do, is wait for my husband to buy his own and go from there. My husband had no interest in owning a horse until I got one. He melted within a week. We are looking at a few on Wednesday.
Well Linda, I enjoy "talking" with you. You have been a great help and source of support throughout this whole ordeal with my horse. Before I started the medication, my horse would lie down a lot. In order to get up, he would "think" about it for awhile, then start rocking until he had the momentum to stand up. Once up, he'd nearly fall over. Now, he doesn't lie down nearly as much. When he is down, he just pops up. He is still a bit stiff after rising, but he is for the most part steady. I want to let you know that I think we are heading for a recovery. Thanks for everything. |
Cheryl Anderson
| | Posted on Tuesday, Jun 27, 2000 - 5:38 pm: | |
Hi Tammy,
Have you considered getting a donkey (miniature or full sized)or a retired horse looking for a good home? This might give your boy some company. I am sure others on this site would have some suggestions as to 'alternative animals' as well.. |
Tammy Taylor (Taylor)
| | Posted on Friday, Aug 4, 2000 - 3:05 am: | |
Hi all,
We recently brought an new friend home, a 19 yr old appendix quarter horse. He isn't very social, but appears to have good ground manners. He has lived with the same people all his life, so he must be feeling a little depressed. The problem isn't with him, but with my Arab.
Before we brought the "other guy" home, I was making great strides with my Arab. He was doing well when other horses came over to use the arena. All I had to do, is put a halter & lead on him, take him out of the corral & let him watch. Sometimes, we'd join the other horses in the arena & he appeared to have a good time. Since I am new at riding, I've been a little apprehensive about riding with other horses. I didn't want me or my Arab having distractions. I found out, my fears were ridiculous and both my horse & I enjoyed the company of others.
Now that I've brought a new horse home, things are beginning to change. We've slowly introduced them. First by sight, my horse in his corral & the old guy in the arena (he had to stay in the arena until his corral was ready). After a couple of days, both horses in halters & lead and we walked them around, then with fence between them, allowed them to touch noses. After a couple of days, we let them loose together. The first day went really well, no picking fights or displaying dominance from either horse. The second day, my Arab decided he was the boss. No one was hurt, it was pure intimidation. I thought that one finally chose who was going to be boss & that would be it. On the third day, my horse "forgot" his ground manners with me. He rushed the arena gate when leading him out of the corral (the old guy was already in there) and once in the arena (still on halter & lead) he reared up on me. I handled it, did some ground exercises with him to get his mind on me & then released him, where he proceeded to chase the old guy around. (It didn't help that the filly next door came into heat.)
We finally got his corral together and the old guy is right next to my Arab. The question I have is, how long does this go on? Will my Arab settle down, or am I going to have to go back to basics with the ground work? I've come a long way with him & I am baffled that a couple of days with another horse wiped everything out. I'm not really worried about the old guy because after watching them interact, it is just purely threats and intimidation. Nothing has come to blows between the two of them. I worried about me! (ha, ha!) |
Linda Antipala (Alika)
| | Posted on Friday, Aug 4, 2000 - 8:54 pm: | |
Hi Tammy! Believe it or not, I have the same situation with my 9 year old Arab gelding, named Alika. AND, he is pastured with a 19 year old quarter horse gelding (my husband's horse named Rusty). Nose touching (and mutual grooming) distance right across from them are two mares. All is usually mellow between the two "boys" (they rest side by side in the open shed, eat out of the same dish) until one of the mares goes into heat. Then the relationship becomes two wild stallions competing for the herd. Nothing drastic, but there's always a bite mark, a hoof kick print on somebody about once a month. We've had this situation for two years and it's livable. BUT, when friends come over to ride in our arena with their horse, my Alika can get "pyscho". It's happened twice - he tears across the arena, ears back, full attack mode at the visiting horse (with me on his back, my friend just trying to have a nice ride!) During these visits, he keeps looking over at the mare's pasture with high anxiety. I would welcome any suggestions on how to get him over this behaviour. When we're alone, with just the usual herd around, he's fine and dandy. He is so "other horse oriented", much more than I've ever seen in my experience. When we've gone on trail rides with a bigger group, he HAS to be right next or behind one of "his" mares. Any suggestions on making him less worried, excited and nutty around new horses would really be appreciated! |
Kathy Howitt (Akkay)
| | Posted on Friday, Aug 4, 2000 - 9:40 pm: | |
Hi All, I just bought a yearling miniature donkey
so my Icelandic horse would have a companion. I had to have my older horse Domino put to sleep on July 14...complications of Cushing's disease. I do not want my Icey to be alone. So far they are starting to accept each other, although the first couple of days were not looking promising. My Icey was quite agressive and would charge the fence ferociously. Now the two geldings will stand nose to nose at the fence, but I will be very cautious about putting them in together, or the 31" tall mini might get hurt. It will be interesting to see how well this pairing works over time. I've heard great things about donkey/horse friendships. Anyone else with this combination? Kay in AK |
Tammy Taylor (Taylor)
| | Posted on Saturday, Aug 5, 2000 - 3:42 am: | |
Hi Linda,
I feel as though I'm in good company! I rode the old guy tonight, which I believe crushed my Arab's feelings. When done, I decided to bring my Arab in the arena & lead him around a bit. He was a gentleman.
