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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
   
Location: North Dakota | At my barn, there are 2 40 acre pastures. One for mares, one for geldings. I put Cash out in the gelding pasture just under 2 weeks ago. I know there's an adjustment period, getting the pecking order established, but my baby is getting beat up. Every day he has new nasty bite marks. On his back, right by where the cinch goes, on his legs, rump, neck. It's bad. I haven't been able to ride him for a few days because of where these nasty bites are.
And today, when I went to put him back in the pasture, all the other horses were right up near the gate. When I opened the gate, he froze. I had to DRAG him in. I took his halter off and he was clinging to me until he got scared off by the mini that doesn't even reach his hocks! I really like that he has all this space to graze on, but I'm considering putting him back in a run for his own safety. I just don't know. What would you fine people do?
Edited by cavyrunsbarrels 2014-08-20 1:29 AM
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 Ditch the Stirrups
Posts: 5369
Location: Sorrow Not! Defending against workplace bullies | I would put him by himself. I always wonder why people let their horses get beat up...and he really could get seriously hurt. |
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 Expert
Posts: 4121
Location: SE Louisiana | How many are out there? Is it an even or an odd number? |
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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
Location: North Dakota | komet. - 2014-08-20 1:45 AM How many are out there? Is it an even or an odd number?
A lot. That's how many. |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | It shouldn't take that long to establish pecking order. It sounds to me like he's a lover and won't stand up for himself and there are some bullies in the pasture taking advantage of that (these are most likely NOT the herd leaders, but wannabes). I would put him by himself.
I've got a filly like that. She loves everyone and everything and I've never seen her pin her ears, much less bite or kick. I don't have any bullies except my gelding that gets rank at feeding time--she just stays out of his way when they're coming in to eat. My 4 year old gets bitten or kicked fairly often, but she's a PIA that way. She has a hematoma on her belly right now from piffing off the 26 year old...I don't know what she said to him, but I've never seen him that mad. LOL |
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 Expert
Posts: 2457
| Pull him up by himself. My good mare is like this too ... she gets pushed around and bullied if out with more than just one other horse. She just doesn't fight back, for whatever reason. |
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 I Chore in Chucks
Posts: 2882
Location: MD | can you ride the boss horse and pony the horse that's getting beat up from him? My baby Tonka was so terrified of being put out in the pasture with the other horses without me with a lunge whip out there to chase them away from him to eat without harassment. I finally got sick of looking at him hanging out in the back 40 just to get away from them and put him in the round pen that is in the pasture, there was still fighting.
Then, I started ponying him off of the horses that were causing the trouble. I don't know if me laying into them when they were starting to act mean to Tonka, or the time forced together helped them get over it. Now Tonka has his "big brother" to protect him always and nobody else can say one bad word to Tonka without the boss settling it his way! He was the one that was meanest to him.
Since you have a lot, is there one horse that is kind of quiet and lower on the totem pole that you can turn just those two out in a pen together? |
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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
Location: North Dakota | Crowned Image - 2014-08-20 8:47 AM can you ride the boss horse and pony the horse that's getting beat up from him? My baby Tonka was so terrified of being put out in the pasture with the other horses without me with a lunge whip out there to chase them away from him to eat without harassment. I finally got sick of looking at him hanging out in the back 40 just to get away from them and put him in the round pen that is in the pasture, there was still fighting. Then, I started ponying him off of the horses that were causing the trouble. I don't know if me laying into them when they were starting to act mean to Tonka, or the time forced together helped them get over it. Now Tonka has his "big brother" to protect him always and nobody else can say one bad word to Tonka without the boss settling it his way! He was the one that was meanest to him. Since you have a lot, is there one horse that is kind of quiet and lower on the totem pole that you can turn just those two out in a pen together?
I have never thought of that before! Unfortunately it won't work in this case because I don't own any of the horses in that field, most of them are half wild anyway. My other horses are kept in runs or another huge pasture that's away from the main place. I haven't been able to pinpoint one bully either. He's afraid of the little ankle biter mini, I saw him get chased by some other horse, and the other day my sister was standing by him, and this roan came up out of nowhere and took a chunk out of him! |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | I would stall him, or put him in a larger pen by himself befor he gets ran threw a fence.
