Vices again - but a bit more serious!

Ravenwood

Ravenwood

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We have had new pony for a couple of months now and he really is super - except - when he is in the field with my two mares he turns into a stallion and viciously attacks me if I try to go in to catch them or even just walk round the field. He charges at me, swings round and kicks out - every time, it is very dangerous and I cannot allow my daughter, or anyone infact, to go into the field.

I now manage to catch them by calling them to the gate and letting them through one at a time - once you have caught new pony he instantly turns back into a sweetie again.

This is quite an elderly pony that we have on loan and he hasn't been with mares for quite some years. I was hoping he would improve but he hasn't. I can keep him separate and he is absolutely fine then but it would really be so much easier and nicer for him if they could all go out together.

I have been out in the field and defended myself with a hunting crop, which keeps him at bay but isn't curing the problem

I have never encountered this before and would appreciate some advice.
 
My stallion went through a very short-lived phase like this a year or so ago. He didn't attack you and certainly didn't threaten you, but he used to circle the mares to try to discourage them from going with you. I also stopped my daughter from going in to catch her little mare first - I told her to catch the stallion, put him in one of our small corrals, take the little mare out and then release him from the corral. Worked perfectly and he soon outgrew this behaviour.

Could you build a small containment area (corral) at the edge of the field? Then your daughter could catch him up and put him in there until she has her mare out of the field?
 
Check for b***ocks perhaps?
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Sorry, I'm being a bit rude at the moment.
What I meant was, is there any chance he could be a rig - the testes could be inside him, so you may need a blood test to tell?
For management, it might be worth building an electric fence square round the gateway, then filtering them in one by one to catch them.
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Trouble is Tia - you can't catch him because you can't get near him - he charges you as soon as you start to walk in the field.

Luckily my horses usually come when they are called so I just have to grab him from over the gate and then all is well, but if they don't come to call we have to go into the field to get them but this is too dangerous for my daughter to do. This of course leads to another problem - it means I have to turn him out with his headcollar on and that just frightens the life out of me!
 
Oh! Well no I wouldn't let my daughter go in either if this is how he reacts. See mine was perfectly placid so long as you caught him first.

I think for the time-being your best bet is to segregate him from the mares at least some of the time. Does he do it when the mares aren't in season? Is he like this all the time?
 
Personally I don't think he is a rig (although this has crossed my mind) because at all other times he is perfectly behaved. He is just hell bent on protecting my mares from me but only out in the field.
 
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. Does he do it when the mares aren't in season? Is he like this all the time?

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Yes - unfortunately it is every single time!
 
What does he do if you catch him up and take him to task over it? You really have to show him that you are the boss of this field and not him, as he seems to think.
 
I haven't tried that. As soon as he is caught he is perfectly behaved and I praise him!

However like I say I have been out with the hunting crop and lashed out at him every time he swung his back end round to me - I don't think I have managed to make contact though - he is too quick! He then keeps his distance but still manages to keep himself between me and the mares so it hasn't work and is definitely not curing this problem.

I think I am going to try and just walk around the field everyday without approaching any of them and keep using the crop when he comes for me.
 
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Building an electric pen might work then - either at the gate or at one side. Catch him first (or let him go in loose for some hay).
Then you can safely catch the mares.
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Yes we pretty much have this set up in a round about way in that the small field leads into the big field with the middle gate left open. So this is the gate I close, call them to it and let them through one at a time - its nightmare because they all start fighting to get through at the same time!
 
I did have (and still have) a boarding horse who although wasn't protective of the other horses, would actually come at me when I went into the field. He was an incredibly bolshy horse. My way of dealing with him was to always catch him up when he did this and tell him off. Then I would release him and if he went to do it again, same thing, I'd catch him up and tell him off again. A couple of times after being released he would back up and try to kick me - I threw a rubber bucket and shouted at him. I also started to do a lot of hand work with him and this really did seem to make a difference. I was firm but fair with him (although not overly sweet to him) and I expected absolutely impeccable manners from him or he was picked up immediately. He finally learned to respect me and my space, and accepted me as top dog. I haven't had the slightest bit of trouble from him for well over a year now.
 
How did you catch him in the first place though? I can't take a bucket of food into the field because they will all charge for it and start fighting.

God, life was so easy with just two - three really seems to be one too many!
 
He wasn't difficult to catch and I always left a halter on him. Mind you he didn't charge at me, just used to come up and spin around to try to kick me. After he had tried, I'd get round to his head and catch hold of his halter.

I've only once had a horse charge me, one of mine on the day I brought her home, and I can say that at the end of a 6ft lead rope, it was not fun! She is not like this anymore thankfully. I can't take any credit for her not being like this anymore though as she just stopped doing it herself.

Maybe it's time to send the pony back to where he came from?
 
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Maybe it's time to send the pony back to where he came from?

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Well there's really no need because at the end of the day I can keep him separate - I just wondered what I could do to try and resolve it.

On the plus side - my daughter has really clicked with him and in the short time we have had him, her confidence has grown tremendously, her riding has already improved and they are loving jumping together so I think we will hang onto to him for a little while longer!
 
tbh...considering he is elderly and is perfectly behaved otherwise, I would just keep him seperate and avoid the hassle....old dogs/new tricks and all that!!
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