Help! Horrific accident in field + behaviour change

[siant2]

Late last night I got a call from the YO as my horse had her hind leg stuck in a metal gate :-( She was face down in mud and they had to lift the gate off its hinges to set her free.

She was very lucky and managed to escape with what appears minor swellings and scrapes but she was in shock (shaking and heavy breathing) so the vet had to come out.

For the last couple of years she has lived quite happily in the field with one other horse (my friends chestnut mare). My horse has always been a dominant mare and it has always been her telling the chestnut mare to move out the way by using her ears and sometimes her rear legs!

Whilst my horse was on the floor last night trying to get herself free the chestnut mare was lunging at her as though she really wanted to get at her - quite violently. I just put it down to perhaps a protective response as there was lots of people trying to free my horse from the gate.

They then spent the night in their stables as my horse was too sore to go out. Although this evening we popped them out in the school together and it was all very strange. The chestnut mare was standing with her ears back swishing her tail from side to side continously watched her for about 10 mins- she didnt go for my mare but I was concerned as I have never seen her do that before.

Whats going on with them? Hormones? Just a blip? Now im worried as I dont know how my horse ended up with her foot in the gate. It appears to me that the chestnut mare is trying to push the boundaries and as my horse is feeling sorry for herself she is not up for a fight????

They are back in their stables now but I will watch them together tomorrow and see how they are. Any advise???

 

[Devonshire dumpling]

I would imagine it is simply survival of the fittest! The bullied could become dominant when the dominant mare was weak? They will sort their heirachy out again I am sure! X

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

Or it could be that your horse's behaviour during the time it was stuck was alien to the other horse and she is reacting against her as a result.

Either way I think you are wise to tread cautiously when reintroducing them initiallly....maybe the worm has turned!

 

[ladyt25]

No idea but I would suggest the other mare did see it as survival of the fittest and how your mare was was seen as a threat to the herd survival as it were. I only say this as when ou old horse was hopping lame a couple of years ago, all the others seemed to just attack him - even the normally pretty chilled out suibmissive horse, it was bizarre. Once he was sound they were fine.

Mind you, my pony has decided since last saturday that my horse (who he's shared a field with for 17 years) is enemy number one and he is insisting on keeping himself between the lower ranking horses and my horse and attacks my horse should he get too close! It's bizarre. As a result, vicious pony has ended up on the receiving end of nasty kick to his leg which he's beenvery sore on and it blew up hugely. I couldn't box rest him though as, how he's been he will go ballistic if kept away from his herd!! Stoopid horses!!!

 

[milliepops]

I would imagine it is simply survival of the fittest! The bullied could become dominant when the dominant mare was weak?

I've seen some other horses do this - the dominant one got stuck in the fence and was attacked by another who was usually further down the pecking order Hope they settle down again soon, that must have been horrible for you.

 

[Clava]

Horses will attack a weaker horse if they are frightened or threaten by it, my very old pony suffered a heart attack in the field and before I could get to him two youngsters who had been his best friends started attacking him. We sometimes forget they are horses and not with human emotions.

 

[Littlelegs]

I'd say its herd/ survival instinct too. The strongest has to be in charge for the whole herds benefit, & the chestnut has sensed yours is not currently the strongest.
With regards to the lunging at the gate, I have heard stories that sometimes they can turn on an injured horse to keep it from slowing down the herd/ attracting predators, but my own experience has always been the opposite.
I'd just keep an eye on them for now & hopefully it will settle when your mares herself again. And glad it was relatively minor, hope she's better soon.

 

[smiggy]

Not sure re behaviour but I lost one of mine to a similar field accident. I worked out, from his injuries and the damage to the gate, that he had probably gone down to roll by the gate, turned over and rolled into the gate.
May be the case here?
Our gates now all have plywood on bottom 3ft, makes them bloody heavy but I worry less.nsaid horse having lived in same field for ten years!

 

[Enfys]

Glad to hear that your horse is (relatively) OK and hope that she makes a swift recovery.

I agree with what has been said about dominance issues and attacking, survival of the fittest and all that. I had three colts in a field, one of them was gelded so away from the others for a couple of days, when he was moving OK he went back in, the others completely ostracised him, didn't want anything to do with him. Maybe because he had been away (although not out of sight) or smelled differently? Who knows?

I am also glad to hear that the gate could be removed from the hinges, this is the reason I don't reverse hinges - so that a gate can be lifted off immediately should the need arise, and it has before now.