Old gelding gone gaga over mare

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DuckToller

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Retired coblet (at least 20+) has been a dream to own for years. Never shown the slightest sign of being riggish before and has been in mixed herds before.

Recently bought a mare and he has gone totally stallion-like over her, and it's getting worse. He has been out with mares before and never behaved like this, although interestingly this one looks the spitting image of his male best friend, to whom I would have said he was pair bonded until last week.

He follows her round constantly, keeping her away from all the others, rushing at his now ex-best friend with ears back and swinging round threatening to kick if he dares to even look at her. He is smelling the others' dung, and then covering it with his own, he has tried to jump out of his stable to get to her when I brought them in, and is off his feed - on the plus side he has never looked so well, completely lost his saggy belly. Sorry, I digress. He hasn't tried to mount her as far as I have seen, and I have spent a lot of time this week watching him, as I have to keep an eye on them.

So - mare is hugely in season, will he improve when she comes out of season? I have spoken to the vet about putting the mare on regumate, which was an option anyway as she is quite a madam to handle when she is in season. Fortunately she is more interested in eating, although she doesn't discourage his loving attentions.

I can't keep them in, for the reason that he has gone daft enough to attempt jumping out. I can't put him in the next field, because I know he would just jump out - he has competed at 1.10m in his time so a mere post and rail fence would be easy. I am going to try a few friends to see if anyone has spare grazing for the summer, but meanwhile I can't ride the mare as he isn't safe to leave in the stable or field, and I can only get them in with help. To her credit, she is actually behaving quite well through all this and isn't bothered about him.

Anyone else have this and how did you deal with it? Husband has suggested dose of lead (ha, just his little joke).
 
Put a blind fold on him:-)

Seriously though, he should calm down a bit when she has come out of season.

Its the same thing with a friend of mines 2 dogs, the young female has come into her first season and the older male dog has gone completely over protective of her, he sees off any other male dogs when out walking and doesnt leave her side.
 
My sisters old pony did this to my new mare......so we put him in with my 21 year old mare who hates men and put hin firmly back in his place and put new mare in with my brothers gelding who doesn give two hoots who is in with him as long as there is grass.....so my advice separate them after a few months pony settled but i never did have them back in together.
X
 
My gelding has just started acting like this for the first time ever too - maybe its something in the air lol! He started when he went out in a mixed herd as the new boy, first day in summer fields, the one mare was in season (and flirty with it which didn't help!). I've put him on Global Herbs Rigcalm and it does seem to be helping (touch wood!)
 
Ah, I was going to ask if there was an equivalent to regu-mate - I like the sound of rig calm. He looks magnificent as he charges round the field in stallion mode, but it is getting dangerous I feel.
 
I had a gelding who would mount mares, herd them, make stallion noises etc. Global Herbs Rigcalm turned him into a different horse.
 
That's two votes for rig calm - will be off to get some lunchtime! How long before I see a result? I might have to try some ACP later just so I can do something with the mare.
 
Sounds just like mine at the moment. Sigh. Mine started being silly when another gelding was introduced and he's stayed like it. Grr. Men eh? :rolleyes:
 
Thanks for all the ideas - would that I could blindfold him!

Am glad to hear others so affected by a particular mare, and that he hasn't gone completely senile on me. He is normally mid way in the pecking order, so to see him strutting with his tail up, madly dunging and lunging at the others is in a way quite funny, but it is getting dangerous.

He has spent all day staring at her bottom through the grill in his stable, his net is barely touched, and I can't ride her for fear he will either kill himself or trash his stable trying to get out - and he might manage both.

She is nearly out of season, so can't be long, can it? :)
 
My boy is very protective with in season mares, but not as bad as you've described. I had to laugh last week, he drove off all the other geldings and kept the mare in a corner. 'Ok', thought the mare, 'he is the main man'. She turned her bottom to him and he didn't notice so she actually reversed into him at which point he wandered off to look at... something.... One disappointed girl.
 
My lad is very dominant anyway, we got an ex brood mare who had a very strong season the day after she arrived, the situation was so bad we had to seperate them.
Put both on Stroppy Mare which worked quickly, now peace has returned, the mares seasons come and go and the laddo ignores her
 
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