Mares and Geldings in the field together ...Your views please ...

bites (like mud fever)


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Mine is happily out with a gelding and a mare. She is always at the bottom of the pecking order, and doesn't seem bothered by the other two at all. She used to be out with another mare but I had to ask that she was moved as the mare was exceptionally hormonal most of the time and kicked P several times. Think the mares owner took it personally, but hey ho - Id rather have a sound happy horse than be liked by the other liveries
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We run 5 mare and 2 (yearling) geldings, who are the sons of two of the mares. Happy to do this as they seem to have formed a settled herd. Not sure I would want to introduce a older unrelated gelding though.
 
At my current yard, mares and geldings are all kept separate. Occasionally one of them comes in with a kick or a bite, but on the whole they seem to get on ok. Apparently, the only time there were any problems is when one of the geldings escaped from his own field and jumped in with the mares, and the 'alpha' gave him a right hiding!
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My girl is out with four other mares, two of whom pair up and take themselves away from the others all the time. She is friends with the YO's mare, but also seems quite close to the aforementioned 'alpha'
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In the past, when we have had our own land and stables, mares and geldings have all been out together without mishap. If we were in that position again, I would have no qualms about putting mares and geldings in the same field.
 
Yes, I have always turned out mares and geldings together. Currently 3 geldings with one mare (who is completely in charge). I consider how the horses get on with each other, regardless of their sex, and always introduce new horses gradually.
 
Had my old girl (before she went to sleep and didn't wake up) living out with my gelding. The only time we had an issue was when she came into season and wouldn't leave him alone! Never a bite or kick though, she'd just squeal a lot and wave her bum in his face. Poor boy didn't know what she was after.
 
My boy is at a geldings only yard. There used to be mares there but now there's only the YO's old ex brood mare and she lives in a different paddock at the other side of the farm. She was with another old mare until she moved and is now with another oldie who had to be moved as he was getting bullied by one of the other boys.

When the mares were there they were in the same field at first but two of the geldings started fighting and there were roughly equal numbers of both so they split them into two herds - mares and geldings. By coincidence the mares then began moving, being sold or dying (a lot of them were very old, there was nothing sinster going on!) and new people wanting to come up all had geldings,so the YO decided to go go geldings only. She didn't throw the mares off but as they left they got replaced by geldings. Within 2 years all but one of them had gone.

I wasn't there when they were all in together, but definitely noticed fewer problems when the mares were completely gone. Some of the the boys would still fight if the mares were in the field next door, but as soon as they were gone it settled down apart from the one horse who was bullying the older one and that only started this year as the oldie got less able to get out of the way.
 
anything that gets on gets thrown out together. if they dont get on they get split up. also make sure they have enough room. not had an issue with mares and geldings

ive got all girls so they are out together
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The yard I am at now turns mares and geldings out together. There are 4 mares and 9 geldings in a big field. Occasional squabbles but they do that in single sex fields too.
 
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