Sheep and horses! lol

Devonshire dumpling

Devonshire dumpling

Well-Known Member
Joined
28 March 2011
Messages
3,795
Visit site
If I bought/borrowed a sheep for Freddie, would it stick with him in the field or run away? would the sheep herd with Freddie? and are they really good for calming anxious stabled horses.. my husband (ex farm worker for yrs) said he hates sheep, they are thicker than Freddie and it won't stay with him in the field it will wander off and do stupid sheep things?
 
Sheep are actually very intelligent, but yes, it probably will wander off in search of some sheepie friends ... there is also the possibility that your horse may kill/injure it.
 
Sheep that graze the hay fields down in winter often get in with the horses. The horses don't mind, it's actually help a few of them get over a phobia.
 
Don't do it. Unless Freddie has grown up with sheep in his field, he will probably kill it. The sheep will be terrified of him even if he ignores it.
 
Husband worked on a farm with mainly bullocks for 14 yrs, but they had some Suffolk sheep that the farmers wife played with, they were huge and contrary, he loathed, docking them and whatever else he had to do..... thinks sheep spend their lives trying to kill themselves.
I am working on him! Freddie is very nice to dogs and other horses, never raises a hoof or bites anything, don't think he would harm one on purpose, but who knows x.. i just wondered if it would herd with him, or clear off
 
My horse lives happily with 40+ sheep. They share the hay rack together, some of them even use him as a shelter in bad weather! We have never had problems with him and the sheep. They even lamb in the field with him and he doesn't bother.

I guess the only way that you will find out if your horse will tollerate sheep is to put one in with him.
 
I went to pick my mare up from vets where she had been AI'd and when we went to get her she had a ram in her field (she never seen a sheep before) nurse said ram was overweight and as rosas field had least amount of grass they put him in there!!! they said she wasn't bothered at all!!! lol if anything i thought she would have s**t herself!!
 
Ive just moved my girl to a field with sheep and she doesnt bother them and they dont bother her. My friend has a sheep in with her two horses and the one horse imparticlar loves it. They both give as good as they get:)
 
It's difficult to say what will happen. I have pet sheep and Shire horses. Some of my adult horses get along with the sheep and some don't particularly want them in their field. My late Clyde loved the sheep. He groomed the ones that would stand still long enough to let him. Some of the sheep wouldn't get anywhere near the horses. Without appearing to sit on the fence about it, you'll just have to approach it as a trial and error experience. But, for goodness sake, don't plunk a few sheep (and there really should be more than one) in the field with your horse and leave. Horses and donkeys have been known to kill sheep! It's more than likely that the sheep will live in the field with the horses but not interact with them. Before you acquire the sheep, decide whether you want the commitment of yearly shearing, foot trimming, worming, and secure fencing which they will be unable to crawl under, winter feed (they mustn't eat horse feed because there is iron in it which the sheep can't have).

Good luck.
 
I have sheep in with my ponies and none of them seem bothered but my old connie used to kill sheep if he got in with them. He used to grab them by the back of the neck and shake them, he was never put in with sheep wile I had him.
My sheep will share the hay but the horses will send them away if they get cheeky
 
RutlandH2O said:
It's difficult to say what will happen. I have pet sheep and Shire horses. Some of my adult horses get along with the sheep and some don't particularly want them in their field. My late Clyde loved the sheep. He groomed the ones that would stand still long enough to let him. Some of the sheep wouldn't get anywhere near the horses. Without appearing to sit on the fence about it, you'll just have to approach it as a trial and error experience. But, for goodness sake, don't plunk a few sheep (and there really should be more than one) in the field with your horse and leave. Horses and donkeys have been known to kill sheep! It's more than likely that the sheep will live in the field with the horses but not interact with them. Before you acquire the sheep, decide whether you want the commitment of yearly shearing, foot trimming, worming, and secure fencing which they will be unable to crawl under, winter feed (they mustn't eat horse feed because there is iron in it which the sheep can't have).

Good luck.
Click to expand...