Befor you bought him did he run with other horses? |
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I Chore in Chucks
Posts: 2882
Location: MD | cavyrunsbarrels - 2014-08-20 12:14 PM
Crowned Image - 2014-08-20 8:47 AM can you ride the boss horse and pony the horse that's getting beat up from him? My baby Tonka was so terrified of being put out in the pasture with the other horses without me with a lunge whip out there to chase them away from him to eat without harassment. I finally got sick of looking at him hanging out in the back 40 just to get away from them and put him in the round pen that is in the pasture, there was still fighting. Then, I started ponying him off of the horses that were causing the trouble. I don't know if me laying into them when they were starting to act mean to Tonka, or the time forced together helped them get over it. Now Tonka has his "big brother" to protect him always and nobody else can say one bad word to Tonka without the boss settling it his way! He was the one that was meanest to him. Since you have a lot, is there one horse that is kind of quiet and lower on the totem pole that you can turn just those two out in a pen together?
I have never thought of that before! Unfortunately it won't work in this case because I don't own any of the horses in that field, most of them are half wild anyway. My other horses are kept in runs or another huge pasture that's away from the main place. I haven't been able to pinpoint one bully either. He's afraid of the little ankle biter mini, I saw him get chased by some other horse, and the other day my sister was standing by him, and this roan came up out of nowhere and took a chunk out of him!
poor guy :( i hope things get better for him! I hate those horses that just keep picking on the new guy. :( |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 507
Location: Lost in the corn of Iowa. | Put him by himself. I have a mare that was about half starved when I got her because she was bullied by the other horses. They wouldn't let her eat and just ran the piff out of her all the time. Now it's just her and another mare. The other mare is queen bee and she just stays out of her way for the most part. |
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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
Location: North Dakota | Southtxponygirl - 2014-08-20 11:35 AM I would stall him, or put him in a larger pen by himself befor he gets ran threw a fence.
Befor you bought him did he run with other horses? The runs are maybe 24x12ft, give or take. There will be an opening in one of them soon, and when that happens I'm moving him in there. He was kept in a little sand lot when I got him, by himself. The only other horses there were 4 huge belgians though.
Edited by cavyrunsbarrels 2014-08-20 5:01 PM
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | cavyrunsbarrels - 2014-08-20 4:58 PM Southtxponygirl - 2014-08-20 11:35 AM I would stall him, or put him in a larger pen by himself befor he gets ran threw a fence.
Befor you bought him did he run with other horses? The runs are maybe 24x12ft, give or take. There will be an opening in one of them soon, and when that happens I'm moving him in there. He was kept in a little sand lot when I got him, by himself. The only other horses there were 4 huge belgians though.
Glad to heard that you will get his own place. 
Edited by Southtxponygirl 2014-08-20 5:14 PM
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Blessed 
Location: Here | I agree I had a gelding like this and he was great being alone |
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 Own It and Move On
Location: The edge of no where | Some horses are just bullies. I don't like turning out more than a few together, I know they run in herds...but I'm more concerned with keeping mine sound. I would turn him out with 1-2 horses that weren't so mean and I would hang out and watch. I own 2 that are just mean.. one is now 26, I got him off the track when he was 3. He used to be awful about sneaking up on horses and beating the snot out of them. He's mellowed a bit, but still doesn't need a reason to lay into one. 24x12 isn't much of a run, can you put him out on a few acres so that he can at least move around?
Edited by MS2011 2014-08-21 9:54 AM
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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
Location: North Dakota | MS2011 - 2014-08-21 9:52 AM Some horses are just bullies. I don't like turning out more than a few together, I know they run in herds...but I'm more concerned with keeping mine sound. I would turn him out with 1-2 horses that weren't so mean and I would hang out and watch. I own 2 that are just mean.. one is now 26, I got him off the track when he was 3. He used to be awful about sneaking up on horses and beating the snot out of them. He's mellowed a bit, but still doesn't need a reason to lay into one. 24x12 isn't much of a run, can you put him out on a few acres so that he can at least move around?
I wish! Unfortunately at the barn the only smaller pastures are rented out and nobody can use them. So that I can get him out of the pasture now, he's going to get a run that's a little bigger, about 2 or 3 times the size of the other runs, but he has to share with another horse that's supposed to be pretty quiet and timid, so hopefully they'll get along. I hate to keep him in such a small space, but I try to compensate by hand grazing him daily and turning him out in the HUGE outdoor (the one in my profile pic) to roll and stretch his legs. |
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