I'm waiting for the day when my horses will groom one another. Right now, I'm dealing with a lot of chasing around and intimidation, mostly on my Arab's part (which is funny, because where we bought him from, he was the low guy on the totem pole!). I believe they need to establish a pecking order, but I'm hoping that things will normalize after that.
My Arab only goes a bit "psycho" when everyone is in the arena & he is left in the corral. If I bring him out and lead him around where all the action is, he is more content. Since getting the new horse though, he seems upset a lot. They are corralled next to one another with a common wall. My Arab charged that common wall full force with ears back this afternoon. Tonight, when we turned them out together, they stayed on opposite sides of the arena. I'm not sure if that is good or bad, but at least no one got hurt.
Let me know if you get any answers, Linda. Until then, I'm going to do more ground work and spend some extra time with my Arab. I think he may settle down once he feels more secure with me. The only problem I'm having is that the Quarter Horse is such a nice ride!
Kathy,
I don't know anything about the donkey/horse combo, but good luck. I'm sure if a horse can find a goat as a friend, a donkey should be a piece of cake! Just take things slowly and watch them carefully. Even if they don't get turned out together, I think just knowing that there is another animal nearby is a comfort to the horse. |
Anna K. Hopkins (Anna)
| | Posted on Wednesday, Oct 18, 2000 - 4:48 pm: | |
I have a 12 year old appendix gelding pastrued with a 19 yr old quarter horse mare. They have been together for 10 mos. They seem to get along fine for a while then my guy will show up with scrapes from teeth or kicks. The mare has been lead horse around up to 4 other horses and my gelding used to be lead horse before I brought him here. I've been thinking of bringing in another horse - a semi-rretired gelding who is not used to being lead horse. Any one have any input on whether they tink this would help or hinder the 'herd' dynamics.
I'm fairly new at this and wonder what other people have experienced with 2 vs 3 to a herd.
Thanks
Anna |
Lynn Murphy (Pockets)
| | Posted on Wednesday, Oct 18, 2000 - 5:00 pm: | |
Anna: I have had all different combinations, brought together at all different times, and about the only thing that I can really say is...they manage to work it out for themselves 9 times out of 10. I have three geldings at the moment, the third of which was just introduced to the "herd". Although I think that my "alpha" male is my young (6 years old) Paint horse, the two other (older) geldings will NOT put up with any of his crap. The Paint seems to be dominant, but the other two will still kick at him or nip at him when he gets a little too bold! I was a little concerned at first putting the third horse with the other two, which has been together for several years, but after about 4 months now...things seem to be working out fine. There were a few "getting to know each other" issues at first, but nothing serious! Good Luck! |
Bonita (Bonita)
| | Posted on Wednesday, Oct 18, 2000 - 6:22 pm: | |
Anna - I would be very careful with your proposed introduction. While individual temperaments do play an important part with "buddies" - I have had and seen some very unfortunate injuries result from the "two geldings/one mare" combination.
Even though geldings, some become very possessive of "their girl" when another male is introduced - particularly when the little flirt is in season - and I've seen some pretty serious fights develop between horses that you would never believe were capable of it.
Again - maybe everyone will get along, but please make sure you have an alternative turnout arrangement available if things get messy.
