How close is too close? How fierce is too fierce?

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Tickles

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Question from turning out yesterday... Field in an L-shape. Mainly a big squareish rectangle but with a long (200-300m?) thin rectangle off it, just a bit wider than a gate. The entrance to the field is at the end of the thin part of the L. (Hope that makes sense!)

Horsey lives out in herd with the others on DIY. Yesterday one of the loved-by-geldings mares (the other wasn't in the field), my gelding's gelding friend and a nosy (and v tall!) 2yr old all crowded round the gate when I brought horsey back. Left non-horsey OH holding horsey outside whilst I popped into field to try to get them to move back. As soon as I got one of them to move down another of the overly-friendly so-and-sos kept sneaking back past to the gate (with jumping whip in one hand and arms outstretched I couldn't block the whole width).

So, erm, to (finally!) get to the point...

- how far back should I get them to move before bringing horsey in (only managed about 1-2 horse lengths yesterday)?
- how do I get three to move at once (whilst potentially holding my boy)? The mare wears a grazing muzzle and did let me lead her by it but the others are 'naked'/rugged only.
- if you were another livery would you be more annoyed at me chasing your horsey (2yr old espec. is v curious & sometimes canters over when I go into field, doesn't understand you don't want to play)?
- or possibly having it wander out into the yard to greet mine/cause mischief or get in a scuffle as horsey goes past?
 
I suspect that the other owners have exactly the same problems as you do, so, in their place I wouldn't have any objections to my horse/s being moved back.

Better they get scooted back a bit than loose on the yard or road.

If the entrance to the gate is narrow, perhaps you can section a bit off, so that you have a sort of pen between the rest of the field and the gate, that way you can get the horse you need in there first without having the others crowd the actual gate.
 
I sometimes have this problems with particular fields......I find twirling a lead rope and shouting moves them on safely....better to get them shifted out of your way, you dont want an excitbale stampede!

I dont mind other liveries doing this to my horses at all, especially to my young one who is a bit of a gate barger- he needs to learn. As long as he's not hit in the face though....but bottom or shoulder is fine by me.
 
Have a similar problem with my field. I tend to push the gate open carefully while telling them to s*d off
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with waving of arms if necessary. As they are all youngsters in that field it tends to work but have had to resort to twirling a lead rope once or twice
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Agreed a pen is the perfect way to solve this, and we found it also stopped the gateway getting so muddy in bad weather. We used a few electric fence posts and some tape, did the trick.
You may still get them gather round the pen, but at least if one sneaks past its not out onto the yard.
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Ooh, the pen sounds like a great idea. Am new to keeping horses out in herds/on this yard/to this horsey so will ask around the other liveries to see what they think re sectioning off a bit. Electric already there for the main fence so might be easy enough to extend... :-)

Will try the extra lead rope for now though - should make me a lot bigger & more 'go away' looking :-)

Thanks guys!
 
I have the same problem and a bottom of the pecking order boy who is scared to go past some of the horses (he's fine in the field just scared of three of them at the gate. I lead him with a lunge line (sometimes I can't get close enough to the others if he's just on a leadrope as he's worried about going too close to them) and flick the others with the end on the shoulder or bum, it normally does the trick. Failing that I rattle the gate loudly as one in particular hates it but my boy doesn't care!
 
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