Normal Behavior or Bullying?

C

Country Cob

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Hello everyone :)
I was wondering what you all make of this horse's behaviour...

My friend keeps her young (7 yrs) cob gelding with my boys. He has always been a bit bolshy but recently has really been bothering mine. He pesters and pesters them, constantly moves and chases them around the field, bites and kicks for the hell of it, undoes rugs etc. I know that's how young horses are but he seems to be bullying rather than playing. The other day my old boy (27 yrs) was drinking and cob came up and had a drink with him. All was well and then out of the blue the cob turned around and bit his legs really hard. Old boy turned to run away and cob launched himself on top of him and bit his back really hard. Luckily no harm done but I can't think of a reason why the cob would do that? Old boy is bottom of the pile and keeps out of everyone's way.
Today mine were lying down sunbathing and cob came over and had a go at them. To my mind that is not normal behaviour for a horse to go for others while they are sleeping.
I am now having problems catching mine because other horse doesn't want to come in and is chasing them away. Both of mine are looking miserable. I don't want to tell them to leave if I am just being precious..

Am I overreacting or is this not normal?
 
Country Cob said:
Hello everyone :)
I was wondering what you all make of this horse's behaviour...

My friend keeps her young (7 yrs) cob gelding with my boys. He has always been a bit bolshy but recently has really been bothering mine. He pesters and pesters them, constantly moves and chases them around the field, bites and kicks for the hell of it, undoes rugs etc. I know that's how young horses are but he seems to be bullying rather than playing. The other day my old boy (27 yrs) was drinking and cob came up and had a drink with him. All was well and then out of the blue the cob turned around and bit his legs really hard. Old boy turned to run away and cob launched himself on top of him and bit his back really hard. Luckily no harm done but I can't think of a reason why the cob would do that? Old boy is bottom of the pile and keeps out of everyone's way.
Today mine were lying down sunbathing and cob came over and had a go at them. To my mind that is not normal behaviour for a horse to go for others while they are sleeping.
I am now having problems catching mine because other horse doesn't want to come in and is chasing them away. Both of mine are looking miserable. I don't want to tell them to leave if I am just being precious..

Am I overreacting or is this not normal?
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I knew an Arab gelding like this. He was in a field with 8 other geldings and none of them got any peace. In his case it was because he had been badly hand-reared and never had any interaction with others until he was around 4 yo. He was a total PITA.. he didn't have a clue how to behave and caused all sorts of mayhem from rug-ripping to pushing others through the fence. For all his bad behaviour I felt so sad for him, he wasn't bad, simply an uneducated social misfit... but eventually no one could stand it any longer and he had to be moved to a paddock on his own. Strangely he didn't seem bothered by this, he could still see the others but not touch them. I think we all gave a huge sigh of relief when peace reigned again.

So, how about fencing off a corner of the paddock for the cob alone? So he can see but no longer interfere with the others?
 
It is "normal" behaviour by a young horse that has not really been put in his place by the rest of the herd, yours are older, submissive so the young one will probably get worse rather than better, I would separate them before he injures the 27 year old which he may well do from what you describe.
 
I think by the age of 7 he would have calmed down a bit! my horse certainly has! sounds like he needs to go out with another horse that is going to put him in his place, your boy is obviously too old now to take him on! I would separate them
 
I wouldn't want my horses out with a horse that is aggressive towards them occasionally you do get horses that in my opinion should be turned out alone for this reason, if I were you I would speak to the horses owner and get it removed from your field.
 
be positive said:
It is "normal" behaviour by a young horse that has not really been put in his place by the rest of the herd, yours are older, submissive so the young one will probably get worse rather than better, I would separate them before he injures the 27 year old which he may well do from what you describe.
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Exactly this ,
You will have to separate them .
 
Separate immediately. My mare is usually a very gentle soul but is the boss although she's not yet six. She'd been next to another mare that was getting roughed up (in play) by her gelding companion. He was starting to cause injuries and as the mare was old I said she could go in with mine (and her gelding companion). All was well for 3 days. They had been next to each other for 6 months prior to this. Then a few days ago my mare just started chasing the other mare around, trapping her and booting her. I separated them immediately. I have absolute zero tolerance of that kind of behaviour. So now the old mare is on her own, next to the others, and she is much happier and relaxed. Some horses just seem to get bullied by others, and some are just bullies. I think the cob you describe is a bully. My mare isn't because she has been great with every other horse; she just took a disliking to the other mare for some reason, and meant it. The other mare wasn't challenging her in any way and was avoiding her if anything before the attack.
 
