Mixed herds or not - pros and cons

It depends on personality mixes. I have experienced successes and disasters in equal measures.

Not at the moment do we mix as there is a dominant gelding that likes to round up mares and is impossible to get a horse out without him breasting you! Awful beast.
 
My horse couldnt care less so long as shes got grass to scoff :)
Shes lived in a big mixed herd, out wild on the moor, in an all girl group, with 2 geldings, and now she lives with an elderly gelding companion who she lived with out on the moor once upon a time.
She is boss out of the 2 of them, but shes very easy going really and gets on with any horse so long as they dont get in the way of her eating :)
 
It would make my horse lose a ton of weight as he'd be constantly sh*****g the girls! He's not riggy, but he would be thrilled!

We're separate currently and with one or two geldings who like to protect the mares, it's better to be separate for our horses.
 
lol tallyho and ty for replying -
Im asking because ive just moved my gelding onto a new yard where he is with other geldings only.
He is finding it hard to settle and im wondering if it is because he is used to and missing a lead mare
Also got me thinking why - why do some people prefer mixed and others same sex herds
 
Dunno. Not sure there is a preference out of anyone I know. Sometimes it just works out organically that way, others it's just a big no-no when it's tried.

Depends on yard politics too as some people like to keep seperated due to risk of injuries etc and have seen a fair few of kick/bite injuries and a stallion fight in my time! (Not purposely mind you, it was a pure accident)

eta: even in same sex herds you get fights so it's just not an exact science - it has to take allsorts into account!
 
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darkhorse123 said:
Why do some yards prefer mixed herds and others like mares and geldings seperate? Personally it is a case of doing anything for a quieter life :D

Which do you and your horse prefer and why?
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I have a couple of mare/gelding pairs because their owners prefer them to be together.

Otherwise it is strictly same sex.

I don't care if the horses prefer it or not to be honest, I do - and as it is my property and I am the one that invariably finds the bloody wounds and has to deal with them, or listen to squeals and battles in the middle of the night, mend broken fences, or recapture escaped horses, what I say goes.

No-one has complained yet, and as I said, I do offer paddocks for multiple horse owners to keep their horses together regardless of gender, if they beat seven sorts of stuffing out of each other then that isn't my problem - except it is, because I still have to do the mopping up :(

I am responsible not just for the safety and herd harmony of my own horses but for liveries as well, I find that geldings go better together, and so do the mares (and foals). Geldings invariably become possessive over mares, especially when mares come into season, which leads to arguments, and as I have several broodmares I really don't need some randy gelding playing "I am a Stallion" and running them about. Here I have the stallion, colts and geldings on one side of the barn, and the mares are in paddocks on the other side, they can all see each other, just not bicker.

Again, I don't give a tinkers' cuss whether these arguments are merely herd politics or not, if same sex herds mean no fighting and persistant bitching then that's the way it is.

Of course there are many settled mixed herds, when it works it is great, when it doesn't there can be carnage:(
 
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I prefer mixed myself, having had mine in both. Everything was calmer with a gelding involved, we had the boss mare then the gelding, then another mare then my mare was the pecking order.

Ive had 3 mares together for the last year, the boss mare was a bad one in that she had to do everything in a big way rather than just flicking an ear back and having an instant reaction. They never seemed 100% settled or together and there was a lot of galloping about which I hated.

One has now gone and im looking for a gelding to balance the hormones out a bit!

I think its an entirely equine personality based decision, but i wouldnt go to a yard where it was single sex only.
 
I find that mixed herds cause far too much bitching amongst owners.

I used to have a mare who was very flirty and constantly got moaned at for her enticing geldings into 'deviant' behaviour. Having purchased my gelding, who proceeded to be seduced by a couple of ex-broodmares and then mounted another (in season) mare, it caused SERIOUS problems resulting in me being told to leave the yard.

I won't ever go to a mixed yard again in future, even with a different horse. It's just not worth the hassle.
 
both my horses have always been in mixed herds and we have NEVER had any bitching amongst owners. None of the geldings have mounted the mares and they sort out a pecking order between themselves and the gender of the 'alpha horse' differs from field to field.
Not experienced any increase in injuries either, in fact we rarely have horses coming in from the field with any injuries at all that would be related to fighting.
 
