My horses gate hog

1

{123756}

...
Joined
11 December 2015
Messages
130
Visit site
Picture it, four horses in a field and two owners. I have top mare, and third mare. She has second mare, and bottom mare. All throughout winter (my dominant mare arrived in November), horses all came in together. Other owner has loaners for both of her horses, one does her loan mare 6 days a week, the other loaner does the other mare 4/5 days and both loaners would come and get me when they wanted to get in, and the entire herd would come out.

Spring, other owner got a gelding and started being at the yard a lot more. She has now taken to getting her mares in without letting me know and i could be going crazy, but i genuinely think shes doing this to 'teach' my dominate mare to get out of the way of the gate. Heres my problem with this, i have now caught her swinging her headcollars in my mares faces even without getting her mares in. Just standing outside of the gate throwing her headcollars at her.

I am always typically at the yard before them, and i am always free to get my horses in and out of the way. But they dont tell me when they are going to get them, so i cant help in anyway. We had gate drama this evening, and i have told her that my horses are being a problem, i will always be around to ensure they are in and out of her way, but she refuses to let me know when they are getting in.

How do i even begin to resolve this situation? I fully appreciate that its my mare causing the problem, but i dont feel like im being unreasonable asking for the other owner to just give me a shout across the yard. Its not a huge place, they dont need to hunt me down - literally just call and i will come running. I feel so so torn because i know im technically the cause of the problem! so i guess i need to just suck it up and get mine in an hour earlier from now on right?
 
B

bouncing_ball

Well-Known Member
Joined
30 October 2012
Messages
1,523
Visit site
It’s hard sometimes, I find it occasionally an issue when horses in a group are bored / wet / hungry and bossier horses (than the one I want to bring in) want to come in too.

I do wave arms / headcollars and shoo off the ones I don’t want. But a little assertive shooing normally goes a long way.
 
O

Ownedby4horses

...
Joined
7 May 2020
Messages
1,401
Visit site
Speak to your YO and let them tell the other owner to get you/YO to help when she wants her horses out of the field. I think most people would be more than happy to have an owner like you who is aware of the issue and willing to always help. I wouldn’t be happy with headcollars etc being swung around at my mare, it’s not necessary as there’s someone else to help.
 
BeckyFlowers

BeckyFlowers

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 July 2017
Messages
1,665
Visit site
Sorry but I don't think another livery should have to rely on another owner being there so they can get their own horse/s in. What happens if they're down the yard and want to get their horse in when you're not there - do they have to call you and wait for you to arrive? It's unreasonable to be beholden to someone else when you want to bring your horse in/turn out.

It's not acceptable for someone to stand at a gate waving stuff around at another horse if they have no intention of going in the field, and I can't even understand why someone would waste their time doing it. Are you sure she wasn't trying to move your horse so she could go in safely?

Gate hogging is dangerous, but it's just something that some horses do - it's not the owner's fault, but if another owner has to battle through it then I have zero problem with them protecting themselves by moving the hoggers with a rope or a lunge whip (as long as they aren't cracking horses round the face with it out of spite). I take a lunge whip into the main field where my horse is penned off just in case. I only rarely have to bring it out from under my arm and point it in the direction of another horse and they then walk off leaving me and my horse alone. It's not an ideal set-up but I make it safer. I don't need to be injured due to someone else's horse, and if one of my other field-mates felt the need to move my horse out the way of the gate with a whip (they're all in together over winter) then I have no problem with that at all.

OP I would definitely speak to your YO about splitting the field, or at the least putting a corral around the main gate. But try and put yourself in the other livery's shoes. It's good that you are being helpful and willing to co-operate, but other people should be able to negotiate bringing their own horses in and out without having to rely on other owners to assist.
 
Nasicus

Nasicus

Well-Known Member
Joined
15 December 2015
Messages
2,262
Visit site
Split the field, and install a pen around the main gate, with a electric fence gate either side of the pen. Easypeasy, keeps everyone safe and happy.
Here, I even made one of my famous MS Paint diagrams for you (Your field boundary may vary ;)).

electricfencesafety.png
 
S

Slightlyconfused

Go away, I'm reading
Joined
18 December 2010
Messages
11,132
Visit site
This is why my two are the only ones in their field. One of them is gate possessive and he was stopping the non horsey of his best buddy getting him in. So we agreed since my horse is the problem that my two would stay on their own together so we don't have to worry.


What would happen in an emergency if on of the other mares was injured and they couldn't get past your dominant mare?

I wouldn't want just anyone throwing stuff at my horses but I have said in the past if he is being a dick then throw something at him and mean it. He will back off.

It's my responsibility to make sure my horses don't hurt someone.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top