Gelding being chased from the herd?

Swift00

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Hi, i moved my gelding to a new yard on saturday, he's in an 8 acre pasture with 3 mares and 1 other gelding.
On saturday when i turned up there was only the 3 mares there as other gelding was at pony club for the weekend.
Swift unfortunately had to go straight out into the herd, this all went fine they said hello a touch of squealing then they went off and grazed together.
I bought Swift onto the yard on Sunday, all seemed fine at this point, the other gelding turned up making a hell of a racket, as i was grooming Swift, anyway i went out for a ride and come back and turned him out, the field is on a slope so you can't see all of it, and Swift was a bit confused as to were everyone was, neighing etc, but i left him to work it out.
I came down sunday evening to find Swift near the herd but not close, he came galloping over, i popped his headcollar on and the gelding came charging at us! i managed to shoo him by swinging my rope, and took Swift to the yard, when i turned him back out, he really didn't want to leave me, and soon enough the other gelding is back to chasing him around again, wouldn't leave him be till he was a long way off.
Since this i have mainly found Swift at the other end of the field, although he was closer this evening, but he's definitely not welcome.
I can't put him in another field, i've spoken to YO who says to see how it goes as it's only early days (4 days today) but i feel awful turning him out knowing if he gets to close he will be chased.
Sorry that it's become long, so far swift hasn't been hurt, but i'm obviously worried that he might, especially since the field is on such a steep bank as well:(
Has anyone else had this problem? did it settle down with time? or is it a hopeless cause? thanks in advance
 
TBH, thats no time at all. We leave ours in a separate paddock for a month minimum before we introduce to any of the horses (can see over the fence). Then we introduce one at a time to the newbie, starting with the lowest ranking horses in the herd. There are always some fireworks when we introduce them to all of the horses, but this minimises it as much as possible, we have a very established herd though, with an incredibly bossy lead pony (the smallest of the bunch!).

I'm always a bit shocked when horses are introduced to a herd straightaway tbh :o
 
Hmmm, not convinced on chucking them out straight away - unless the existing horses are known to be reliably accepting of new comers.
However to put a 2nd Gelding in with a bunch of mares is a recipe for disaster.
My mums horse gets very riggy (hes not a rig, but the best way to describe him) and gets overly protective of my shetland. He's a biter and lashes with front feet - even when theyve been grazed next to each other for weeks.
Introducing horses is always a risk, but a common sense approach should always be applied, and i'm sorry but your yard owner isn't applying it with that approach.
If this is your only option, just make sure your horse is suited and booted for some protection.
I'm sure they'll sort themselves eventually, but to be honest you'd be better putting the two geldings together on their own, and re-introduce the mares at a later date.
When we removed my shetland, the two horses could be together, but just kept a healthy distance for a few days, but without the fighting - and it was fighting which in my opinion is not worth the risk.
I wish you all my best wishes that it all settles soon
 
Markie was in the field next door to his current herd (2 mares and a gelding) all last summer, stabled next to one of the mares and regularly hacked out with them. He joined that herd in September but was a total outcast for ages. The 'boss' of the field is a big warmblood gelding who'd brrn there for 10 years and always in charge. it seemed that once he invited Markie to a mutual grooming session, he was fully accepted into the herd.
 
Lol - our boss pony has been in charge for 18 years now, he is very riggy and has a 'mob' to do his dirty work too :rolleyes: Getting new horses for us is something we don't do lightly! :eek:
 
Thanks for the replys, i too really dislike having to put him out with others straight ways, i really had no choice in the matter, i was greatful he was fine with the mares, and untill the other gelding turned up i didn't realise there was a gelding in the herd! At the last place he was next door to others for 6 weeks first. Swift is naturally very quiet and keeps himself to himself he always looks so hurt when other horses don't want to be nice:rolleyes: , i think it's quite a shock for both of us, i haven't experience this degree of chasing another before.
 
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