Tips for horses playing rough in field please?

[Pidge]

Ok so may be a really daft question but Pidge and Sunny get on very well together and share a field. They play a lot, heads, rearing at each other, Pidge goes to pull Sunny's mane, tail, feathers, long hairs on his hindquarters etc etc. Anyway the point of my question is I've now got 3 rugs being fixed for rips, and a Pidge who has lots of little nick over his face neck and body, good job we don't show

Pidge wears horseware rugs which are usually pretty tough so do I just grin and bear it and patch rugs and Pidge up or is there anything else I can do? I don't want to split them up as they get on so well?

 

[Morrigan_Lady]

Hmm, Id be interested to see replies to this as Arch came in last night looking like a battered soilder!

 

[AmyMay]

Can you librally spray the rugs with the anti bite stuff??

 

[Pidge]

Tell me about it! Half my grooming kit is first aid and currently Pidge has about 7 cuts on his face, 3 bad enough to be intrasited, and at least 10 bits over his neck and body. Last night he came in with a chewed section on the nearside of his rug

Sunny mind you rarely comes in with any scrapes

Although I have to admit Pidge probably deserves it as he torments Sunny something chronic to play with him

 

[CBAnglo]

You could try spraying cribbox/no bite on the rugs. Works for some horses but obviously does dry.

 

[Pidge]

Tried it and no joy

 

[CBAnglo]

How about diluted jeyes fluid? I had to spray this on the wood around their stables to stop them from chewing it.

 

[Pidge]

Could try that on the rugs, but what about Pidge's face?

 

[Bubblegum]

I have exactly the same with my two geldings. They play rearing & biting ALL the time if I put them out together. One comes in with nicks all over his head/neck... the other doesn't.
I have just decided to seperate them a bit to let things calm down. When there is loads of grass they don't 'play' nearly so much.
The other thing I have been told by my chiropractor... is that this constant rearing & twisting is very bad for their backs!!
Rug repairs.... my sewing machine is constantly on the go!!!!

 

[DuckToller]

My geldings do this too, I think it is the lack of anything else to do at the moment. They are at it constantly, and it is churning up the field too

I bought a couple of dengie field licks, which keeps them occupied for, oh, all of fifteen minutes. Then it's back to the rearing, biting, and the best one, grabbing each other round the back of the knee - I saw one gelding sieze the other firmly by the back tendons - aagh. I am just praying for grass growth now.

 

[Pidge]

that sounds like and Pidge and Sunny!
Ooh dear didn't realise it was bad for their backs, will ask Chiro when she comes out beginning of March........

 

[Pidge]

PMSL Llewelyn Pidge has also mastered the art of circling round Sunny in trot or canter, dropping to his knees, grabbing Sunny's feathers and getting up again all in one fluid movement

 

[kerilli]

must admit, if they play that hard, i split them up. i know it sounds harsh and "they're just having fun", but it doesn't take a lot for one to play a bit hard, and the other to retaliate, and the next thing you have a serious injury to deal with... or the hunt to call. been there, done that. for friend's horse, but still terribly upsetting.
btw, i turned 2 pacifist mares, who had never played or fought anything before, out together last autumn while away on hols as i thought it would be nicer for them both to have company. 1 was shod, the other smaller younger one wasn't. the unshod one kicked the older shod one on the knee. final vet bill - nearly £900.

 

[girla]

Ditto the Jeyes fluid answer as i find this does put them off biting/chewing etc. Corn of cresing to help with the hair growth back on the face. The thing is horse are very sociable herd animals and enjoy interaction. It's hard to explain to them they are being a bit boisterous (sp). Bubblegum your chiropractor mentioned it's bad for the backs, but it is also natural for horses to act this way and i am sure if they are in pain a playful nip will soon turn to a bite to the other to warn them to leave alone for a while.

 

[TicTac]

I agree with Llewelyn, my two used to be a real pain together in the winter when there is not enough grass to keep them amused despite hay etc. I ended up splitting my paddock and now keep them seperately. I know it's a pain to do this but I got totally fed up of vets bills for kicks and repair bills for damaged rugs.

 

[SDH]

[ QUOTE ]

Hmm, Id be interested to see replies to this as Arch came in last night looking like a battered soilder!

[/ QUOTE ]

I think ours have been "playing" too hard. Rusty snapped his headcollar clean in two on wednesday

 

[Sprout]

Two of mine do that, as soon as they have finished their hay, they get bored because there is no real grass yet!

The one whose rug seems to get torn the most, now has to wear an old LW rug on top of his proper rug, to save the decent one getting wrecked - that has saved a few repair bills!

 

[tabithakat64]

I have the ideal solution, Sunny can come and live with me

We have a couple of geldings that have been playing rough recently, definitely due to boredom. What about investing in some field toys?

 

[merlinsquest]

Merlin gets all the marks, but it is because he irritates the other horses and tries to break the group up

So in reality he deserves it

Not nice to own the chewed up horsey though

 

[hellybelly6]

Boys will be boys and horses will be horses. Sometimes, I want to tie his legs together!! Not that I do.

I have a similar problem with my horse.

I think its a combination of spring being around the corner and grazing being non-existant in his field.

I dont have a solution I am afraid, but you are not alone in this!

 

[Cobbysmum]

Thank you all who posted here! I have been considering turning two of mine who have been in adjacent fields for the last two years into the same field tomorrow. My cob is the alpha and is turned out with a mare and a gelding daily and my tb is turned out with his little section A girlfriend. You have just made me see sense and look for another solution. Was hoping to rest the big field but think I'll just split it and leave cobby in there. Can't have him beating up the golden boy