Aggression over winter

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Ant123

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My 2 horses - a 17.2 Irish Draught and a 13.3 Welsh Section C live out 24/7. They have always been quite friendly with each other but since the winter, my ID has started to be really quite dominant with the other. I sometimes feed them both in the field and totally understand the protection of their feed but the big boy has started to control the movement of the smaller one long after the feed bowls have gone. He puts his ears back and throws his head in his direction to shoo him out of the way- this is totally unlike him. They both feed at the hay round so I’m not concerned that my Welshie isn’t getting enough forage, but I’m keen to understand why my Irish draught has changed and whether it is weather dependant or something more behavioural. Does anyone also have any experience of dominance changing the behaviour of a horse over time. All views welcome

many thanks
 
When i have seen behavioural changes like this it has turned out to be either pain in the one that's being dominant or illness of some kind in the one being dominated. I've seen both, pain making a horse nasty and also rejection of ill horses by the herd.
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Oh that’s worrying- what sort of illness would cause this`/. my ID is fine being ridden as is the Welsh. they are the only 2 horses in the field
 
Ant123 said:
Oh that’s worrying- what sort of illness would cause this`/. my ID is fine being ridden as is the Welsh. they are the only 2 horses in the field
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One was trigeminal neuralgia, it was his only big symptom if you didn't know him. Very aggressive to the others. A wobbler was also aggressive with other horses. The rejected one was peculiar mentally. I had been gifted him without full disclosure, so he was PTS when his owner would not take him back. She said she always thought there was something going on. (I could have done with knowing that before taking him on! ).

I think any weakness can make a herd reject a horse, even just old age. And any pain can turn them aggressive.

I hope that it's just a temporary thing for your pair.
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Mine get narky when the grass is running out. I don't usually feed ad lib hay because we have a large acreage and as natives I want them to slim down over winter. The Fell is always food aggressive (she's borderline EMS, maybe she feels hunger more, I don't know). But when the Dales starts being grumpy I know to up the hay.

I do wonder if low protein levels in winter grass and meadow hay make them feel more hungry even if their bellies are technically full.
 
Protection over food, because that’s all they have to eat. Feed separately and spread the hay well around giving plenty of space between the piles. And several piles of hay, not just two.
 
Another who is coming to the conclusion that one of ours gets horrible if the grass runs out even though fed haylage in the field. We’ve also left him unclipped as being cold makes him “changry” (cold, hungry and angry)
 
Last week we had the the first rug destruction ( that’s Sky ) and he pulled off a hood from another horses rug .
He chased Frank into a fence destroyed the rug Frank came in the morning with a fencing rail hanging out the back of the rug and pushed through the neck nails and all .
Frank thankfully was unhurt .
This sort of thing is linked here with the grass running out especially if they are missing work .My horses are also on diets which does not help .

Sky has not been worked since I broke my collar bone he’s a horse who needs to be in work .
Luckily the fencer came on Friday we had been waiting for weeks to repair a fence in the quarry field .
They are now in there and it will last a month or three weeks .
Then I have a paddock for them to go to that has to last until mid May .

It’s always a juggling act when the horses where stabled at night the winter field they where in lasted all winter .
 
My initial thought was that it was probably linked to food and grass running out. Even though they both eat from the round of hay I'd be tempted to spread the hay out somehow so that they can both eat separately.
 
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