What are your experiences with mixed herds?

Kirstineridesagain

Kirstineridesagain

Well-Known Member
Joined
19 April 2023
Messages
435
Visit site
I’m thinking ages, sizes and genders. And how do you know if horses will get on before introducing them to each other? What happens if horses don’t get on but the owners have decided to share fields and help each other out?

My mare is a bit fussy with other horses (she’s a chestnut mare, after all) so I want to make sure she will get on with my friend’s horse. I have read up on how to introduce them and will follow all the tips. If they really don’t get along then we will have a problem on our hands, but how often does this happen?
 
A well-socialised horse (which is what I'd expect from an icey) should be fine in a mixed herd. And if the gelding's been in a mixed herd before, I wouldn't worry. Potential issue can be if you have one gelding and multiple mares - that can make the male quite studdish, but then I've known same sex herds where one mare has become very defensive of and almost stallion-like with the other mares. They're horses. There's no statistics you can use to say if they will or won't get along.

Even if they don't get along, as long as there's enough space for them to stay out of each other's way, and they get multiple hay piles, things will work out. And if they're the only horses in their field, chances are they'll become friends quite quickly.

I will also add that, from a social enrichment POV, mixed herds are superior imo. However, does she still have a foal at foot? Because, as you can imagine, introducing a mare with a foal at foot to a gelding is a much riskier enterprise.
 
Didn't she live in a mixed herd at the 'livery ' she was at previously?
There will be snorting and zoomies and general anxiety-inducing shenanigans but I think most horses settle fine into mixed herds - especially settled mixed herds where new horses don't come and go often. I couldn't comment on introducing a mare with foal though. My go to if worried usually would be separate by two lines of fencing at first, then go down to one, then take the fencing away entirely, when they seem relaxed in each others company. But tape/temporary fencing might not be ok for use with a baby, I've no experience with foals.
 
I've always kept mine in a mixed herd, usually similar sizes but wide range of ages and personalities. Currently got 3 geldings and 3 mares, some are better buddies with particular horses than others, but all get on very well. I've had more unbalanced mixes in the past with no issue as well. Plenty of space, and more hay stations than you have horses, with care taken about corners and tight spots and it generally all works out fine.
Usually they give me a heart attack for a while kicking off if anything changes in the herd makeup, but are fine within a day. I try to pick dry days (so less slipping) for introductions, and always with plenty of space. Only ever had one major injury from these scuffles, between two particularly stroppy horses who got a lucky strike in. So, not risk free, but generally speaking sorts out fine and well worth it for all the benefits of a mixed herd.

Last winter I had 8 in the herd, and one particular young mare who got very big for her boots and managed to rope the rest of the mares into a girl gang bullied the rest. Managed it by being even more careful about spreading out food sources, and the instigator was stabled overnight to give everyone a break from her shenanigans.

Can you ride the horses out together a few times to see how they are with each other? It's not 100% but can help. Take it with a grain of salt though, one of mine is a little madam about personal space out on rides, you'd think she'd be a terror in a field but nope, absolutely fine. Sometimes horses are weird :P
 
I've had geldings in with mares and foals But always ones they had previously lived with before foaling. I never risked a strange gelding. If I knew the gelding well but he was still a stranger to the mare I'd probably have divided them with electric fencing. (Provided foals had been introduced to the concept of electric fencing.)
But then I'm a 'if it can happen it will' worrier about youngsters of any species!
 
Is the foal weaned yet?

Defo no to putting a mare and foal in with a strange gelding at a new yard. At worst you might end up with a dead foal.

What other options for turnout are there at the new yard? The priority must be the welfare of your mare and foal. Foal will need to be weaned or gelded before too long anyway, as otherwise you risk him impregnating his mum or any other mare he’s turned out with.
 
OP is there really no suitable mare and foal livery within travelling distance, or even another yard with mate/s and foal/s, and experienced people to help?
 
Your biggest concern in the immediate future will be the complication of a foal being in the mix. How will your mare react to a strange mare being around it, how will that mare react to the foal? You'll need to keep them separate (adjoining fields with a good solid fence) and literally see how it goes
 
Tiddlypom said:
What other options for turnout are there at the new yard? The priority must be the welfare of your mare and foal. Foal will need to be weaned or gelded before too long anyway, as otherwise you risk him impregnating his mum or any other mare he’s turned out with.
Click to expand...
Foal is barely 3 months old, so won’t be impregnating anyone for quite some time! He really needs to be with his mum a few months longer unless there’s a significant problem with either mare or foal.
 
Amymay Again said:
Your biggest concern in the immediate future will be the complication of a foal being in the mix. How will your mare react to a strange mare being around it, how will that mare react to the foal? You'll need to keep them separate (adjoining fields with a good solid fence) and literally see how it goes
Click to expand...

There is that flexibility, luckily.
 
Amymay Again said:
Considering that the majority of the forum urged the op most strongly to remove her mate from foaling livery, I expect they've done nothing but think this through.
Click to expand...

This!! I think about how to best do this day and night. Believe me, all options have been explored. There are no foal and mare studs nearby, and I’ve also exhausted all other liveries in the area. This place can be tailored to suit us, which is great. I also asked the same question on a different forum - a European one - and got very different answers. That’s why I’m wondering what people’s real experiences are. Ideally a docile mare will join our little herd, I think that’s the safest option. But many actually think a gelding could be good. So I’m slightly confused and may turn to my real life expert for guidance on this.
 