My mares mostly been in mixed groups, & also played nanny to a good few mixed youngsters. I've always preferred it for her, she's a real alpha though & will put even the most randy, dominant gelding in its place without any fighting or even going close enough for any chance of contact, so I've never had any of the associated problems with her. However if it wasn't for the fact the geldings in with them are all laid back sorts, I could see daughters pony causing mayhem. She'll squirt at them & spend ages trying to entice them, luckily none are interested but I would be careful if the geldings acted differently &/or my mare wasn't around to keep order.
 
Having once had an Appaloosa mare who was fine with one gelding in her herd of mares over the winter but then tried to kill him by standing on her hind legs and coming down with her front feet onto his head (fortunately she stepped back into a wall to steady herself and came back down) as soon as Spring arrived, we now only have mare herds.
Now that the horses are at home there are geldings on 2 sides and a mare and a pony gelding on a 3rd side. They all 'talk' over the walls but are quite safe in their own little groupings.
 
My boys came from a mixed herd of 22 then when I moved yards they got put in with 1 other gelding so they could settle before being put out with the main herd who had a very dominant mare and gelding. They really weren't that happy just being a male threesome:rolleyes: My cob has always been topdog and soon knocked both the alphas off their perch when they got moved in with the main herd. It only consists of my 2 geldings and 4 mares and they are a tight and balanced herd. My cob rounds every1 up when its 'nap time' or time to get shelter but he really isn't interested in the girls. They are both permenant chillaxed bachelors:o
 
Paint Me Proud said:
both my horses have always been in mixed herds and we have NEVER had any bitching amongst owners. None of the geldings have mounted the mares and they sort out a pecking order between themselves and the gender of the 'alpha horse' differs from field to field.
Not experienced any increase in injuries either, in fact we rarely have horses coming in from the field with any injuries at all that would be related to fighting.
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This is my experience too ^^

And after being head girl on a full livery yard of 30 horses - all in mixed herds - i wouldn't seperate mares & geldings.
I find it much more natural for the horses to be able to interact with the other sex.
Fields of geldings just seem to fight & play fight constantly in my experience without mares as a distraction.
 
I don't mind either way, my lot are pretty sociable and easy going. If given the choice, I'd opt for single sex herds because they seem happier.
The geldings behave like bachelor groups of colts, playing and generally being children in between eating and sleeping, whereas the mares form closer friendship bonds without the distraction of the lads when in season.

My gelding certainly stays fitter when out with the boys which transfers into his ridden work. He's brighter and more confident. And he doesn't have to keep out of the way of mares with hormones. Hormonal mares scare him.
 
I have experienced both. When it works I prefer a mixed herd and so do my horses. When it doesn't work it is horrible. I have only owned mares and when I have bought chose only from mares to ensure I can have same sex in the same field. Having experienced the bad I would not opt for mixed sex again given the choice.
 
I also had to leave a yard because my lad, after living with mares for 2 years, decided to mount a mare in the field, leaving her cut to ribbons and in shock.
He was tested for a rig and was clear.
We now have another mare, who is an ex brood mare, she came into a strong season the day after arriving and we ended up seperating them.
My lad is dominant with both sexes, but has settled down as the mare settled in, normal seasons now without much reaction, thankyou Stroppy Mare
 
horserider said:
The geldings behave like bachelor groups of colts, playing and generally being children in between eating and sleeping, whereas the mares form closer friendship bonds without the distraction of the lads when in season.
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Quite, exactly as it is with wild/feral herds. :) Presumably, if the acreage was large enough then mixed herds operate exactly like this, splitting off into happy little bands.

The one thing that put me off mixed herds forever was an incident that happened a long time ago now, an over-sexed Irish git (and I am being polite here) chased my little mare through fences and bogs to the point of exhaustion injuring her legs so badly that she never recovered and had to be pts years before her time.

That is also the reason I am so fussy about what goes where, with whom, and I do not tolerate any form of aggression beyond the usual day to day stuff -

"Hi, my name is Fred, I'm going to be boss dog now"
"Sod off...get back down the line, or else"
"OK, OK ... nice grass this"
 
I've only been on one yard where there was a strict segregation protocol . . . mares and geldings kept in single-sex herds with a road and the entire yard separating the mares from the geldings and there were STILL mounting/dominance issues amongst the boys. The presence (or absence) of mares does not guarantee a tranquil herd of geldings.

When we had the mares they lived in a mixed herd of about 7 and there no issues with getting them out of the field or squabbles in the field (largely b/c the field was big enough for them to all find their own space).

