Scary moment. Chip tried to kill Charley. Warning.

Enfys

Enfys

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Right, this should be in PG I know, but I actually want it to be a bit of a warning to all those who have small ponies. They don't always mix with big ones,so be careful. The appy is at the bottom of the pecking order and is usually the sweetest horse going.

Charley (34") is kept separated, but decided to shimmy under two fences to play with the big ones, and this was the result. I honestly think that if we hadn't been around to yell and chase Chip (15.2h) off he would have killed the mini. Someone else was a lot closer than me and already trying to retrieve Charley when I took this picture.

Charley is OK, a bit shaken and has a couple of bites on his neck and back, as Chip had knelt on him I suspect he'll be pretty bruised as well.

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OMG!

Are horses becoming more aggresive? I've never, in all the years I've been around horses, heard or known of any getting so aggresive with other horses, yet just lately there are more and more tales of it.

Hope little one is okay hun.
 
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That is scary! I wonder what caused that sort of reaction?

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Apart from my stallion, a yearling and another appy I had everyone hates Charley, that's why he is kept separated. He went through two electric fences to get in with these. Chip is in with mares and Charley is a colt so that could have had something to do with it maybe.

Shame, Chip is a nice enough horse but I don't want him here anymore. I can't be doing with wondering if he'll turn on another horse especially as he belongs to my daughter, what if he did it when she went to get him in the field, or being ridden? I am not taking that risk.
 
Same thing happened to me the other day my 2 year old went under 2 fences and and my TB bruised him a lot and he is lame from running around so much on the hard ground he was in shock after. My TB had his back leg in mouth and wouldn't let go when he was trying to run away.
 
That can be a natural reaction from a male horse out with mares when a stallion comes on the scene, I have heard of this before when a stallion got in with an established group. Geldings can have the same instincts to protect their mares that an stallion would have, and even without mares can get into nasty fights with stallions. An old gelding I had years back nearly dragged a stallion into his field over the fence when they got fighting over the barrier.
I don't think you should be thinking of getting rid of Chip, you said yourself that none of the other horses like Charley. It may be something to do with Charley being entire.
p.s. That's not a Tobago foal in your siggie is it??
 
That is terrible!! I had it a couple of weeks ago with my big gelding and the mare I have just rescued. I didn't see it though but i should imagine it was along those lines which is heart breaking. I think she must have slipped under the fence somehow which saved her life.
She could barely move her neck as he had made such a mess of her where he must have been swinging her about. he is 17.2 and a birck sh*t house and she is a score 1 on the condition chart and 16.1hh.
It is terrible how they get like that and so upsetting! I have to alternate out time now so they don't clash. he jumped a 5ft electric fence to attack her!
Hope your little ned isn't too badly damaged x
 
Oh no - bless the little un - a very scary experience for him and all around.

I used to have a horse who would attack the other ponies put in his field (never horses though) he scared one old mare so much that she tried to jump the post and rail...

Failed.

And impaled herself on the post...

I now would not keep a horse so aggressive for fear of what injuries it would inflict on another.

Hope the mini is ok! x
 
It seems Chip is regarded as an agressive horse by some. Has he ever been known to attack anything before?
If you're giving him away, I'll have him.
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It seems Chip is regarded as an agressive horse by some. Has he ever been known to attack anything before?
If you're giving him away, I'll have him.
grin.gif


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I'm second in line
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I don't think you should be thinking of getting rid of Chip, you said yourself that none of the other horses like Charley. It may be something to do with Charley being entire.
p.s. That's not a Tobago foal in your siggie is it??

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Charley is only a year old and very submissive and mouthy to any other horses when they come near him in the stables, it seems odd for an adult to attack a youngster. I have already whipped the yearling filly out of Chip's paddock, can't risk her being attacked too.

No, he hasn't attacked anything before, that I know of, but quite honestly I am not risking it happening again. You can have him, P&P is about $10,000 I believe
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Tobago baby, oh I wish! I am in Canada and the cost of AI etc is more than a foal would ever be worth unfortunately, I could ship the mare back to the UK for less than it would cost me in vet bills and all the semen import & testing costs (I looked into it) I'd love to put my mare (Bask) to Tobago, just on the wrong continent sadly. No, this is just a little Quarab, full brother to the first bay in the signature, Mom is the other one.
 
It is the most horrible thing to see isnt it. A gelding I used to own did this to another shetland mare once. How he didnt kill her I will never know but I have never run so fast and cracked him so hard with a lunge whip to let go and get off. I absolutly hated him for about 3 days I was so shocked. Never did it before or after. ????
 
Am sure I have read that horses at the bottom of the pecking order, ie like chip, can be more inclined to get like this given the opportunity as they are normally at the bottom if that makes sense?
 
