Grazing mares and geldings together?

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tigger01

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Do you think this is a good idea? I know so many people who separate them and also people who say they have no problems when they're together. This is really following on from my post on my current livery yard closing and where to go/what to do? There's a really nice farm down the road which grazes mares and geldings in the same field (only 2 geldings an one mare) which has indoor school, lovely hacking and nice people. The grazing's my only worry. My mare is not confrontational, tends to keep herself to herself altho I wouldnt like to leave her in a field on her own.

Thoughts please!!!
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i've always grazed my mares and geldings together without a problem.

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Ditto; when we had more than one horse, they were always all in together. Never had a problem!
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I think, as with most things horsey, it depends on the animals involved.

At my last yard in the UK, the general policy was to graze mares and geldings seperatly. However, we had my mare and one other that ended up out in pairs with the second being a gelding.

In the case of my mare, she was out on her own (only mare on the yard for a while!) and her neighbouring gelding kept jumping in with her. They got along fine and everytime they'd put him back in his own field, he'd pop back over to go and graze with her
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They stayed out as a pair until he was sadly PTS
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The second case was a gelding who hated company... absolutly despised it and was extremely aggressive with other horses. He fell head over heels in love with a new mare that was in the neighbouring field. She was generally a darling anyway so they tried them together and it worked perfectly.

When i had mine on DIY they all went out together and were fine. I initially had some scufflings as they were setting the pecking order, but no real injuries and they settled fast. That was two girlies and 4 boys in together! I always had to bring them in in their pairs though
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and the lead marey had to come first or she'd create drama - but she was an absolute princess in that respect
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My mare is also out with a gelding with no problems. I will add though that she is No 1 in the pecking order. Friend in next field has her mare and gelding out together too. Everything else on the yard is in with its own sex.
 
I think it depends on the horses
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My retired chap, D lives with a mare and a filly quite happily. The mare is the boss and leaves my boy to discipline the filly.
Where-as my other horse, Monty cannot live near mares as he was cut late and he is very protective over them
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He can only live with a Shettie gelding as he is a big bully but seems to tolerate the Shetland
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I've had mares and gelding together, no problems.

There was an aticle in Your Horse mag a couple of months ago and it said it is actually better when mares and geldings go out together rather than sperately.
 
We used to have our mares in with some geldings, but this had to stop when the Appy nearly killed a gelding who was pestering her friend. She reared up and was measuring up to strike his head! Fortunately as she shifted back to line herself up she brushed the wall with her back leg and came down quite sensibly. As we didn't want her to injure anyone we seperated them. It isn't a problem for us now as we keep the current three mares at home.
 
My mare is currently in with two geldings. I agree that it depends on the horses though. The three together get on very well, no one is nasty, but she has been in a field with a different gelding and they didn't get along well - she was fine and got on with her own business but he took a dislike to her.
 
The only time I seperate my two is if she comes in season then they are are bit to in love and she will let him mount her.I do wonder if my horse is a bit of a rig as all the mares flirt with him.
 
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i've always grazed my mares and geldings together without a problem.

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Ditto.... they form a nicely stable group - you need a big enough field and 'escape areas' so something that's being bullied can go and hide behind a tree out of sight, but that applies to single sex groups as well

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Thank you to everyone who's replied. I really appreciate it. All the responses seem positive and I will now seriously be considering moving my mare. What do people think about introducing my one mare in with two geldings who are the small established herd?
 
it depends on the geldings personalities - I can put my mare in with any other geldngs at the stables but my own gleding cant go in with anything....

you will be breaking up the herd so dont rely on that....
 
Have been at my last two yards a total of 20 years and both have mixed herds, without a problem. We had one gelding come last year that has been a bit of a problem with mounting and rounding up mares, but he has settled for the moment, not sure what he's going to be like once Spring sets for good
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It depends on the mare - she's the trouble maker unless the gelding is a bit riggy.

I've known some mares that are absolute slappers and will practically rape a gelding when they are in season and try to kill any other mare that goes near the gelding.

My mare is currently turned out with our geldings as she is a very unmarey mare.
 
All the yards I have ketp my mare on are mixed fields apart from one, that was the only one that had any troubles!! The gelding all ran round like a bunch of school boys and the mares was contsantly having a go at each other. My mare ended up jumping in with the boys!!
 
We have always kept mares and geldings together with no problems, as have most of our friends and the two Riding Schools we have worked at and the Shire Stud hubby worked at. There is always potential for fall-outs though.
 
We have mares and geldings together. One of the geldings was a stallion and gelded at 8. The group has built up gradually and there's always been bickering when a new pony has been introduced. Once they sort out the pecking order everything is fine.

But, as someone mentioned above, it's important that they have a large field so they have their own space and escape routes.
 
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