Kal has often been grazed in fields right next to mares and there have never been any issues . . . at previous yard he went out with 6 other geldings next to a field with 6 mares . . . every morning Kal would be found in with the mares and Poppy (one of the mares) would be in with the geldings . . . oh, and they didn't jump the fence to do this, they took down the two slip rails (as in completely took them down - not just one end).

At current yard he is out with two other geldings and most "herds" are single gender, but there are mares out with geldings in some of the fields (we only have three mares - the remaining 27 horses are geldings!).

P
 
WildRider said:
I find that mixed herds cause far too much bitching amongst owners.

I used to have a mare who was very flirty and constantly got moaned at for her enticing geldings into 'deviant' behaviour. Having purchased my gelding, who proceeded to be seduced by a couple of ex-broodmares and then mounted another (in season) mare, it caused SERIOUS problems resulting in me being told to leave the yard.

I won't ever go to a mixed yard again in future, even with a different horse. It's just not worth the hassle.
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same here wildrider, i moved to a new yard and they put my gelding in a field with just 3 mares as that was the only field with space. all the mares then came into season sending my gelding loopy and after a few weeks he attemted to mount a mare an i got asked to leave.
im kicking myself for going there now as im now at another yard that i love and hes been in a mixed herd (2 geldings one mare) for months now with no problems, now the mare in the field next door has come into season and has been tarting herself at him so i now cant keep him in one field and hes turning into a nightmare to handle. he has never been like this gggrrrrrr
 
I prefer mixed personally.
One yard I was on had mixed herds. Up to 20 horses in each field and in 16 years, there were little injuries. The herds were established, but you could put a new horse out, and there'd be no bickering or even any interest in the new horse. None of the mares were ever "mareish". To me, that is how a herd should be.

I went to another yard where they were split by gender, and there were a few "mareish" mares, the geldings were interested in the mares, especially when schooling together and my mare, who until then had been fine, started noticably coming into season and squealing.

Currently, I have 2 mares and the yards I've been on the past couple of years have been individual paddocks which is fine but if I went to a yard with herds, I'd prefer mixed.
 
We have 5 (soon to be 6) mares and one gelding. All getting along fine. Not sure I'd want mixed herds on a livery yard tho', purely because the horses are often changing and it would be another potential problem to factor in when introducing a new horse.
 
I would not consider a herd environment, let alone a mixed herd.

Mine go out in pairs of same sex, not always the same 2 together, I cannot bear nappy, can't leave my friend behind types. If there is no one available to share a paddock with then I expect them to be grown up and go out alone.

The single horse would be able to see another horse but not able to touch.

The idea of lots together does not sit well with me, far too many injuries and fighting, but I suppose if you have no choice it is something you have to put up with.
 
Mine is far happier out in a mixed herd than she was in a small group of mares. She is a shameless flirt when in season, but has settled on one gelding in particular as opposed to every gelding she encounters. Much easier to manage!
 
AdorableAlice said:
The idea of lots together does not sit well with me, far too many injuries and fighting, but I suppose if you have no choice it is something you have to put up with.
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Individual grazing has been something I've had to put up with while looking for herd turnout. Injuries and fighting have never been an issue on well run yards.
I love seeing mine running with friends on 20 acres of pasture with trees, hedges, a stream, small hills and banks with visiting cattle and sheep.
 
Our mares and gelding were always kept together with no problems. Then my daughter bought another 4 yr old gelding who had been in a same sex herd from weaning and he had no idea about mares or how to respect them. He's a big lad at 17.3. He was introduced slowly and was OK to start with but as he got more confident he didn't understand that they didn't want to play fight all day and one day beat one of my mares up quite badly. Our dominant mare was useless with him as she acted like a lovestruck teenager, so from then on they've been seperate and settled. He's quieter now he's older and is babysitting our colt, but not sure I'd put him with mares again.
 
horserider said:
Individual grazing has been something I've had to put up with while looking for herd turnout. Injuries and fighting have never been an issue on well run yards.
I love seeing mine running with friends on 20 acres of pasture with trees, hedges, a stream, small hills and banks with visiting cattle and sheep.
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I guess it's down to what you do with your horse and it's value.

In the main you will find professional well run yards with top end horses will have individual turnout with post and rail fencing, blanked off corners and clean paddocks and that is my personal preference, we all have differing views.

I am sure many leisure/weekend riders find keeping their animals in large groups easier in many ways. It just doesn't work for me, I like to be as sure as I can be the horse is in one piece, especially if a large entry fee has been paid for the next day !
 
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