Can anyone explain this weird behaviour?

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Patterdale

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Really weird herd behaviour!

I have three geldings and a mare. The mare is not mareish in the slightest, and the geldings are all generally chilled. They are a settled herd and have been together for years, except for one gelding who joined us a year ago. He is very chilled and a good egg. We’ll call him the 128.
Other youngsters come and go periodically and they have always been generally welcoming.

We had another mare until April. She was the dominant one and bossed everyone. Since she has left, the three boys are leaving the remaining mare out and being quite mean to her at times. Generally they all rub along ok, but she is not allowed to food unless many piles etc etc.

A few weeks ago I had put the 128 and the mare in a paddock together and heard squealing, went out and he was mounting her. I took him out for the night, never noticed anything like it again.

Last week we got a new pony. I introduced him to all the geldings, all fine. Put the mare in, and all pandemonium broke loose.
The three geldings worked as a team to prevent him getting anywhere near her. They actually attacked him, and even when I managed to catch him they were still going for him. All previously nice horses.

I took him out and put him with the mare in another field. Then due to logistics had to put him back with the others so put the 128 in with the mare.
Everyone happy.

Then tonight just now I was putting dogs to bed and I heard squealing. The 128 was mounting the mare again! Repeatedly - she was squealing but wasn’t trying to get away. I put the hose on them on the end which damped their spirits. It’s 11pm and I can’t start moving wound up horses in the dark on my own with all my kids in bed asleep.

What could be causing all this? The 128 has never acted riggish in his life apart from this. The mare has never acted mareish ever.

Would appreciate any ideas please!
 
It sounds like the mare you had until April controlled everything while she was there, and the geldings fell into line, including the 128.

With the farewell of boss mare, the 3 geldings decided they were boss, and unmareish mare was the lowest ranking. She had to be reminded of this whenever they saw fit.

Then, the 128 and the unmareish mare are segregated. 'It's just you and me.' 'Ok.' (I'm just thinking out loud here.) Patterdale comes out and confiscates the 128. End of that.

A new pony comes -- a gelding. The 3 other geldings have a fit. 'Hands off that mare. She might be plain, but you can't touch her. She's ours. Well, she's mine. Not theirs,' says the 128.

Patterdale runs out of the house and puts new pony gelding and the unmareish mare into a seperate field. Realises that's not workable (for whatever reason) and switches the new pony gelding for the 128, new pony gelding goes back in the field with the other (2) geldings.

All quiet on the western front.

Squealing in hushed voices. Patterdale hears nothing until she puts the dogs to bed, then, with pricked ears, hears and sees the shenanagans going on. Both parties seem to be in cahoots - the unmareish mare and the 128. (I guess they were in cahoots.)

I don't know that I think it's strange. Top ranking mare left and the 128 took the reins.
 
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