Cheers.... not particularily bothered about the care for the sheep as hubby can do all that, also don't think Freddie would harm one, he's so gentle, (but you never know) my main worry was would a solitary sheep treat Freds as it's companion, or would it leave in search of more sheep.. or if I had 2...... like you say it would be trial and error, perhaps i will borrow a couple!
 
maree t said:
I have sheep in with my ponies and none of them seem bothered but my old connie used to kill sheep if he got in with them. He used to grab them by the back of the neck and shake them, he was never put in with sheep wile I had him.
My sheep will share the hay but the horses will send them away if they get cheeky
Click to expand...

What was your Connie's temperment like in general with other horses etc? Freddie is perfect with dogs/children/ponies and horses, but he is very much bottom of the pecking order, the mares give him a very hard time!
 
I keep my horse on a small private yard with 3 other horses and we have 3 sheep roaming around too. They don't stick with the horses but kind of mingle in and out I turnout fields and the yard. Horses aren't bothered at all by them, but don't think they would 'herd' together with the horses x
 
If you do risk it, put an electric fence line across a corner of the field so there is a bit of the field the sheep can escape to if the horse does turn nasty. And observe carefully for a while.

One of my horses cant have anything in his field, horse, sheep, pheasant or anything, the other likes sheep but goes weird with them, she seems to think they are her babies gone evil and wont let you near them, sort of croons at them but explodes if they move....its not always straighforward! but maybe its just my nags! we have 18 sheep but rotate them with the horses (better for worm eradication to have them following anyway)
 
My connie was a dope , he was 27 years old and perfect apart from his hatred of sheep. You could have put a baby on him he was that quiet , you could ride through sheep and past them no problem he wasnt scared he just hated them in his field, he was also fine with other horses and cows even so proceed with caution !!.
My sheep dont bother with the horses much so not sure how much company they would be
 
I agree with the elctric fence idea, somewhere they can get under that the horse cant is a good idea

I have sheep and bought two ponies in the summer, neither had lived with sheep before and sheep and ponies have all been fine

I would have two sheep though, that would provide sheepie company but also you would reduce the risk of it wandering off or becoming too relient on the horse and reduce the chances of injury as sheep will stick together to some degree

Be careful of feeding any hard feed in the field, sheep are very greedy and will stick their heads in buckets (I feed from hook on buckets) and they cannot have copper which most other animal feeds contain

Sheep also need more guaranteed levels of vits and minerals so mine have a bucket lick, this is really sugary though so that needs to be kept away from the ponies, I separate off the sheep once a week to let rip on the bucket lick before returning them to the grazing area
 
Devonshire dumpling said:
What was your Connie's temperment like in general with other horses etc? Freddie is perfect with dogs/children/ponies and horses, but he is very much bottom of the pecking order, the mares give him a very hard time!
Click to expand...

It may be worse if he is bottom of the pecking order, he may decide that this is his chance to lord it over someone and bully the sheep!! I haven't any experience of sheep tho, so just a thought. :)
 
My horse lives fine with any number of sheep. He is grandad to the pet lambs when they get turned out to keep foxes away, they use him as a climbing frame! He doesn't like to share his food though, but he doesn't do much more than pull a face or raise a leg. I think one sheep will be lonely and wander off so try to get a few. Oh and they chew tails, I've just cut my boy's up to his hocks as it was half chewed off. Even though he is a greedy boy he isn't interested in the mineral blocks but does have prime position at the hay rack.
 
I've got two sheep in with mine, one horse gets on very well with them, one will remind them who is charge over hay, and I have to be very careful with my foal as he used to chase them and try and bite them :(

Personally I find them hard work unless they are easily seperated at feed times, as others have said they shouldn't eat the horse feed but they are very determined animals.

If I use a hanging bucket the one will sneek underneath it and head butt it off:rolleyes: or he runs and throws himself at it, usually managing to get his head over it whilst standing on two legs, this will then make the bucket slide along the gate with him hopping along with it, head still firmly stuck in bucket :D

Back to your original question, they don't really stick to the horses in a 'herd' . They are usually the other side of the paddock to each other
 
I have lots of sheep sheeping about with my horses at the mo, and most summers have 2 tups in with the horses.

The 2 tups tend to stay close to the horses, but don't really interact with them. They just mooch about eating, escaping & doing their sheepy thing :) So company wise for horses depending on the sheep, they aren't really great :(
 
ETA Glad you have gone off the idea.

Horses and sheep can be a disaster. With Freddie being young I would not do it as he will likely "play" with the sheep who will not enjoy this incidentally.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top