Mine are turned out together,my mare does bully my gelding a bit but to be honest she is just a typical opinionated section a so would probably bully whoever she was turned out with,he has just learned to stay away from her hay and her when she is in a mood lol
my two go out together on their own and are great field buddies, she isn't marish though - you hardly know she is in season and he is an alpha male so likes to be in charge -suppose it depends on the individual horse and what they are like.
Share horsey, who is small & also usually at the bottom of the pecking order, seems to do a bit better with just geldings. He has been happy out with a mixed herd but a particular mare used to want him as 'hers' when she was in season and would keep others away. Not sure he had much choice in the matter (or if he thought that was a good thing!).
They are so individual you probs want to keep an eye whatever you decide to do with new introductions. But it certainly /can/ be fine
I have always had both mares and geldings and haven't had any problems apart from over bonding when in season some times. My shetland mare is fantastic and will get on with anything regardless of gender. I do find my gelding is better with a mare as he is able to be boss and the mare just lets him get on with it.
At the first livery yard we kept the horses at the livery horses (it was also a riding school) were all chucked in the same field - lots and lots of mares and geldings together, with many of them going out and coming in at different times.
There was one particular gelding in there who was very protective over the mares and, although the geldings didn't tend to bother the mares, the gelding would pick fights.
Blackjack came in once with a huge gash down his inner hind leg, along the hock. Called the vet out, who said if it had been half an inch in any direction then he probably would have had to be PTS on the spot.
We moved the horses pretty quickly after BJ was better.
YO and horse's owner didn't seem to think that there was a problem.
I think mares and geldings are OK together in a small, settled herd, but when horses are constantly coming and going (due to exercise or different routines) or new horses coming into the herd does upset the balance and the pecking order. I wouldn't put any of my horses into a mixed-sex herd again.
We put mares and gelding out togther and mares and our stallion and the stallion and geldings out (only when no mares around!!) And have never had any problems. All my old horses have been kept mixed without problems.
I think the problems come only with certain geldings when the mares are in season, because of this I too am in favour of splitting them. We had a mare in our field of geldings last year, all was well and chummy until she came into season and then there was carnage, lukily with no lasting injurys but lesson learnt!
My mare used to be on a livery yard with separate turnout, which was fine for mare owners, as they were quite settled with an established pecking order, so no problems. The geldings were a nightmare though, charging up and down the fence lines, bullying each other and crowding the gate. I'm not sure if that was because they were not with the mares, but I haven't seen behaviour as bad as that on yards with mixed herds.
Now, we have a herd of 8; 2 geldings (one a youngster) and 6 mares (also one youngster) who seem a happy little unit. The alpha mare is ultimate boss, backed up by the older gelding, and they all know their place, which does avoid kicks and fighting. My mare has luckily always been at the bottom of the herd; she gets a good kicking when they first meet, but then she submits straight away and gets left alone after that. Although the initial introduction can be a bit scary from my point of view, it means that she isn't involved in any kerfuffles with the others, and so I don't get injuries, or angry liveries being cross with me (which happens a lot, even though horses are horses, and will fight from time to time)
Unfortunately, the filly is also mine, and now that she is growing up, she is starting to challenge the others at the gate etc, so I hope she gets a telling off soon and nips it in the bud!
Mine are together, my lesbian mare only shows in season when shes with other mares and is a complete tart with them. The gelding does boss her about quite a bit though, he prefers bigger horses , i think he thinks she can nip up and steal his food when hes not looking probably because shes 12hh and sticks herself between his back legs for fly releif
I actually prefer mixed herds, in general less bullying and also play fighting seems to happen in mixed herds in my experience.
If an issue regarding bullying or geldings mounting mares etc does arise any decent YO/YM should provide seperate grazing for the horse causing the problems or they should be asked to leave.
Unfortunately this doesn't always happen and this along with other issues relating to poor management such as over grazing is why horses end up being injured in the field rather than because they are turned out in mixed sex groups.
My boy is in a mixed herd - 3 other geldings, 5 mares and a filly.
It works out quite well as he seems to have taken to the mares and filly more than the geldings. He used to be bottom of the pecking order when with previous owner but the head mares have really taken to him so he's quite happy.
With his previous owner he was sharing a field with one gelding (they didn't have mixed herds).
I don't have any problem with them being in together as such but we did have to move poor Bruno out of Lil's field after she chased him round the field kicking him. I think it just depends on the horse.
Have always kept boys and girls together with no problems. Right now we have two mares who are 15.3hh and 16.2hh and both bossy with a 12.1hh older gelding and they have no probs. It's always been the girls that pick fights with each other more than anything.
Captain has issues with mares, we think he maybe a rig, but whatever he simply does not like them.He caused mayhem whe he was in an adjacent field, also does not like them next to him in a stable. He will lunge at Fany and try to bite her through the bars, luckily she just looks at him and gets on with her haylage. Fany is great with everyone, but prefers mares.
Personally I am happy our yard separates them it removes any issues.
My gelding was a nightmare when he was out with a mare and two geldings - he became very bossy and naughty to ride. He was totally obsessed with her - he spent all day with her - kept all the other geldings away even though she wasn't in season, called to her constantly, wouldn't settle until he had her in sight . He has now been separated and returned to his normal self.
She is now in season and the 3 year old out with her was mounting her at the weekend and has pulled half her mane out so they had to be separated. The other gelding with her is totally uninterested.
I can see why all mare fields can be a problem - Ive certainly seen some really nasty fights when one mare has cornered another and they've kicked the **** out of each other - so there are pros and cons.