Where do I stand with another horse distroying my horses rug in field?

nikCscott

nikCscott

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I've been asked to move fields at my yard and share which another 2 geldings.
The 1st day when I got my boys in (they were last to come in) I noticed a couple of rips in the rug so patched them up.
Day 2: I was bringing them (more tears in rug) and this 'bully' horse charged at my boys as we were going through gate. I let my boys go onto the enclosed yard and tried to shut gate, but he barged me and gate out of the way and attacked my 11hh pony who was on the floor being bitten and kicked- I managed to scream him off and he went back into field.
Day 3: YO has asked mares in neighbouring field to move thinking 'bully' protecting them, so I turned boys out this morning after riding and took a stick 'bully' saw stick and went away, but as soon as he was loose the 'bully' went straight for him and before my boy could get away he'd bitten another huge rip in the side. YO witnessed whole episode today. Once they are out the field is big enough for my boys to stay away.
His owner is very disfensive -can't be him- he's never done it before' - Luckily no injuries have occured but a brand new rug has been distroyed- can I ask for the cost of repair from 'bully's' owner?
Thank you
 
hmmm tricky one really.

End of the day horses will be horses, there is always going to be a pecking order and the owner of this horse could end up paying for your rug repaires for ever more, which although if it's a one off it's not too bad but you could look at it in another way, it's not the other liveries fault your horse doesn't move out of the way quick enough and is getting bitten (she could say that) although that's not what I'm saying.

Really it's down to your YO to make sure the groups of horses in each field get on well enough, some horses will simply never get on if they are too alike or if they are mixed heards, or older equines that are getting bullied.

However if you have only just moved yours into the new field with these other new horses (if that's what you mean), there's bound to be erruptions until they settle down and establish the pecking order.

Is it possible for your horse to wear an old rug (that perhaps has a few rips in) that you don't mind getting damanged further until they settle (if they settle that is) rather than putting a new rug on or getting the same one repaired to just get damaged again?
 
again, I agree it's a difficult one.
When I bought my new horse he was introduced to the others over the fence for a week first.
When they were all put in together, I deliberately put a cheap rug on Mason, in case anything happened. It did, and every day for a week, he came in with more and more tears in the rug. I now refer to it as his teabag. But after this period, they settled down and sorted out their pecking order.
I never asked the dominant horses owner (my best friend!) for any money for the rug, as I think horses will be horses.
Can you put a cheap rug on until they sort themselves out?
 
Is there any way you can move your horses back to the field they were in before? I feel for you as we have this at our yard and our solution was to divide the field with electric fencing and put the aggressive horse on his own until they move to the big field for the summer. Hopefully then they will have more space/no rugs/ lots of grass etc. Other option was for the owner of the horse causing the damage had to pay for any future repairs.

This has caused a lot of tension on our yard so be sensitive when you talk to the other owner.
 
It's a difficult one - any bullying if they don't settle down will have to be addressed but rug tearing can also be playing.

In our herd they have a lovely game when they grab a mouthful of rug each and play tug of war. They encourage each other and don't try to run away.

One person who is very inexperienced and really doesn't appreciate that sometimes horses will be horses was complaining to me as in that case she had seen my horse grab the side and her rug ripped, I think she would have liked me to pay but I've had 3 damaged so far this winter, one so badly i had to bin it so I figured it all evens out and didn't offer.

Some seem to get more tears than others, my 2 rugs which have a stronger outer shell have coped OK but other haven't.

Other things people have tried is putting anti crib stuff on the rugs so it tastes nasty or getting a really light and cheap rain sheet to put over the top to protect your decent rugs.
 
Thank you all
I was having a rant really- I don't expect her to pay.
And my boy will now be staying in the damaged rug until issue is solved- one way or another.
Unfortunately it isn't 'playing' I've actually never seen a domesticated horse behave like this one- only on wild horse TV programmes and YO agrees.
I realise it may settle down but my boys who love their grass waiting at the gate from the moment they have been turned out means they're not happy. :( Will start calling around yards to see if I can move them.
Thank you- like i say it was a rant really. I understand the horses will be horses and they are a money bit by natural- just unfortunately doesn't stop it being any less frustrating!
 
