Mixed sex turnout

[wallyevent]

Just wondering what people's views are on putting mares and gelgings together in the field are?

My horse has got a bit fruity with a mare in a neighbouring field this summer (he's never shown the slightest inckling towards the opposite sex before, everyone used to say he was gay!!).

My friend wants to move her mare to my yard but any new horse will be sharing with my boy (turned out in a pair not a group). I'm not sure what to do!

 

[susanjc]

personally, I wouldn't do it. My old mare is ok with geldings but she doesn't have seasons anymore. I think it would be a disaster waiting to happen.

 

[JANANI]

Fine. I have a gelding who still thinks hes got his bits and incredibly dominant. The gelding when out with the large groups (14 horses when he was in livery) will fight all round him when there is mares in the field with him. However he is fine with a smaller group consisting of a mare, pony and two other geldings.

Jana

 

[CBFan]

I've never had a problem with it. Well the only problem I had was with a gelding bullying my mare but they were separated and reintroduced gradully and got on fine... I think the key would be a gradual introduction... ( set up a small paddock within your field so that they can get to know eachother over a fence)

 

[kanter]

You should be ok with one of each (though I am paranoid and don't turn my horses out together - they have to gaze longingly at each other over the fence!). I think you have problems if you have several geldings and one mare (or is it the other way round....) Anyhow , one of each should be ok if you introduce them carefully.

 

[MillionDollar]

There is no problem with it at all and studies have actually shown that you have MORE problems with single sex turnout!

 

[whisper09]

It very much depends on the individual horse. I used to have a TB gelding who we could only turn out with the mares as the geldings used to run him out of the field! We put this down to the fact that he was an ex racer and hadnt learnt herd behaviour. I've also had a gelding that used to behave like a stallion hence we had to split him up from the mares. Mostly though mixed herds are better as it mimics the wild.
As long as you introduce them carefully, keep them separate but able to interact over a fence until they appear comfortable with each other there should be no problem. Also it does take a long time for some horses to settle after a new horse is introduced. We recently brought my daughter a gelding who is very quiet and introduced him the rest. It took a good 2 to 3 months for them all to settle down. The big mare was a stroppy b***ch for a while until the new gelding was accepted. So good luck and give it some time.

 

[MagicMelon]

Ive never had much of a problem. I think size comes into it more than anything else TBH, as I had an anglo arab mare out happily with my boys but cant turn my current mare out with one of my geldings as he mounts her a LOT... Since he's 15.2hh and shes a shetland you can imagine... for her own safety she just cant go near him. Some mares are tarts in which case they can wind some geldings up. It really is just a case of try it, give them time to settle and see.

 

[charlotte1]

My mare gets turned out with a gelding and both get along fine. Both seem a lot more settled now then when they were when just turned out with their own sex. If it's just the two of them then they should be fine

 

[BethH]

I'm a great believer in a mixed herd as long as it is small and they are gradually introduced. Wouldn't have a group of more than 6-8 mixed and would want a range of ages rather than a bunch of 6yr olds, I find they all get along great and that rather than a hierarchy they all thave their own set of strengths to add to the herd and are much more settled, but they also get to live out 24/7 for most of the year so that helps!

My gelding is very dominant but never fights and always goes to graze with a new horse. I always put a pen in the field and put the new horse in that until I feel they will be accepted usually only takes a few days but can take a couple of weeks and then they are usually all fine. If you have a dominant gelding then let it graze with the new horse 1st on its own, then put the new horse in a pen when the other horses are added and take it from there

 

[tabithakat64]

I've been at a yard with large mixed groups and apart from in a couple of instances with riggy geldings and also a horse that didn't settle, we've happily grazed up to 14 mares and geldings or various sizes and ages together for 10 years. Other than a few very minor cuts and grazes when new horses are introduced we've only ever had 1 nasty field related injury in that time, which was two of the owners faults rather than the horses. My pony and horse are happy with this arrangement but it doesn't work for every horse or rider.

