Mares and geldings together????

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leo_04

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Hi Everyone, I'm moving livery yards soon and the place seems really nice. The only issue is they turn mares and geldings out together, there are only 5 horses in total 3 geldings and 2 mares. My horse has not been out with mares for at least 2 years except for the few times someone has left the gate open accidently! The new yard have said I can introduce them over the fence for a few weeks first. He is not aggressive at all but I am concerned he might get a little over friendly!

I have had mares and geldings out together without issues in the past just wondering your thoughts??

Thanks
 
Been on yard that did single sex t/o for 18 months and a mixed t/o yard for over 10 years - I saw more problems in the 18 months on the single sex yard that I did in 10 years on the mixed yard.

Have ours at home now - 1 mare, 1 gelding and they get on too well
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Been on yard that did single sex t/o for 18 months and a mixed t/o yard for over 10 years - I saw more problems in the 18 months on the single sex yard that I did in 10 years on the mixed yard.


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I concur with this! My yard has about 24 horses (roughly half and half), mixed herd out 24/7 at the moment with no probs. Had more problems at the last yard where they were seperated.
 

As others have said, I find more problems arise when mares & geldings are separated than when they are in together. Kept my 2 geldings & 2 mares together for 7 years or so & never had any problems.
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Introducing two mares can be problematic but introducing a gelding & a mare is generally pretty trouble free.
 
my mare is turned out with 2 geldings (so my 3 all in one field) and i dont have issues until i leave the boys together. And one of the boys has onyl been castrated a year and even when 1st introduced to the other 2 there again was more problems with the 2 boys than with my mare.
My mare is deffo the peace keeper.
 
our yard splits them but 15 years ago when I had my last horse at a more old fashioned yard all the horses (about 50 !), got turned out together. There were several fields and natural streams etc. and it was a very big area. They all had their back shoes taken off and were left for one week before you could bring them back out. During that time they all sorted into their natural groups. My girl was best friends with a boy. I don't personally hold with splitting them because geldings seem to be very naughty boys when they get together.
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Should be fine as long as no-one gets too attached to anyone else. I find the mares will get attached to the geldings and the geldings will attach themselves to anything with a heartbeat
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Berlin has got really attached to Maiden recently, Maiden has never been a problem up until this week when she must be in season (never shows signs) because she's suddenly going completely loopy when Berlin goes out. Berlin will always go loopy whenever the "herd" is split up even for a second
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We have two mares and a gelding at the moment. Berlin gets really stallion-y when there are more geldings than mares, but doesn't seem to bother when there are enough mares to go round!
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At my old yard we paired horses up; whoever got on with eachother went out in a pair. Maiden was in with another gelding and was always fine, never too attached, and nor was the gelding.
It really does seem to depend on the individuals. Try introducing them and see what happens - although we never thought Berlin would get on with Maiden as he kept attacking her over the fence for the first week (he was in with the other mare, Maiden on her own). I arrived one morning to find Maiden in with Berlin (other mare on box rest at this point) both quite happy so we left them to it!
 
Thanks everyone for your input, I will just see how he gets on. Interestingly the yard have two fields between the 5 horses over winter and circulate the horses so no1 gets too attached to another. I am just hoping he doesn't get too friendly with the ladies because he think's he's a bit of a Romeo anyway.

Where he is at the moment has split herds and there has been a lot of trouble between both the mares and the geldings-fingers crossed he will just settle in.
 
Of many places I have worked, and at home, I have never encountered any problems with mixed herds.
 
Mixed herds are not a problem ASLONG as there is enough room and grazing for horses not to get bored and start causing problems!
 
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