Mixed herd...

[_jetset_]

Can you all give me your thoughts on a mixed herd (mares and geldings together). My mare is 7 months in foal, and I don't know whether she has ever been in with geldings before. The other mare I have has been with geldings I think... I can find out for sure.

They would be going out every day in winter for a decent amount of time, compared to them going out every other day for 2-3 hours.

Thanks for your help.

A very stressed person x

 

[_jetset_]

Just read this and it doesn't make much sense... sorry!

i just keep bursting out in tears at the moment because I am so worked up at the whole situation!

 

[fairhill]

Are they all stabled/turned out close to each other at the moment? Or is this a new yard you want to move them to?

 

[tigers_eye]

When we had our horses at home and W's mum was pregnant with him she went out with the others all the time. She even started giving birth in the field with the others and they weren't bothered! Having said that she knew them really well, it was an established group. You're in a tricky situation, I can imagine it would be nerve-wracking for you at the beginning, especially if there were some riggy types in the group. Her foal is well-established now though, so I think I would be tempted to give it a go if I were you.

 

[samp]

I think it depends on the horses. My mare went out with 2 other mares and 4 geldings and they all get on great. There are others though I would never turn out in mixed groups - riggish boys and flirting mares

 

[Kelly1982]

My horses has always been in mixed herds and i have never had a problem with it. Saying that though i do prefer them to go out in small groups rather than big herds but thats just personal choice.

 

[AmyMay]

Prior to moving yards to where she is now Amy was always in a mixed herd.

However, she is now only out with mares and this won't change in the immediate future.

Personally I think that your situation is far from ideal - and you and I have discussed this before. I do hope that you manage your limited turnout successfully, but it would not be a position I would like to be in with my pregnant mare.

 

[_jetset_]

AmyMay... I will PM you!

 

[fairhill]

We only had trouble in a mixed herd when horses were introduced that had never been turned out in a group before (from competition yards etc). The geldings started getting possesive over the mares, who weren't getting any peace, and they had no herd social skills, and it resulted in some very stressed and injured horses.
We now separate them and the groups are a lot more relaxed, but they are also much smaller and more stable, which is more important in my opinion.

Personally I would be happier with every day TO in mixed group over alternate days in separate groups.

 

[fairhill]

Forgot to add - there was a pregnant mare out with the mixed group, introduced at 6 months pregnant, and there were no problems for her.

 

[MarthaRodman1]

At our yard, we all have our own paddocks. There are 3 paddocks that are mixed. And they have only recently all gone intogether, if that makes sense!

If you can section off a bit of the field for your mare, then they can talk to each other over the fence first for a week or so, then introuduce her into main herd. Am sure they'll be fine. Give it a whirl

Try not to worry - although I know it can be stressful!

MX

 

[_jetset_]

Thank you everyone... there are 3 fields for 15 horses, so they are not all together.

 

[tabithakat64]

We have always had a mixed herd but do have anything with special needs seperate. We have very large fields and find that it suits our horses as it's a very natural situation and they have an established pecking order so we have few injuries etc and the horses seem very happy, settled and show no signs of 'bad' behaviour. Personally, I would never move to a yard where horses are kept in small single sex groups in tiny fields as I feel it encourages vices, overbonding and inappropraite behaviour as it is not 'natural' for the horses.
However, I would be cautious turning a pregnant mare out in a group whether mixed or single sex without a proper introduction programme

 

[k9h]

We had a herd of 25 horses that all lived togethter in the one big field. Obviously they had their own pecking order with the homebred ones at the top no mater what age. Bess was the alpha mare & when she got to old to be going up & down to the field was a 2mile hack her son Monty became alpha & if he was kept in then his younger brother was next in line!! Mares in season stayed with gelding no problems even the tarty mares! Only prob we had was we left a yearling till he was 2 to cut & he mated with a shetland but produced a cracking pony in the end!! I think it is brilliant for foals to grow up in a mixed herd situ as they learn alot of manners from the herd members. Which helps with training them no end. They dont try & barge you & respect personal space. We never had any of the foals picked on or the mares in foal, but they were WELL established in the herd before they bred. They had the odd fall out with each other but nothing serious. Though I can see your concern with your mare being fairly well on in her pregnancy. They are tougher than we think but prcortion is the better part of vallor.
Hope all goes well.
P.S. Lucinda McAlpine international dressage rider runs 2 herds o'natural with a stallion with each herd & she still competes them from the field. She would be worth a call. If you google her you will find her on website. & she is very helpfull.

 

[metalmare]

My mare was in a mixed herd and so was my foal, right from birth (out on the New Forest) until when I sold him. He is with another colt now as he is not yet cut.

 

[Tia]

Mixed herds is generally the way to go. I have always run mixed herds and on the farm at the moment we have somewhere around 25 horses, split into 4 herds however ALL of these horses have been in together at some point.

In one of my herds, I have 3 mares, (2 in-foal) 1 gelding and my stallion - they all live perfectly happy together.

The way I manage my herds is size order, so I have large ones in together and then in another field I have youngsters who are little.

 

[Chex]

Mine has always been in a mixed herd, and not had any problems. I'm not sure how it would work with a pregnant mare though, especially if the geldings hassle her a lot.

 

[Tia]

In my herd with the pregnant mares - they have both become the dominant horses in that field so the stallion and the gelding and the other mare are TOLD how to behave by them LOL!!

 

[Fiona]

If there are three fields for 15 horses ie around 5 per group....
Can you not ensure that your 2 (esp the infoal mare) are in a "nice" group, perhaps with three other mares, or at least some of the more sensible geldings. Surely your YO would respect your need to keep the infoal mare safe. Can you not appeal to her better nature (if she is the one deciding who goes out with whom)??
Good luck
Fiona