Dangerous rig? attacking my horses

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Rhino156

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theres this (what i think is) a rig in the field at my yard and when my gelding and my mare are put in the field with it, it attacks them and to a point where it is really worrying. (i think it may be something to do with my gelding being close with my mare)

they was out for 20 miniutes and and my gelding came in with wounds and kicks and they both was sweated up and stressed out.

i honestly think he would do some serious damage to my horse if they are left out overnight with him at the moment they are in a seperate field but have to be put back into the herd at the end of the week to let the fields rest. im absolutley dreading it because i know it isnt going to go well because its hard to get them out once there all fighting

i had a word with the owner and she said she cant seperate the horse because it will just trash the fence to get back in with the herd. any advice taken as i have no idea what to do as i like the yard and dont want to move
 
is it another livery who owns the possible rig or the yard owner? if it's the former then the YO should insist the horse is tested? If it is found to be a genuine rig then he needs to be treated as you would a stallion as in not turn out with the rest of the herd for the safety and prevention of possible pregnancy which the YO could be liable for. Rigs can actually be worse than the average stallion. We had one at our yard which when turned out would attack other horses hanging off of their withers by his teeth. Needless to say he was removed from the situation and only turned out on his own in the round pens. Not ideal but the only possible solution that could be offered until he was operated on and the hormones settled to a point he could be safely turned out with others. If he is a false rig is there no possibility of separating mares from geldings at your yard? Do your 2 horses have to be turned out together? Could it just be that the suspected rig just can't go out with mares? Again we have a horse just like that at the yard. Mares and geldings are now kept separated during the spring and summer and this works well.
 
spike123 said:
is it another livery who owns the possible rig or the yard owner? if it's the former then the YO should insist the horse is tested? If it is found to be a genuine rig then he needs to be treated as you would a stallion as in not turn out with the rest of the herd for the safety and prevention of possible pregnancy which the YO could be liable for. Rigs can actually be worse than the average stallion. We had one at our yard which when turned out would attack other horses hanging off of their withers by his teeth. Needless to say he was removed from the situation and only turned out on his own in the round pens. Not ideal but the only possible solution that could be offered until he was operated on and the hormones settled to a point he could be safely turned out with others. If he is a false rig is there no possibility of separating mares from geldings at your yard? Do your 2 horses have to be turned out together? Could it just be that the suspected rig just can't go out with mares? Again we have a horse just like that at the yard. Mares and geldings are now kept separated during the spring and summer and this works well.
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It is not the yard owners horse its someone on the yard. and because its a small yard theres not enough fields for horses to be seperated. and i dont know if its a proper rig (but apparently he isnt and he doesnt have a third testicle) but he acts worse than a stallion because i know horses kick and things like that but he will run after my two horses and corner them and wont let up. and all the mares and geldings get on fine apart from that one seems to have a problem with my gelding because he is protective over my mare. it has even tried getting over the fence to my horses. i think i heard he had been cut late and thats reason he is the way he is.
 
going to be a little difficult to do without upsetting your YO but I do think you need to remind them that they have a duty of care to all horses and that they are legally responsible for the horses in their care. If your horse and this riggy gelding don't get on is there no way they could be turned out into different fields long term in order to separate them. Not all horses get along with each other but in all honesty if you get no joy there then I'd seriously consider your options regarding moving and make that clear to the YO. You never know it may be the kick up the bum they need to do something. If they don't seem to care then I'd move as if they have that little thought for your horses safety then I'd rather keep my horse elsewhere.
 
I have a pony gelding that is like the one on your yard, he cannot be turned out with a mare and a gelding, either or is fine but not both otherwise he will attack the other gelding, even a much bigger horse and really mean it, he tried to put one through a gate.

I have no problems, my pony, my yard so can keep them as I need but in your situation if the YO will not do anything to avoid the possibility of a serious incident I would find some where else to go, as you own two it may be that the threat of losing two liveries makes the YO take some action rather than lose you but if not it is not worth the risk to your horse to stay however nice the yard is in other ways.
 
spike123 said:
going to be a little difficult to do without upsetting your YO but I do think you need to remind them that they have a duty of care to all horses and that they are legally responsible for the horses in their care. If your horse and this riggy gelding don't get on is there no way they could be turned out into different fields long term in order to separate them. Not all horses get along with each other but in all honesty if you get no joy there then I'd seriously consider your options regarding moving and make that clear to the YO. You never know it may be the kick up the bum they need to do something. If they don't seem to care then I'd move as if they have that little thought for your horses safety then I'd rather keep my horse elsewhere.
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yeah i think we are going to say that we are concindering moving and hopefully it might do something. no one else is happy about this rig as it occasionally attacks there horses too but it has something shocking for my two. i am really reluctant to put them in the field with it at the end of the week and someone says that its a terrortorial thing so they have suggested to put that horse in last so it knows it isnt the boss of the field. but i dont think it is as it has already tried to get into there field and dont want to risk it this time as we have tried twice. anyway thanks for all your help i am going to talk to the owner and just say how it is. :)
 