Thank you everyone.
This horse was in with a dominant horse who wasn't afraid to give him a good telling off but it made no difference. The dominant one could have kicked him into next week and he would come straight back and carry on pestering. Drove him mad. Unfortunately he is gone now and it has made it worse. My middle age gelding can be quite dominant and was herd leader but because the cob is unusually kick happy my gelding doesn't seem to want to confront him.
IMO he is like this because he has two novice owners who both do things differently, so he has no continuity. He isn't worked much and when he is, it is only slow work. He is bored to tears. It is a shame because he is lovely, but it is beginning to ruin my enjoyment of my own horses. I finally have my dream come true of having them home and every time I go to see them, mine are miserable. I can't use the far paddock because he trashes the outbuildings but I can't leave him alone in the big field or he will churn that up. I have to fence off the trees which my horses like to shelter under because he chews all the bark off and rubs so hard he pushed one over (they are small trees). I just needed to hear it from someone else that I wasn't being completely OTT about it.
Sorry for the mini rant! :)
 
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Is this horse with yours at your own property? If so I would have to ask her to go it's not worth having your own horses upset especially if it's your own place
 
Country Cob said:
Thank you everyone.
This horse was in with a dominant horse who wasn't afraid to give him a good telling off but it made no difference. The dominant one could have kicked him into next week and he would come straight back and carry on pestering. Drove him mad. Unfortunately he is gone now and it has made it worse. My middle age gelding can be quite dominant and was herd leader but because the cob is unusually kick happy my gelding doesn't seem to want to confront him.
IMO he is like this because he has two novice owners who both do things differently, so he has no continuity. He isn't worked much and when he is, it is only slow work. He is bored to tears. It is a shame because he is lovely, but it is beginning to ruin my enjoyment of my own horses. I finally have my dream come true of having them home and every time I go to see them, mine are miserable. I can't use the far paddock because he trashes the outbuildings but I can't leave him alone in the big field or he will churn that up. I have to fence off the trees which my horses like to shelter under because he chews all the bark off and rubs so hard he pushed one over (they are small trees). I just needed to hear it from someone else that I wasn't being completely OTT about it.
Sorry for the mini rant! :)
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I would ask your friend to find somewhere else to keep this horse. We have 2 who don't get on and have to be kept separately, fortunately they both get on well with their own field companions. Tbh I don't think that owner's actions can have much influence over field behaviour.
 
He is not yours so I would say he has to go. It is meant to be fun! I couldn't bear to see my horses being bullied - as I see you can't either. It is a shame but he needs single turnout and lots of work, IMO.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
Tbh I don't think that owner's actions can have much influence over field behaviour.
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I never did either but I knew this horse when he was with previous owner, and he has changed a lot. He was very easy and mannerly to handle and ride, as indeed he was with other horses. Now he is a complete sod, due to no consistency he has learned to push his luck and usually gets his way as a result. :/
 
This is how my friends horse acts. He must be alone over winter but is fine in field when there's grass. No amount of work or handling stops him doing it he's just a prick. As yours are being tormented in their own home I'd be asking them to move along.
 
Some horses are just like this - it 's not an owner thing etc it's just him - some don't do well with others or with certain others or need lots of space. I'd spearate him by electric fence personally as one who bites/kicks regularly is asking for trouble whereas others will co exist with no problem!
 
this is not normal behaviour for me, it is dangerous, i would not tolerate it at all, we have a duty to protect our horses.

i knew a gelding like this and he got worse, one day he ran through a barbed wire fence and attacked a mare and 2 day old foal en route to the field, the mare ran off, and the person had a foal slip on the foal, fortunately and hung on to the foal while it was knocked to the floor, they had their leg trodden on and bruised, the foal was dragged back to the stable 50 yards, somehow, out of harms way with the gelding trying to attack it, the foal had well scraped legs, but survived the attack, in fact it was me to be honest, and after that zero tolerance of such behaviour.

no , it would be out of there, it needs assessment and possibly drastic action, i would not see my horses bullied, it is not fair to leave them until some damage happens, its not if, its when.
 
The cob needs to go. Separate them un till he leaves but your old boy should not have to take the flack. It is only a matter of time before an accident happens....

It won't make any difference who handles him or what work he is in.

Just read post where he churns your field up and you have to fence off the trees - he definitely needs to go! It's not fair that your horses are miserable when it's your own land.

Also do you want your horses bullied and chased around when it's hot in the Summer? They will need the trees for shelter from the flys/Sun.
 
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