Gelding totally obsessed by mare.....

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keeperscottage

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One of our geldings, a 17.1hh TB ex-pointer is (as subject heading) totally obsessed by one of our mares, a 16.2hh TB ex-pointer, to the point (no pun intended!) where he is bordering on "psycho"!

In a nutshell.....

Bought him five years ago (saw him race, he never got beyond two miles, owned by friend who had "gifted" the aforementioned mare to my daughter) and he was a total "pussy cat" - I, in my advancing years :D, happily hacked him out; he'd canter alongside another horse on a loose rein - he was a complete doddle to ride! He was a complete dream!

However, at this time, aforementioned mare (Lizzie) was sent off to stud. The following year, when she had her foal, she was in a field about a quarter of a mile away (all this time, our gelding, Jimmy, was well behaved). The year after that, Jimmy's hoof quality was so bad that farrier suggested we turn him away without shoes, so he was unridden. Brought back into work and he wasn't quite right. so more time off.

Basically, he's now fine and should be back in work but he's been a complete nightmare because he loves Lizzie so much he doesn't want to leave her. You have to drag him out of the field to get him away from her, and then, tacked up, he just spins in the direction of the field to get back to her. On a hack, he's great until my daughter turns for home when he becomes a complete psychopath!

He follows Lizzie around the field (she's the dominant mare!) like a schoolboy with a crush on a prefect! When she's not in the field, he waits by the gate calling for her. Sounds all very sweet, but it's not!

Next week, I'm taking on my own livery yard. Having complete control of our grazing etc, we intend grazing the pair of them in separate fields (which wasn't an option at our current yard) and stable them in boxes out of site of one another.......but is this enough? Will Jimmy try to break out of his new field to get to Lizzie? I cannot describe how bad this problem is! Lizzie is fine away from Jimmy, but Jimmy is literally dangerous to ride away from Lizzie and, as many Forum members will know, my daughter is a long-term osteosarcoma survivor (adolescent bone cancer) and cannot afford to fall off and break (again!) her titanium implant. We'd hapily put him on loan (we wouldn't sell him) to a competent rider away from our yard, but we are too responsible to let him go in his current manner!

Any ideas, PLEASE!!!!???? This a serious problem - we're not "namby-pamby" wimp riders - I cannot describe how bad this problem is! Psycho horse!
 
My chestnut gelding is totally smitten with my grey. She couldn't give two hoots about him. If I take her out of the field without him (so he's still with the other two mares), he acts as if his whole world has fallen apart without her. Silly twit.

When my chestnut mare was sound, I walked her out with him (leaving the grey behind) and this worked much better than taking him out on his own. So, could you hack with someone else (especially if their horse is very calm)?
 
Sorry to hear you are having such a nightmare.

Have 2 experiences of this type of problem (although not quite so extreme). With the first situation I had to put the gelding in a field with stallion height electric fencing. Take the mare away for 10 mins, then 15...bla..bla..bla. It is a total nightmare, you have my sympathy....but the only thing that worked was to keep repeating until he could accept she comes back...I know this is a different way around...but maybe you could try that? If stabled then it goes without saying to have a weave bar or something up so he cannot jump out.

Second situation, the yard helped me, 2 mares, 1 used to go mental when out of site. They kept changing the routine, they were stabled where they could see each other but not next door. Each day we did different things, time apart until the one that was attached calmed down...it has worked.

Hope you can sort it...will be easier when you are in your own yard.
 
Oh god, me too!! but I suspect if I had the option to split them up then he would get over it.... although I did hear of one gelding pining so bad he starved himself!
Do you know of anyone who would have him on a separate yard, so he cant see, smell or hear her, just to see if he'd improve? though I suspect once they got back together then it would be back to the same as he is now.
Men eh??? good luck xx
 
We had this, its a serious problem!

only serious solution - Treat it like an overley zealous foal and mother - Separation for 3 weeks at 3 or more miles.

Then never let them speak again!

I have been there - and feel your pain!!
 
Just read Parkers answer, its basically the same as what I had to do with my kids when they had their 'separation anxiety' phase.... leave and come back, for different lengths of time, it worked for the kids so worth a try, I'm going to have a go with my pair of love birds too!!
 
You could also try a calmer, my daughters very stressy mare is on Klop, she bonds with other horses like superglue, she is now rideable again
My lad got overexcited at our new mare, he got Stroppy Mare for a while till she settled in, worked wonders
 
Happy Hunter (which is what our Lizzie is - a happy hunter!) - hoping that keeping them apart will help - so long as Jimmy doesn't break out of his new field to get to her! This is a real problem because his behaviour is dangerous and my daughter cannot afford to damage herself. I used to ride him and he was so good - now he is like a thing possessed! Think he needs to be away from Lizzie completely but we cannot loan him with a clear conscience. We would never sell him, but there are so many uncomplicated horses on the loan market at the moment there's no chance for us finding him a good loan home, which leaves him as an expensive, young, healthy field ornament! :eek:
 
Are there just the two of them together? That really won't help matters. Many horses will become inseparatable when there's just two of them.

Try spliting them up (so they can't see or hear each other) and make sure them have. different friends to help them forget about it. Putting them alone will just make it worse, should they ever need to live together again.
 
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