Good luck, Bonnie |
Maggie Pigeon (Trot)
| | Posted on Wednesday, Oct 18, 2000 - 6:39 pm: | |
I have a friend that has several geldings, no mares,a cowboy, pick-up man at rodeos. He says you're asking for trouble if you have more then one gelding with more then one mare in a pasture together, old belief, but to him its all mares, or all geldings. It seems like the mares cause a big stink when they are in heat. We have several horses and plenty of acreage but I still pasture my dominant gelding separate from other geldings. We tried it once putting him with another younger gelding,just the two of them, and he almost ran him through the fence. Other then this bad habit he is very good minded. He just turns studly when he is turned out with any other mares along with geldings. I haul him lots so he is socialized with other horses he shows no interest, but his mares at home, different story! So he is by himself and quite content I might add, doesn't stress himself out worrying about his woman. You'd think he'd relax as we also stand a stud on our place...oh well what can I say... |
Linda Antipala (Alika)
| | Posted on Wednesday, Oct 18, 2000 - 9:07 pm: | |
After witnessing some scary gelding wars, we've also learned that two geldings with one mare can be trouble. There are three fenced-off separations to our 12 acres - gelding/mare each in two and gelding/2 mares in the third. Peaceful "most" of the time - however - when any one of the mares goes in heat, the geldings will hassle each other over the fence! In hindsight, would have been much wiser to allow a big "alley-way" between the cross fences. We are considering an electric top wire. Be careful and watch closely for a long, long time when introducing a new horse. We actually stayed most of the day when two new horses joined the gang recently. Was time well spent to ensure a good night's sleep! |
Anna K. Hopkins (Anna)
| | Posted on Wednesday, Nov 1, 2000 - 1:14 pm: | |
Thanks to everyone for your input. I have seen my gelding exhibit some possessivenes with the mare. I never thought of him being a problem with the new horse. Before I had the gelding I had a 12 year old mare that got a couple of pretty serious bites from the lead mare, but again the new mare was challenging her for herd dominance and ended up #2 in a group for 4 mares and one gelding. After reading all the comments I'm rethinking getting an older gelding. An older mare may be a better combination. I just want an older calm horse that I can put my non-rider husband or sister on for some short trail rides on our property. I'm hoping to give a deserving good retired horse a great home with lots of TLC. |
A.MANSFIELD (Florence)
| | Posted on Sunday, Jun 3, 2001 - 5:55 pm: | |
We have recently acquired seven mini shetlands. Three of them have been together for over a year and their ages range between 2.5 and 1 year old.
In an adjacent field we have two four year old mares with their 4 week old colts.
We have been told that they should all graze together happily but how and when please?
When she arrived the yearling bit us all the time. I don't think that she had been handled much and the previous owners relied heavily on tit bits for control. We have been working on this - no treats, watching her constantly and if she is about to bite firmly diverting the attack and telling her no. This has certainly improved things but she still needs watching and today I saw her aiming a kick at one of the foals through the fence. Again can anyone offer some advice please on this and is she suitable to run with very young foals at this stage in her life? |
Administration (Admin)
| | Posted on Monday, Jun 4, 2001 - 9:20 am: | |
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Administration |
Lisa Jones Raymond (Dogwood)
| | Posted on Saturday, Sep 8, 2001 - 8:26 pm: | |
Hi; I just started riding again after 20 years and have bought a beautiful (but needs some training) cremello palamino. We didn't want to immed. go out and buy another companion but we did want to have calfs on our farm. "Sherwood"now pastures with 6 baby calfs and he even grooms them. He will show his pecking order when the corn fodder is put down and he will chase them away. I take him into the stable so that they can eat in peace. He hangs with the calfs and seems to have made them his "group" until we can find a companion. I can't say it's made him less spooky or changed his reining problems but I know he must not be as lonely and perhaps a bit more secure in his pasture. Lisa |
Laura Mullane (Lauram)
| | Posted on Tuesday, Oct 2, 2001 - 11:16 am: | |
I, too, am having some "companion" issues. I just sold my 8 year old gelding and now have only a 20 year old mare. They lived in adjoining paddocks, and aside from some occassional fence kicking and squealing, they did okay. (But I did not put them together because my gelding would bully the mare.) When I sold our gelding, I started boarding my mare at a friend's place so she wouldn't be here alone. While she was turned out at pasture with some of my friend's horses (they're typically in stalls/paddocks and turned out for an hour or two each day), she got kicked really bad--bad enough to warrant an emergency trip to the vet and dozens of stitches on the backs of both her legs (thank God no tendons or bones were broken). My friend didn't see it happen, so she doesn't know who (gelding or mare) kicked her. Anyway, I want to bring her home and am searching for a companion horse. I've had several options, but am leaning towards a small gelding mule. I decided on a gelding because she seems to get along better with geldings than with other mares. But I'm also planning to buy another horse and worry that if I get a gelding, we'll have the 2 geldings/1 mare combination and will be in for trouble. My mare rarely goes into heat anymore (probably 3 times a year), but I'm wondering if it will cause problems. Thoughts??? Needless to say, I don't plan to let her share paddock space/pasture with any other horse we might get until I'm CERTAIN they will get along. This injury was just too devastating and too expensive. |
Penner
Member
Username: Penner
Post Number: 56
Registered: 8-2001
| | Posted on Monday, Nov 25, 2002 - 12:31 pm: | |
I had always heard about this mare/gelding issue, but didn't believe it, until we got our own place.
We had same problem, 4 geldings 1 mare. When she went into season, 2 geldings would try to fight over her.
The 1 gelding (an Arab), would also just pick on the old 3rd gelding (who never got involved), when the mare got in heat.
The mare was a friend's horse who was boarding here. He eventually moved to a different barn closer to home. Altho it was fun having our friend board here, I don't miss his mare. (Very big sigh of relief!!) |
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