Kirstineridesagain said:
This!! I think about how to best do this day and night. Believe me, all options have been explored. There are no foal and mare studs nearby, and I’ve also exhausted all other liveries in the area. This place can be tailored to suit us, which is great. I also asked the same question on a different forum - a European one - and got very different answers. That’s why I’m wondering what people’s real experiences are. Ideally a docile mare will join our little herd, I think that’s the safest option. But many actually think a gelding could be good. So I’m slightly confused and may turn to my real life expert for guidance on this.
Click to expand...
That's the beauty of the set up you're going to. Flexibility. Of course, I think many of us would agree, a mixed herd can work just fine. But, in time (in your situation). Never underestimate what absolute evil pigs mature horses can be with foals and youngsters.
 
With a colt foal, the ideal companion post-weaning would usually be a tolerant gelding who will create boundaries.

Although unlikely, a young colt could offer fertile cover to a mare, especially coming into his yearling spring. Added to which, colts are annoying to girls and need other boys to play with!

ETA: Actually, the ideal companion would be at least one other colt foal amongst a larger herd of tolerant geldings, but I knew this post was focusing on there being just one other adult horse, so I omitted that option from my answer - probably shouldn't've done!
 
Last edited:
People are only concerned. No one wants to see any horse hurt or a new owner heartbroken. Wanting to get away from the current situation is totally understandable but as a new owner with a young foal it would be easy to go out of the frying pan and into the fire, which no one wants for owner or the horses. 🤷 and it's safer to assume a new owner doesn't know something than not say for fear of repeating advice they've already heard.

Foals sound stressful 😂
 
I'm similar to you in that I bred my first foal this year, so I will give you my experience, though my set up is very different to yours.

I've owned the dam for 7 years and in that time I've had her on DIY livery with individual turn out (she was in love with the mare across the fence), full livery with mixed group turn out (2 mares including mine and 3 geldings), full livery with pair turnout (this was back at the yard she was bred at with her platonic boyfriend) and at home where she currently is with a older mare companion.

My mare is a bossy little thing when it comes to other horses, so when she was on group turn out, they did the introduction to the current dominant mare separately, before turning out with the geldings. Mine asserted herself top cat and took over the herd. There were a few minor scrapes at first and her seasons started showing way more than before either on individual turnout or in the presence of her long term platonic boyfriend.

When she came home and I took on Old Lady, I asked for a trial period to see if they would get along. I realise this isn't often an option, but it was nice to have. Old Lady came from herd turnout with I expect a fair bit of turnover in herd composition and is an ex-broodmare, so her social skills were developed if nothing else. Both mares are relatively independent, and for very long seemed to tolerate rather than appreciate each other, which was fine by me. They have grown attached other the last three years and can occasionally be seen mutually grooming and very occasionally sharing a bucket / hay pile.

Pippin was born in the paddock at home with Old Lady looking on (Little Madam apparently didn't care to wait until I could bring her into the stable). Old Lady was turned out with Little Madam and Pippin from the very first day, she was also stabled next to them when they came in, so she was already a stable part of Little Madam's herd. She did show a bit of excessive curiosity at first, but with Little Madam the established dominant, she was clearly told to back off, and all was fine. In the early days, both mares would often be standing guard over the sleeping foal.

I have very recently introduced an 18 month old filly to my herd, to give Pippin a horse closer to his own age to interact with and give the mares a bit of a break from a boisterous colt. Again, Sassy came straight from her breeder's where she'd lived in a herd of similar aged colts until they got too old to be left with the fillies, fillies, broodmares including her dam and their offspring from the following year, so a well socialised horse, young and small enough not to be a big threat to Pippin. I was planning a by-the-book introduction: adjacent paddocks, put her in with Old Lady and then with all three. She saw things differently and as a young filly who had left home for the first time was obviously too nervous to be left on her own in a paddock. She would have attempted to go through the fence. So I took a chance and threw them all in together. Pippin was extremely excited to find out there were other horses in the world, got too forward and got kicked, no harm done, he learnt his lesson. Little Madam reverse at her at speed, tail tucked and squealing a few times, Sassy, being well socialised, got out of the way. She has been exceedingly polite to Little Madam ever since and seems to appreciate her presence. The shock was my Old Lady. She lunged at Sassy mouth open and teeth forward several times and would chase her away from the group. I was not expecting it as Old Lady is a mild mannered granny. She was however taking her role as a protective aunt seriously. Everyone has settled down over time and they're getting one fine.

My takeout from all that is that horses don't always read the manual and may have different ideas to what you thought. You may have to re-evaluate very quickly. I don't think it's really relevant whether it's a mare or a gelding you introduce to your herd, it would be more important that it's a well socialised horse. You can't tell in advance if they'll get on or not, and "not killing each other" is sometimes the best you can hope for. If you're going to introduce another while your mare still has her foal at foot, I would either go for something young enough to be a minimal physical threat to the foal or something that is smaller than the mare and used to foals to reduce risk to your foal. Ideally I would do introductions by-the-book, but for that the newbie will have to be able and willing to stay alone.

Oh, and my mares half-brother sired his first foal at 11 months old, do not trust their innocent looks. Pippin will be gelded the minute there's anything there to remove.
 
Last edited:
Amymay Again said:
That's the beauty of the set up you're going to. Flexibility. Of course, I think many of us would agree, a mixed herd can work just fine. But, in time (in your situation). Never underestimate what absolute evil pigs mature horses can be with foals and youngsters.
Click to expand...

It’s great being aware of this now, so that my friend and I can work out how to do this.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top