How exactly can a horse be a bully?

i have a very 'dominant' gelding, he chases the others off from food and will occasionally chase the younger ones away for no apparent reason, do i class him a bully, yes because he will carry on his chasing even when the recipient of his attention has clearly submitted.
oddly enough my big mare was on loan to this geldings previous owner before i had them and it was the mare who was the dominant one in that herd! so although i know it is herd behaviour and the dynamics can change i still consider the boy a bully because he goes over and above on his dominating:rolleyes:
He possibly isn't well socialised in that he lived in the same field for the first 6 years of his life with a pretty static herd from what i can remember, he hasn't been on lots of yards or had to integrate into different herds so perhaps his over assertion comes from that:confused:
 
My gelding pined my new youngster gelding down by the neck crushing him against the fence, before my youngster jumping out of the field in terror! I'd say my geldings a bully, or very dominant over his two mares, that's for sure!
 
I'd class a 'bully' (thinking along the lines of older horses not boisterous youngsters) as those who harass targeted horses, and continuing to do so as they find it highly reinforcing.

If the behaviour was aimed at all horses within a herd I wouldn't see it as bullying... I normally call them wannabe 'alphas'...!

Linking it in with 'dominance' is quite difficult (that word is so misused infact I wont bother :o ). True bullying behaviour I've never seen from a leader of a herd.
 
fburton said:
In that case, I retract my scurrilous accusation. :D
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:D She is quite bossy, she'd like to be top mare really but it's not going to happen. :rolleyes:

I can remember when as a rising two year old she tried to barge past my chestnut mare. The chestnut (top mare) was so cross about this that she drove (ears back, head held low) the grey out of the herd. For about 10 mins she kept the grey away and then suddenly she stopped, went back to grazing and the grey was able to go back to the others.

It was very interesting to watch.
 
my mare has to have an extra lw rug over her normal rugs to protect them - she constantly has cuts and bites on her - she's a very submissive mare who will always share her food and never really gets annoyed with any other horse (having seen her in a few different herd situations)

the horse who is doing this to her on a daily basis is not what i'd regard as a bully - she's a neurotic dominent mare. she never threatens - she purely goes in for the maim/injure - not just a nip - my mare has had whole chunks out of her.

this field mate also gets very upset and panicy when i take my mare out for a hack - not again what i would call a bully

she also constantly herds my mare - will not let her eat if possible (two piles of hay have to be put out far enough apart so that the other mare cant control both) and she will often stop my mare from having a drink

god knows whats caused this mare to get like that but thank god i'm moving my poor girl soon - its rather embarrassing to be out competing with huge chunks out of her!
 
she's a very submissive mare who will always share her food
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This is an interesting point. For some reason the grey will sometimes let the chestnut gelding share her food. I've never understood it as the grey is not submissive in any way to the gelding and she is also uber greedy (greedier than the pony cob that I used to have on loan).
 
my mare jsut never really gets in a stress about anything - happy to share - dosent seem to mind being herded - walks away from confronation etc

i do think that the mare who does this to her has signs of having had a foal in the past (she's certianly been suckled from) so wonder if it died young or she had it weaned too early or somthing taht has caused her to be so dominent
 
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