Those with bottom of the pecking order horses.

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littlen

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Does yours reguarly get injured?

Is there a quick way of healing cuts etc without leaving scars?
Is there a wound powder or something that you swear by?
I want to show my boy but every single time he comes in with a new bite or kick and its marking us down.
At the moment he is sporting a large graze across his shoulder, various cuts and a bite mark on his bum. Not bad wounds but enough to remove the top layer of skin and leave a mark. He is grey with black skin so any mark is very obvious.

I have tried everything, and at the moment he is turned out with 2 shetlands who he loves but he still gets kicked etc. Short of putting him in by himself theres nothing I can do about it. He grazes with them and is happy in the group I think, he is just always bottom of the pile.

Any ideas?
 
I haven't really got any suggestions that would help unfortunately beyond wondering whether where you keep your horse you can divide up the field with electric fencing so he has his own paddock area but is within sight etc of other horses in their own little paddocks too?

I feel for you as it can be very worrying. Mine's fairly low down in the pecking order (if not at the bottom) in a herd of 11 geldings and is the smallest but while he does get a few chunks of hair taken out of him now and again he's pretty canny about sussing out which horse is boss and which horses don't like him so he's good at keeping out of the way. He will stand up for himself if he needs to though. And his main interest is the grass when he's out in the field! He put his poll out and pulled a muscle in his shoulder last autumn when another larger cob crept up behind him and pinned him in when he was head into the hedge, also bit him, poor pony tried to escape but was trapped and did the most awkward launch and stumble out of the hedge to try and escape whilst the other horse bit him on the shoulder and drew blood. He becomes very wary of individual horses after he's had any run ins like that. Winter's worst for me as he gets very bullied as they gather at the gate to be brought in of an afternoon and it's not a pleasant experience for me either so I go armed with a crop now as horses will come at mine if they think he's being brought in ahead of them. Not all horses though - just those ill mannered ones who have no respect for humans and their space! He did cut his face on a rough bit of fencing by the gate last year as got trapped again and had to get too close to the fence to escape. Likes yours mine are all mainly skin wounds but that one took ages for the hair to regrow.

It's quite interesting though as the head gelding seems not to tolerate fighting between others and will move towards them to shift them on if there's something going on.

I hope things improve so you can get more of your showing and your chap doesn't get so beaten up.
 
Thanks for your reply Mochadun, its nice to hear of someone else in a similar situation!

He has been in 3 different groups. At first he was in with a herd of 10 geldings. They bullied him for 6 months (I left him in the hope he would settle) and after a kick resulting in 3 weeks box rest I decided enough was enough.
He then went in with a group of the older horses, but also got bullied there. It then came into winter and I was unable to get my horse out of the field without being charged and ran at by the others and I got trampled at the gate as one charged my horse and he tried to bolt.

Ever since he has been in with the 2 shetlands. A bit of a nightmare really as there really isnt enough grass for him as they are in a starvation type paddock and he is a poor doer but it seems the lesser of two evils! Even so he is very much the underdog and comes in with cuts and marks regulally, its driving me insane!
Unfortunatley though he is a very stressy horse. He gets easily attatched to his companions and will shout and scream if he is alone. I have tried the electric fence idea but he paced up and down it trying to find a way through, not good as I am trying to make him gain weight!
 
Jake10 said:
No real help but could you try a mixed herd or having donkey/sheep companions instead?
Click to expand...

He is in a mixed herd at the moment. Well the shetlands are a mare and gelding. Mare is definatley the boss!

I have tried a mixed larger herd but he was cornered and kicked to pieces, he hasted about an hour before I removed him. I am now at a new yard which only allows mare/gelding herds, my shetlands the exception and they are borrowed from a friend so he has some form of company!
Yard dosent allow sheep/goats and I dont have my own land either. I also think he would stress more without horsey companions but I dont know :(
 
My arab is grey - and he lives with 3 girlies, so he is definitely bottom of the pecking order!!

I have sectioned their field so he is in a patch on his own, but can is next door to the girls. This seems to make the girls more peaceful, as they aren't scrapping as to who is going beat Roo up next, and Roo is coming in with much less cuts and grazes.

However, if your boy is like my Roo, he will still manage to damage himself even if he is on his own with no one to beat him up. I think this is just par for the course with having a wussy gelding!! :) :) LOL!!
 
My horse is very near if not the top of the pack and i always feel really bad for the ones lower down when he's booting the ten-bells out of them. He also guards the watertrough when its hot (so for the last two or three weeks really) and none of the other horses dare come near it so end up parched by the time they get brought in at the end of the day to be ridden :(

I'd recommend Aloe Vera Gelly from Forever - if you can find a distributor near you. You can put it on open wounds too and it heals really really really quickly.
 
My horses are no's 1 (16.2 9 yo mare) and 2 (14.2 20 yo gelding) in their herd of 4 horses (3 = 15hh 14yo cob mare, 4 = 11.2 25 yo shetland x mare) - other 2 owned by my friend.

Before my big mare came along my gelding was no 1.

Does your boy have any horsey friends out in the field? It sounds like he never forms part of the herd - you say the first herd of 10 geldings all bullied him. And if he is being bullied by a couple of Shetties I am guessing he's a bit of a wuss! Bless him!

My horses are the top of the herd but are never violent and are fond of each other and their other fieldmates. In 3 years no-one has ever been hurt by another horse. My horses rule by face pulling and leg waving. The no3 cob may chase the shetland but has never hurt her and the shetland soon gets out of the way. They all groom each other, sleep together and we have no problems regarding access to water etc. I am confident if a horse like yours joined our group and assumed the bottom position without challenging the others to move up the ladder he would not be beaten up or bullied!

If your boy was mine I would be looking to keep him in his own paddock or with 1 or 2 likeminded individuals. If his only interaction with other horses is when he gets beaten up then he must surely be happier on his own.
 
Strangely enough he is very attatched to the shetlands. In the beginning he really suffered with separation anxiety but has impoved lots. He has been out alone before but seems miserable, paces, weaves at the gate and shouts all day.

I wish I had some great ideas to make him higher in the herd but I have no idea. He would never kick or bite back, his only defense is running away quickly. Infact I've never even seen him pull a face never mind be nasty. It seems all others know this and take advantage!
 
sounds like my gelding. doesnt have a nasty bone in his body and gets very attached to his field/yard mates.

hes pretty much bottom of the pecking order , he came in with an injury every day last week.
i have now resorted to bringing him in 3 hours (ish)earlier to try and avoid the gate scuffle and the fact that there is a serious lack of grass ( we need lots & lots of rain!!!!), he is still getting a good 4 hours turnout a day.
bringing him in earlier is also getting him used to not having his stable mates in at the same time as him and stop his screaming and stressy behaviour as well as giving me a chance to deal with his war wounds.

ive bought some turnout boots but tbh all his cuts are on the hock or above so dont think they are going to work very well
 
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