What should i do about my two fighting horses?

Enfys said:
Hmmm, my mares will kick the stuffing out of the stallion if they aren't in the mood, no amount of subduing, or seduction, by him will change their minds, he doesn't even try, he isn't stupid, if his "fancy a bit of nooky then?" doesn't work he'll look at me and back away from them. On the other hand, if they are up for it then some of the real slappers will practically back underneath him. We had one mare out at pasture with him and the day she went home she refused to be caught until she'd literally walked underneath him, poor boy, he looked relieved when that one went ;)

I think the play fighting is just that, play fighting, the moves are exactly the same as the real thing just not serious.
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Lol! I didn't say it would always work.
 
The behaviour sounds completely normal for males. It may get less when gelding is done, it may not.

Gelding a shetland so young is not always possible - their testicles aren't always mature at that age - sometimes they require another six months or a year.

staceyn said:
I know i totally agree with you!
I got my shetlands from auction rather then a breeder becuase i just cant understand why they are selling off youngsters when there are so many at auction anyway.
If i was to breed it would be once and to keep the foal for life....My two littles only cost £60 ish but the vet bills have definatly made up for the prices they havent had it easy. both had phneumonia then lice then all the stress of moving ect.
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First off - this is what I try to explain to people, and it doesn't seem to sink in. You paid cheap money for them, then have spent out on vets bills to get them right.

I get people saying that my shetland ponies are too expensive (a few hundred pounds), but they are vaccinated, wormed, fully handled, gelded if male, microchipped, in good health, deloused, etc. If adult ponies, they're usually used to bits, carriage, saddle, etc too. So the purchase price is the only price people have to pay!

And as to buying from auction rather than from a breeder - where do you think the auction ponies came from?!?! Originally from a breeder - and not always a very good one. If you want to help save ponies, the better bet would be to go direct to a good breeder and buy from them, and not support backyard breeders who don't give a damn and just sling their stock in an auction. That way there would eventually be less low quality ponies in the auctions.

To clarify however - there are some good breeders who do put in an auction - but usually they will support a breed specific market, not just a general horse sale.
 
The only reason I am thinking of seprate stables . Is pony the older horse is gettin bored and irritated by him . They are not hurting each other from what I can see also another thing . EDdie was taken away from his mum too early and prob not weaned properly. Could this have anything to do with It . He copies everything pony does from biting to lying down rolling ect.
 
I have a spare stable so they can have a stable each but when I do seprate them pony the older horse rears up over the door and gets distressed
 
get the colt gelded, spring is in the air (he can smell the ladies) and he is starting to feel more like a man, unless he has exceptional breeding there are enough stallions around to breed from
 
staceyn said:
I have a spare stable so they can have a stable each but when I do seprate them pony the older horse rears up over the door and gets distressed
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If separating the stable isn't an option I used to put a low wood gate I had instead of the door so they can see out. Sturdy hurdles may work.
One of my mares really panicked in a stable until I did this. She used to jump up trying to jump out. I couldn't stable her until I devised this way for her to be able to see out.
 
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He is going to hate me Haha ! Again. When I had to inject him for weeks he hated me poor thing . I just didn't want to geld him so soon after recovering from pneumonia. Added stress ect. But think that's the way forward to stop all of this
 
staceyn said:
He is going to hate me Haha ! Again. When I had to inject him for weeks he hated me poor thing . I just didn't want to geld him so soon after recovering from pneumonia. Added stress ect. But think that's the way forward to stop all of this
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The vets will be able to advise if he's up to it. :)
 
I wish I could just knock down the wall between the two stables but its wood and surely that's holding it up. Al try with lower doors or stable guard door
 
staceyn said:
I wish I could just knock down the wall between the two stables but its wood and surely that's holding it up. Al try with lower doors or stable guard door
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How about cutting a 'window' in the wall between the two stables? That shouldn't affect the structural soundness but it might sort the separation anxiety out.

If you make the 'window' so that it is hinged like a shutter/top door then it can always be closed up again should you need the stable for larger horses where the window will probably be too low down to be safe for them.

If you are lowering your doors to shettie height then you just need to cut them more or less in half, add more hinges and the doors will still be full height for bigger horses. Or, and I have seen this done, cut a window in them too! Very comical to see a closed door with a shettie head sticking out half way down :D
 
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