What makes a horse get run into the ground by another?

Gingerwitch

Gingerwitch

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A couple of weeks ago I posted about my friend who's livery yard is probably going to be sold as the old farmer gent has sadly passed away. Anyhow - she has taken the plunge and moved her old girl who had been at the yard for 20 odd years - on Wednesday the horse settled and all was well until today.

New horse young 3 year old - turned out with a small mixed herd - about 5 horses - everything going well until lunchtime when the young gelding attacked the older mare ? Apparantly the vet has been called and the old girl is fine but has lots of bites, kicks, her rug is shredded and the horse was literally chased to exhaustion. It took a couple of people to beat the young horse off (it has no manners apparantly and does not even bat an eye at a human).

What on earth makes one horse do this to another - the old mare is a very low ranking one, and would not have put up a fight, she would have just run away.

Anyone every heard of this before?
 
I remember that post.

Some idiot turned her horse out once into the same field as my step mothers horse who was new to the yard. Long story but step mothers horse had to be PTS as kick from woman's horse got infected. That's the worst i've experienced.
 
Sadly my lovely section d gelding, who is a lovely ride, and fantastic to handle by any human, will do this to a smaller and/or weaker horse. It's horrible to watch, I know. He is kept with a companion, but they are separated by an electric fence, and both are very happy. He's just too territorial to put them in together.
 
I guess the young horse was trying to dominate her, and once he realised she wasn't going to fight back much he really laid into her? Some horses are like this sadly, rather like human bullies. Hope old mare is ok. Might be safer to turn her out away from this gelding in future.
 
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Sadly my lovely section d gelding, who is a lovely ride, and fantastic to handle by any human, will do this to a smaller and/or weaker horse. It's horrible to watch, I know. He is kept with a companion, but they are separated by an electric fence, and both are very happy. He's just too territorial to put them in together.

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My older cob will do this
frown.gif
he also lives in his own paddock as i cannot trust him
 
A few years ago, I had an old mare who was poorly and had been booked in to be PTS. The day before I turned her out as normal, and 3 of the geldings started chasing her. They did this til she fell and thenbit and kicked her.

I managed to get her out of the field, and up the the stables, where the Vet came and put her to sleep then and there.

I think they did it beacuse she was old and weak, and in a herd situation, would have placed them at risk from predators.

Her 3 daughters were also in the field, and none of them joined in, in fact, they surrounded me and her as I led her up the field and protected us from the other horses.

The established herd in this field may find the mare a threat in the same way.
 
Thanks for the info - now here is another question - if the old mare was in the field first ie Wednesday - and the new horse that arrived today Sunday - is the agrressor - which one should be moved? I know at my yard the "new commer" is always the one to be moved - or put in the naughtly paddock.

I suppose what has made the issue worse is that I have had the tearful I knew this would happen calls and I should have stayed where I was until the farm was sorted.

And I feel so guilty as my friend is in Durham and with the best will in the world with the 50 mile average speed check on the M6 I wont be there till late - and I dont think my boss will appreciate a call at this time of night to ask for tomorrow off!
 
Cant answer why apart from dominance, weekness isues but something similar happened to me.
I moved my then 4 yr old to a new yard. He had no malice in him at all but was very playful and a bit of a mitherer, hence me moving as he was getting battered by some of the large herd he was in with as they didnt want to play and my daft horse just stood there taking the battering. Moving him meant he could be with a smaller number of horses. I turned him out and boss horse just wouldnt leave him alone, running him ragged. I ended up taking him out of the field for his safety, all the other horses accepted him, even playing with him but boss horse was having none of it. Tried the next day but the same. Friend on yard said this horse was the boss but she hadnt seen him chase, bite and kick like he was doing before. I lasted 3 days on that yard and went back to my old yard. Luckily I found somewhere else shortly after.
 
I've read a theory about it sometimes being to do with keeping the 'herd' as a whole healthy so elderly unsound mares (not saying this one is!) would get bullied when they came into season... But there will be others on here more expert in that kind of thing... Hope it all settles down.
 
Tickles - must admit I was wondering if the old mare has a few problems that us people dont know about yet? but I am a bit to worried to ask my friend at the mo - she is in enough of a state and is now wishing she had had the old girl pts when the decision was made on her old farm.

She is on the phone now asking if she can move her back - but...... I dont know if that is a good thing or a bad thing.

Again I have told her to calm down and lets see what tomorrow brings and to chat to her new YO
 
Don't know what kind of set up there is at the new yard, but could she be given her own area.

At our yard all paddocks are fenced by electric fencing so are easily moved around. Some live in 2's, 3's etc A few live by themselves. Because the only separation is the electric fencing the horses all seem quite happy as they can readily see the other horses.

Maybe this could be an option, so that she can see all the others but they can't get to her and she will be safe?
 
Agree. If she would be happy in her own sectioned off space for a bit then that would be best all round unless their is a nice friendly sort who could go in and keep her company.

Horses for courses I'm afraid. I've had this situation too because I have a gelding who takes no prisoners with other boys and I also have a dominant mare who is backed up by another dominant mare, her second in command. They are thick as thieves and many years ago an LO of mine whom I was renting land from decided to put her 16.2 gelding straight in with my herd when he arrived against my advice. It was not nice to see, cue a £200 Boett ripped off his back the poor guy was covered in bites and scratches and was chased relentlessly. I turned up one morning two days later thinking that things would have started to calm down to find horses dripping in sweat, shaking and still going for it. It is better if precautions are taken I think. Last in, first out to answer your other question.
smile.gif
 
I remember post. Hope friend's mare is OK. I'm not really surprised with what's happened, he's a young horse who wants to establish his pecking order in the herd so went for the easiest and weakest to bully to prove he's a force to be reckoned with.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I've read a theory about it sometimes being to do with keeping the 'herd' as a whole healthy so elderly unsound mares (not saying this one is!) would get bullied when they came into season... But there will be others on here more expert in that kind of thing... Hope it all settles down.

[/ QUOTE ]Yes this is my take on the situation .The aggressor is trying to drive the mare away from the herd. My 20 year old gelding shocked me by his aggression ,when a mare he had shared his field with ,for several years went down with sort of neurological or toxicological problem .She staggered around half blind ,and basicly he tried to kill her.It was the strangest thing I have ever witnessed,He seemed more terrified than angry.Saddley the mare was PTS because of her condition,but I am glad we at least managed to fend off my horses attack.There is a lot more to horses than meets the eye.
 
Some years ago, a friend of ours had a cracking little blue and white cob. He came across a rabbit with mixy in his field, reared up and came down on it with his front feet. Unfortunately, he didn't kill it outright and OH had to finish it off. Quite disturbing to watch.
 
My boy has had to be seperated fom three geldings on two different yards for attacking them. In both situations mares were in the next paddock.

The worst was when, on a holiday with him he pulled a post and rail fence down to get at a stallion he had hacked out with for a two hour ride earlier in the day. His screaming in rage was something to behold. I was mortified. No mares anywhere near on that occasion. I keep him at home now and he has a mare for a companion. Much safer.

Jane
 
I wish I knew. We have a lovely loving gelding who is so aggressive with others he has individual turnout. He bites kicks (front and back legs) chases and runs down any other horse he is in with. One strand of electric fencing (we do have 3 usually) is enough to separate him. We dont even try anymore - he just has friends over the fence who he grooms and chats to but no one in his field. I could not live with myself if he injured some elses horse.
 
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