Better out than in as they say, a problem shared is a problem...well not always halved but it makes you feel better getting it out of your system! :D
 
I know how you feel, as my horses have had rugs ripped by a shire x that used to try and pick them up by the rugs...

But I think that the angle to go at is one of safety. If this other horse is barging and running at horses when you are trying to get them through a gate, then this obviously needs resolving before someone gets hurt.

We have a very dominant horse in our field (the shire x has gone) and when he is lit up, I put him in his stable first, rather than risk him causing havoc when I try to get my horses in.

Would your YO be prepared to talk to the horse's owner about the safety issues? FWIW, we have taped a way back from the gate, so that we don't have the bottle neck and there is more room for milling horses and there is more room to escape. It also stops the actual gateway getting so churned up
 
I have it written into the contract that damage to horses or rugs caused by other horses is not the responsibility of the offending horse's owner. However, if ever there is a problem with a particular horse bullying others then they are either asked to leave the yard or put the horse on individual turnout which costs an additional £10 a week. This has only happened twice in the past 6 years.
 
nikCscott said:
Thank you all
Unfortunately it isn't 'playing' I've actually never seen a domesticated horse behave like this one- only on wild horse TV programmes and YO agrees.
I realise it may settle down but my boys who love their grass waiting at the gate from the moment they have been turned out means they're not happy.
Click to expand...

I have seen horses behaving like that and it isn't nice, it can end very badly.
DSCF3599.jpg

As you are doing, separate the horses, can the bully not be put somewhere else? I have one now that is a complete and utter PITA and taking up a three horse paddock all by himself until I can get it fenced off.

As for rugs, as you say, that's just one of those things I think, it isn't done on purpose and you just have to put up with it, irritating as it is. I would be far more concerned about the bullying factor.
 
Perhaps you could ask your YO if you could change fields, or ask if you can electric fence off a section of field for your horse away from the bully?

(I have individual t/o as my TB was getting badly bullied and injured regularly before)
 
Well you are in a rock and a hard place in terms of getting money for rugs

I would be hassling YO for own field, if nothing else because the continual stream of new horses means that there is a fair chance that at some point yours will get kicked.
 
I haven't read all the replies, but my horse once tore a HUGE slash out of someone else's rug, other people saw him do it. It wasn't malicious just relatively young geldings playing over enthusiastically. I replaced the rug without being asked as it couldn't have been repaired. I was a student at the time but luckily it was an old school waxed cloth type NZ so quite cheap. I think other owner should pay for repairs or purchase a new rug if the horse has been seen causing the damage.
 
On the subject of rug ripping ... I keep my two horses with another two horses who are all turned out together. I know that one of the horses (not mine) is continually ripping the rug of another horse (not mine either). Do you tell the person whose rug is being ripped that the other horse is doing it or do you keep quiet. I don't want to get the owner of the horse whose horse is doing the ripping into trouble, but neither do I want to take any responsibility for my horses ripping the rugs!
 
Horses will be horses... so no, I don't think you can expect them to repay the cost of the rug. I also don't think this issue is not due to any fault of the people owning the other horses.

If your horse does not settle well with his field buddies it is up to you to try to get the yard manager to allocate a different field for your horse or move yards. Hopefully they settle down soon, perhaps try electric fencing in the meanwhile like some of the other posters have suggested.
 
I realise now that I used the wrong title for this post- yes the rug ripping is annoyed but it's the safety issue that was the really worrying bit.

After YO witnessing this mornings 'attack' - the bully horse has been evicted from the field!!!! Although the horse owner is still refusing to accept it's her horse even with so many witnesses to such viscious attacks! Some people (rolls eyes)

Thanks for the post- like I said I needed the rant and you have be fabulous listeners- now rug shopping!:)
 
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