 

[Lill]

Our lot tend to all get lumped out in the back field together in the Summer, 10 altogether mix of boys and girls, Blue is the only one to cause trouble though he does such a great imitation of a stallion with the mares that we have pondered sometimes whether the next summer they will produce a foal!

 

[laura05]

when we had four there were two of each sex and never had any problems

 

[jubum]

I'm for mixed turnout also, as long as you don't have too many dominant mares / geldings.
I own four mares , one is particularly flirty.
She turned a normally well behaved gelding into a randy would be stallion that kept mounting her. He actually fractured her tail though biting her.
I hasten to say we are no longer on livery and we have our own place, so just 4 mares together !

 

[lillie07]

It entirely depends on the horses, in one of our fields there is a group of geldings and one mare. Bailey was great with other horses until he went out with said mare. He did'nt try and do anything to her but would'nt let the other geldings anywhere near her. He became difficult to catch and lead and is now a git with other horses if there are mares anywhere near him and has to go out on his own.

 

[Bossanova]

My two get on great, Moon can be a bit tarty with small white ponies but she's fine with everything else!!

 

[JessPickle]

Our yard has mixed turnout, never had any problems with it. The main field has 4 mares and 8 geldings and never been any big problems. Most the fields have one mare in allthough our horses (mine and my sisters) have their own field it's one of only two one sex field

(I am on a big RS yard)

 

[filly190]

I keep a field of mares only and it works, over the years I have had the odd gedling but it has always caused the mares to be constantly in session, seperation problems etc.

Years ago riding schools would only have one sex, usually gedlings to stop any problems. As yards, space, fields have become more expensive it is not always possible to keep mares and gedlings seperate

 

[wizzi901]

If its not livery where the herd could reguarly change, then No I wouldnt personally. If however, its a static herd and unlikely to change for a few years, if they all get on IMO I think its fine.

I wouldnt want the hassles of injuries etc from a constantly changing herd having to re-establish the pecking order all the time.

 

[Donkeymad]

We have always mixed mares and geldings. There may occasionally be some flirting during the first few days but normally settles very quickly with no more problems. Obviously the individuals concerned are different in every group, so there can be no guarantees in any way

 

[Cop-Pop]

It depends on the horse - I can't turn my mare out with geldings as she comes straight into season then starts attacking them

 

[sara_l]

I have always been at a yard with large mixed groups and never ever had a problem

 

[ruscara]

My gelding is currently out with two other geldings and three mares, and they all get along fine.
At a previous yard, my horse fell madly in love with a mare, and was mounting her, so they had to be separated. But this hasn't happened before or since.
She was a very beautiful black TB, so I don't blame him really!

 

[asbo]

always mixed as i have always had a mare & a gelding at the same time.

right now we have fizz,lady & my big lad jay out together & its normally jay who is the biggest that gets bullied by the 2 girls

when i get another pony for my daughter it will go out with the other 3 no matter what it is

 

[Nudibranch]

I'd say it very much depends on the horses involved. Had mine living with a mixed turnout for three years, there are 10 horses in the group. However the YO's gelding is very riggy. I told him I was worried, one of my mares in particular is a bit of a tart but he just said, ah, they're just being horses, they'll sort themselves out... She is now recovering from a nasty lameness in her hock which I am certain was caused by the gelding chasing and mounting her. He likes to get the smaller horses between his front legs and bite them really hard. Needless to say, mine are now turned out in their own field. Not to mention the amount of rugs the 17hh loon has wrecked.

 

[Eceni]

I've got a fairly dominant 6 yo mare who leads her lads and lassies (she takes after me and is in love with another mare...) round the field, but we have a fairly steady turnover of people coming and going and have never had any problems. they take a week or so to let someone new into the herd then they're all fine.

E

 

[marion95]

My mare and gelding go out together and have never had an problems. Maybe try fencing a section of the field off for her first so they can get used to each other over that?