For your own horses safety the horse needs to be on his own, speak to your YO. Are the horses out 24 hours a day there are ways round it. My old 17.2 behaved like a stallion he wasn't and nor was he a rig but he seriously kicked another mare. He was seperated into the next paddock but jumped back into main field. He was then put onto overnight TO but the yard did not do 24 hour TO so this worked for him.
My boys behaviour in the field improved when his handling issues and ridden issues improved and he eventually went back to the main field with no further issues
 
You say the owner could seperate it from the main herd but it would trash the fence to get back. I assume this means you could also seperate your two. Even if it means buying some electric fence I would do so. Leave the rig in with the main herd. I know it will still be a problem to others but sometimes you just have to look after your own.

Good luck.
 
Having had my much loved mare put down with a shattered hock after she was cornered in the field by a nasty gelding I can only say please don't do it. How long do the fields have to be rested for? Can't yours go in during the day and the vicious horse at night or something? If my horse was aggressive I would be mortified, the owner sounds really unconcerned.
 
Obviously you can't turn these horses out together, so you're going to need to find an alternative.

If the YO won't help - move.
 
As an owner of a horse who has horse-aggression problems (she's a mare, but that doesn't stop her from trying to beat the ***** out of other horses when she's turned out with them), it's my responsibility to communicate with yard owners about her issues and also, to make sure I keep her at yards with facilities for separate turn-out. Not all of them do, so we don't go to the ones that don't.

Does the owner of this gelding know he's aggressive?
 
my cob gelding was like this and couldnt be near other horses cos he would beat the crap out of them and i put him on agnus castus (rig calm) he is now stabled next to a mare and has been turned out with one (when he broke the fence to get to grass and took absolutely no notice of the mares in the field) its been nothing short of miraculous!
 
I think most people accept that even in the most settled and happy group occasionally accidents will happen and God knows that's bad enough, but this is something much different, I agree with everyone else, ask the YO to remedy the situation or look for a new yard.
 
As a YO I would be removing the troublemaker, either from the field, or from the property. I have a horse like this, it is highly inconvenient, he takes up a paddock that could have 3 horses in it, I lose income because of him, the only reason I put up with him is because his owner has multiple horses with me.

It isn't a comfortable situation for anyone, YO, horse owner or 'victim' owners, you need to sit down to work out a solution if you want to stay.

Is it only your horses that are involved?

Do not under any circumstances put your horses back out with this horse, you have been lucky so far with relatively minor injuries, next time it could be fatal. I would be issuing an ultimatum "that horse goes or I do" and I would already be looking for another yard.
 
How long have the horses been together? Is this a new thing (either yours or the other gelding new to the yard?) or has it been going on for a while?

My daughter recently got a new gelding and when introduced to my gelding would try to beat the **** out of him. It was especially worse if there were mares in adjoining paddocks. We separated the two geldings, put the new one on Rigcalm (on vets advice) and had blood test done to determine if the new boy was a rig or not.

Bloods came back negative so we were resigned to having to keep them separate, but after a few months my cob decided that he wanted to be with the new boy (he kept running and threatening to jump dividing fence, wouldn't eat..) so we re-introduced them and they have been fine since. We have since taken the new one off of the Rigcalm without any problems.
 
I had a word with the yard owner today and basically it's down to people being unhappy with them having a paddock to themselves. So Im not putting them out. I just won't risk it. Not just because someone isn't happy. So yes I am looking at new yards sadly but the horses come first for me
 
And yeah I don't think Anyone is too happy about it but they sent too bothered proberly because it doesn't bother there horses as much as it does mine
 
A pony with 'riggy' tendencies was turned out with my girl. He was trying to cover her, with great determination! Plus, he ran her up and down the field.

I refused to turn her out in that field until something was done, both for the horse's safety, and mine. It's no fun trying to catch and lead a mare when a wound up rig-type gelding is trying to do his thing.
 
It makes no difference if it's a rig, a gelding, a stallion or even a mare, it's dangerous and is going to do damage. If the YO can't see that, then they don't deserve your custom. Take them somewhere where they can enjoy their turnout in peace!
 
Just read your update Rhino, that really stinks that people can be so petty they'd worry more that someone had their own field rather than considering the safety of all the horses (if ihave that right)
 
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