Poor little man! TBH it never ceases to amaze me how horrible horses can be to each other.

Monty is quite riggy in the sense that he gets attached to mares and sometimes puts his ears back at other horses but he NEVER kicks or bites.

The alfa male of the group became very ill following a sinus op (should really have been on box rest but that's another post!). He was down in the field and Monty went over and started stamping on him and going berserk. I couldn't believe it since Monty is usually a gentle boy but I guess he saw his opportunity to become top dog. Luckily he didn't seriously injure him but it was very upsetting.
 
HOLY $%IT!



I had that happen before. It was also a little "Charlie"

Chester seriosuly tried to kill him one morning. If I had not stopped him he may well have.

Sometimes they can mix and sometimes not. I have heard of minins being killed before. You are so lucky he is ok
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Must have been terrifying to see.
 
Well Enfys, you've got to do what you think best, and if you feel the risk is too great, you are probably right. What a pity that you are in Canada...
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My friend has a big gelding who can't be kept with any other horses, he seriously attacks them and has done it on more than one occasion. Last attack was on a 17hh warmblood accidentally put in his field, he had the poor boy on the ground. Now that is a horse that I personally couldn't keep!
Lovely foal, even in a tiny photo it has a lot of presence. I seem to be seeing Tobagolings everywhere, I think I'm tuned in because Tobago's grandad is my horses dad.
 
Oh Crikey Enfys, how disappointed you and E must be feeling, when everything was going so well with Chip
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Poor little Charley.
 
QR- how awful poo rlittle chap although i have to say i find it odd you thought to take a picture of this happening IMPO it seems in very bad taste.

May just be me but i find it strange,its the last thing i would have done.
 
I was disgusing this with my blacksmith tonight and he had 3 horses that had been together for years; one day the two younger ones turned on the old one (was about 24) and they did kill him.
it is definately a herd instinct thing and I assume these two saw the od guy as a threat to the herd as he would slow them down. in your case I guess your gelding saw the mini stallion as a threat for obvious reasons.
The horse social life is something of a mystery but i am sure they have their reasons for what they do; even if it seems like senseless violence. to them it is nature and a case of survival, they don't think like us remember.
Some horses are just aggressive but others can be lovely then turn like this so there MUST be a horsey reason for it but we just don't get it.
I know it doesn't make it any less traumatising for all parties though, my boy is still in the dog house a week on from his senseless attack.
 
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QR- how awful poo rlittle chap although i have to say i find it odd you thought to take a picture of this happening IMPO it seems in very bad taste.

May just be me but i find it strange,its the last thing i would have done.

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Just for the record.

Not that I need to justify anything I do, but I believe I did state (for this very reason as I would actually think the same thing
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) that I was a fair distance away, already taking photos of something else, and that there WAS already someone else a lot closer than me doing something about it.

I don't mind what you think to be honest, I put this up because I thought it might serve as a warning about being aware of what a big horse could do to a small one, and, as it happens, not so small ones from some accounts here.

Who would have believed me if I said he had the pony on the floor and was kneeling on it?
 
Still i would have been that gobsmacked and worried i would not have thought to take pic.

It is shocking though,i was once told that some horses dotn like coloured horses and will attack them,how true that is i dont know?
 
I have tbs and minis ,we had a similar experience.A real easy going gelding 6 years chased a mini (gelding 3years) that had wiggled under the fence .
The mini kicked as the other gelding grabbed him by the
crest and literally tossed him up in the air.
I ran into the field expecting to find blood everywhere,
fortunately there wasnt any real damage .
I now keep them in adjacent paddocks and have put in two
extra rows of electric to stop them from getting to each other .
It seems to be the geldings that cause the problem probably
getting territorial over their mares.
as when I take out the miniature in the cart and my daughter
takes the gelding they get on fine .
Other people I know with miniatures and full size horse
have had the same experiences so I would never risk
putting them together again .
 
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Still i would have been that gobsmacked and worried i would not have thought to take pic.


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I WAS gobsmacked, but I take photos all the time, it is force of habit and the camera happened to be on a sequence setting too, it was taking photos regardless of what I was doing or if I was focussing.

Just horses being horses, and a lesson learned - Charley doesn't take notice of mains electric.

They'll stay on different sides of the property until I decide whether or not Chip stays. Right now I am so shocked, that he's lucky I didn't have him hauled off to the stockyards.

I wondered how I would have reacted if it had been any of my other horses, excepting the stallion (and nobody can get in or out of his paddock) and the mare with foal, I would be debating the same fate for the others until I cooled down.
 
Its just shocking how aggressive they can be really,bloody terrifying to watch too.
Not as if you can really wade in either you have to regard your own safety.
 
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