HaffiesRock
Well-Known Member
Please can I have some of your pearls of wisdom with my current situation?
I have a 5 year old mare and a 13 year old gelding. The mare is the dominant one and they have lived together as a pair for the last 18 months. When they were first together she was awful to my gelding, but eventually after a few weeks they settled and are now well bonded.
On Saturday a new pony arrived to share the field. He is a 3 year old gelding and hasn't really been in a real herd situation before.
He was put in his own paddock and I watched them all day. There was lots of sniffing over the fence then they all lost interest and went their separate ways. By the evening my gelding was grooming him over the fence.
The next day I decided to put them all together as they seemed fine. Well, my mare took a massive dislike to him and chased him around quite aggressively, although she got close she never actually made contact with him.. I left them too it for an hour to sort it out, but she was still chasing him around and he was looking a bit stressed so I separated them again.
Left them another 24 hours and when I arrived this afternoon they were all grazing nearby so I open the gate so they could mix and my mare made a bee line for him and started chasing him again. Then my blooming push over gelding started chasing him and actually got his teeth into him. No damage done, but the newbie is now back in his separate paddock.
What should I do next?
Leave him separated? I feel bad about this as he is a lovely pony and just wants to be friends with everyone.
Leave separated for now and try and reintroduce them again next weekend?
Put my mare in the separate paddock and let the 2 geldings be together?
The paddock that is separate is about 2 acres and is in the middle of the field so my ponies can touch him over the fence and he has plenty of room.
I know it is early days but I am not sure what to do for the best? I don't want any ponies getting hurt, but feel bad for the new one on his own.
Thanks in advance.
Any advice?
I have a 5 year old mare and a 13 year old gelding. The mare is the dominant one and they have lived together as a pair for the last 18 months. When they were first together she was awful to my gelding, but eventually after a few weeks they settled and are now well bonded.
On Saturday a new pony arrived to share the field. He is a 3 year old gelding and hasn't really been in a real herd situation before.
He was put in his own paddock and I watched them all day. There was lots of sniffing over the fence then they all lost interest and went their separate ways. By the evening my gelding was grooming him over the fence.
The next day I decided to put them all together as they seemed fine. Well, my mare took a massive dislike to him and chased him around quite aggressively, although she got close she never actually made contact with him.. I left them too it for an hour to sort it out, but she was still chasing him around and he was looking a bit stressed so I separated them again.
Left them another 24 hours and when I arrived this afternoon they were all grazing nearby so I open the gate so they could mix and my mare made a bee line for him and started chasing him again. Then my blooming push over gelding started chasing him and actually got his teeth into him. No damage done, but the newbie is now back in his separate paddock.
What should I do next?
Leave him separated? I feel bad about this as he is a lovely pony and just wants to be friends with everyone.
Leave separated for now and try and reintroduce them again next weekend?
Put my mare in the separate paddock and let the 2 geldings be together?
The paddock that is separate is about 2 acres and is in the middle of the field so my ponies can touch him over the fence and he has plenty of room.
I know it is early days but I am not sure what to do for the best? I don't want any ponies getting hurt, but feel bad for the new one on his own.
Thanks in advance.
Any advice?