Should I be concerned?

suffolkmare

suffolkmare

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Just over a month ago we moved my boy from a gelding-only paddock where he'd been since moving to the yard in November. He was stabled at night with hay, and hay provided in the paddock. Unfortunately the quality of the hay and straw was variable and he developed a cough. When it progressed from the odd cough to requiring medication, I had to make changes, so he went out 24/7 in a larger field with haylage. He was a bit stressed by the move, fair enough so soon after the yard move from his "old life" where he'd spent 10 years. However he is now in with 3 other geldings and...A MARE! Now he spent 10 years as a RS pony, plenty of mares around, and never showed the slightest interest, but now...he's in love! The first 2 weeks he was bolshy, noisy and forgot his manners if separated from her, but this has improved to the point I've been able to do a short hack on our own without napping once I've ridden smartly out of the yard. He was fine on a longer ride with one of the other geldings yesterday, just a few loud neighs when we met other horses and when almost home. But... today he was seen mounting her... so...
a) do I worry about this behaviour happening when daughter is riding with her friend who owns the mare?
b) should I consider using a calmer temporarily/permanently? (He has settled well otherwise now)
c) should I just smile and be amused that at 16 he's had such a new lease of life?!
I assume he was gelded before the age of 5, but don't know much about his early life.
1/2 a choccy egg for reading through!
 
Oh, and here's a pic of him in his new LW turnout, does he look like a naughty boy??!

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The mounting is worrying one because it could damage the mare and the mare could well damage him.
It's likely this passion for the mare will subside once he gets used to having her about but whether the mares owners is happy to run that risk is another case .
I had a gelding once who had lived alone before I bought him his behaviour with the mares was terrible including two being badly injured after he jumped/ and battered through four fence to get to them and one on drip to recover from the shock.
I was very close to dispatching him to the kennels when a dealer friend suggested regumate ( the stuff for mares ) the vet was dubious but we where in a tight spot with no place to go so we tried it it was a complete answer we used it the first summer he came off it in winter and was normal the next year.
I am not saying you are in anything like this situation but that option is there if things get worse .
 
Last autumn we introduced the new gelding on the yard to my made, within an hour they were like an old married couple. Imagine my shock when the following day the 25 yr old gelding was mounting my mare ! However he never tries in the stable block or being led, but, I'm not sure if yours would when ridden, wouldn't have thought so. Good luck though. If you ignore it, it may go away, mine did lol!
 
I would not be too worried for your horse (might be good to have a look if mare has hind shoes though) but talk to the mare owner as the mare could get a sore back/owner could be worried for their horse. Have had mares mounted by geldings and it didn't cause problems. In the 1st case horses were separated by an electric fence and reintroduced after seasons over and problem never reoccurred (horses are still together now). In the second case the mare was moved to a new yard soon after. The gelding was shod and he once left light scuff marks on the mare's coat although was a lightweight pony gelding mounting a 16.1hh warmblood mare so I wasn't too worried (she had to help him by lowering her croup!).
ETA: He looks exactly like the type that takes my mare's fancy, big dark bay gelding!
 
Thank you for the replies. I am optimistic it's just a phase/part of settling in, and he has calmed down a lot when being led/handled from 4 weeks ago. When he first went out with her, the grey gelding seemed to be protecting "his girl" and if mine came within 15 yards the mare flew at him with bared teeth, so she now seems to have accepted him as they can graze side by side. He hacks out happily with any of the others apart from one day soon after the move when we tried a combination of my boy, elderly gelding and the mare; we had to abort after 15 mins of jogging and spinning deteriorated into kicking out (all of them!), a mini rear (my boy) and elderly boys rider wanting to get off (we persuaded her to stay on, and took them all home safely).
I didn't see my lad mount the mare, but I will be watching when I can, and asking if anyone else has seen this; if it continues I will consider using regumate/rigcalm. It does seem out of character for an ex-plod! BTW he had hacked out and schooled with the mare with no issues before moving into her field. His attitude suggests he's discovered his inner Welshie (he's "Welsh x" on passport); mare is a young chestnut Welsh D with white socks & blaze; the mare's owner thinks they could have lovely babies, lol!
 
Palindrome, that's made me smile...he's not big!! Only 14.1 (but thinks he's 16hh now!) and rather narrow (easy on riders hips). The mare is about 15hh, and thankfully both are barefoot. In his old life at RS he never got involved with any over-the-fence new-horse skirmishes, leaving that to his half-brother field buddy to sort out, giving the impression he was a bit of a wuss!
 
Try a rig calmer.
It may just help for a while until he fully settles.
Then you may be able to stop using it.

A lot of mates come into season after a move to this is just the geldig version!
 
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