horse bullying

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poppie28

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my mare is in a sand paddock with a shelter with another mare but she has begun to bully the other. Poppie has always been in charge and would push the other mare around but she has recently started to kick, bite and make the other poor cobs life a living hell (who is too soft to stand up for herself) :( . poppie wont let the other mare get any hay or water and i feel horrible but she panics if shes by herself and gets very stressed. even if she can see the other mare but cant reach her she prances and tries to get to her and when she does she treats her horribly. my mare will clear any electric fence in her way. i dont want the other mare to get hurt, what can i do?
 
How big is the paddock? Could you make sure the hay is split up in different areas, so both horses can access it? Is there a reason they don't have any grass?

Ultimately though, if I owned the other mare I would want her out of there asap! Your mare sounds like she might do better in a herd environment. Some horses don't do well in a pair, either because they get too attached to the other horse or they bully them constantly as there is nothing to distract them, or both, which sounds like the case here! What happens if the other horse is taken out to be ridden etc?
 
You absolutely MUST separate them. I have known horses kill other horses by inflicting fatal kicks leading to the injured horse being PTS. I have also heard of horses actually killing another horse by repeated kicking. Please get that poor cob out of there!
 
You must separate them and make arrangements for better fencing .
I have had one mare who did not like another break the others leg ,not nice and I knew she disliked the other mare they where in a seven acre field with other I felt terrible .
The other poor horse I can't imagine what it's owner is thinking allowing this to continue .
 
It sounds like resource guarding. If there isn't enough food the dominant horse won't allow others to get it. Do numerous piles of hay a good distance apart and add more water buckets. If she's just running the other mare ragged for the hell of it, definitely separate.
 
Thanks for all the replies. They're not out at grass as they are very both good doers and get fat even looking at it and can be fizzy. The owner of the other mare understands that 'horses are horses' but i know I wouldn't be too happy. Currently feeding hay in a few piles and there are 4 buckets refilled daily (sometimes twice). My mare will just have to suck it up and be by herself until she appreciates her buddy and is nice to her. I dont think i could ever forgive myself if anything happened to the cob. Thanks guys x
 
poppie28 said:
Thanks for all the replies. They're not out at grass as they are very both good doers and get fat even looking at it and can be fizzy. The owner of the other mare understands that 'horses are horses' but i know I wouldn't be too happy. Currently feeding hay in a few piles and there are 4 buckets refilled daily (sometimes twice). My mare will just have to suck it up and be by herself until she appreciates her buddy and is nice to her. I dont think i could ever forgive myself if anything happened to the cob. Thanks guys x
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I guess your mare is fed up with having no grass, just because they are good doers there is no reason to totally remove them from all grass, unless they are because of a real risk of laminitis and even then totally removing from grass is normally only short term until meds stabilise the situation, being fizzy to ride is no excuse in my view you can restrict the grass and ride them more.

A track system on limited grass, strip grazing, turnout for less time, more exercise are all options that can work for fatties, your pony may settle on her own but her attitude suggests she is a very unhappy horse that would benefit from more time out with a group ideally, if the yard you are at does not offer alternatives to the sand paddock it may be worth looking for somewhere else where the grazing can be restricted but she will have company.
 
be positive said:
I guess your mare is fed up with having no grass, just because they are good doers there is no reason to totally remove them from all grass, unless they are because of a real risk of laminitis and even then totally removing from grass is normally only short term until meds stabilise the situation, being fizzy to ride is no excuse in my view you can restrict the grass and ride them more.

A track system on limited grass, strip grazing, turnout for less time, more exercise are all options that can work for fatties, your pony may settle on her own but her attitude suggests she is a very unhappy horse that would benefit from more time out with a group ideally, if the yard you are at does not offer alternatives to the sand paddock it may be worth looking for somewhere else where the grazing can be restricted but she will have company.
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All great advice. Once looked after a horse who hardly ever went out, everything rationed and he kept gaining weight. Eventually the decision was made to turn out at night with small herd and he quickly became the slimmest version of himself that anyone had seen. Obviously he was moving around a lot more because of the acreage, land was hilly and he was more content.

Recently visited people who had small acreage, not a blade of grass or indeed anything edible in sight. It was wet and windy and the two ponies weren't happy. In fact it was dangerous to be in the paddock with them: one rushed over and appeared to be looking for titbits though the owner said is never fed them, when the other pony also came over to double barrel the first one who was still standing close to the group of people. Luckily the fleeing first pony and the kicking second pony managed to miss us all. I wasn't there much more the 30 minutes and in that time the second pony went for the first one three times more. They were cold, wet and hungry - oh and bored. And unsafe to be near.
 
I would think many horses would end up being aggressive if they were only ever turned out on sand it's quite a miserable existence, I think you need to re think your management and get them out on some grass even good doers can be managed if the grass is restricted, as some else has said maybe I use a track system or grazing muzzle.
 
Muzzle them both and turn out on grass. My friends highland is out with my TB, he is a very very good doer. Previously he was kept in a starvation paddock and he hated it and became bolshy and argumentative. Much as he dislikes his muzzle it means he can meander round and eat grass all the time with my TB who can eat what he wants. He is far slimmer than he has ever been, far healthier and to be honest a far far happier horse.
 
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