How small is too small for turnout?

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Leary

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I am the owner of a very lovely yet very evil mare and although we did try and put her back in with the other mares, she just can't live in a herd. I watched her one day and she can't even bare them to graze, she just spends her time moving them on and threatening them with a kick, and she did hurt Bellaboo's mare so she has been taped off again for good this time. She is now in a very small area and she is pacing the fence alot of the time, apparently at night too as the caravanners in the field next door can't sleep
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. Just wondered if she is to confined to the space she has. There is no alternative where I am, but don't want to be cruel. Whats the smallest area you would give a 15hh horse for 24/7 turnout??
 
Are you sure she just doesn't like being turned out? I've met a few horses that due to their earlier life of being stabled they just never get to grips with being out in a field?
 
In summer, I don't think I'd want her on anything less than a manège sized paddock, so 20 x 40m.

What's she like with geldings? I know of a mare who was always better with geldings but hated being put in with other mares.
 
Find something that will be dominant over your mare - and put them out together.

It's what I had to do with my little mare - she learnt respect very quickly, and it made for a nice quite life when Amy was suddenly at the bottom of the pecking order.
 
I got a horse whisperer out last week and she said that Liri is an Alfa mare and would always be top dog. I wouldn't risk putting her in with anything more diminant as I Liri would never back down and I can't afford the risk tbh. She is very anti-social and doesn't like other horses company at all, although she is very good with my kids so can't fault her for that. Just don't want to be cruel by putting her in an area too small. I'm gonna measure it today. I think she likes turnout but she is such a bully.
 
small is fine, i happily turn out in a 15m x 15m, one of my tiny paddocks is this size.
if she's stressing because she wants to be out with the others, the size of her paddock makes no difference... she'd pace up the nearest fence to them even if she was in 20 acres.
i'd take her back shoes off (if she's shod) and put her in with one other barefoot horse. ideally older and bigger and not a wimp, if pos!
you're right not to risk the others with her any more... when i was a teenager a similar-sounding mare to yours was in a huge field with all the other livery horses. she'd actually look around and pick on something grazing happily, and gallop across the field to attack it. she broke a horse's skull and a horse's leg while i was there... i had to hold the latter to be shot. gutting.
 
kerilli, thank you for that, was soo worried about the size of the paddock. Unfortunately there isn't an older horse than her, she's 16 and they all have shoes apart from the very submissive horse that keeps getting hurt. She will have to stay on her own.
 
I wouldn't worry too much about the turnout being small. Many horses are stabled for long periods of time in an area of only 12ft X 12ft and no one bats an eyelid at that! I assume your turnout is bigger than that.
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Cant you get her a Goat to keep her company in a sectioned off part of the field you keep her in! they make good companions and take no cr@p as they have a hard head for butting!!
 
Wouldn't worry too much about size of paddock, my boy is almost of rehab now for a torn collateral ligament and fractured hock and hates being in so I made him a 5m by 5m to begin with, we are now upto 10m x 20m and I move it regularly so he has fresh grass.
 
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