# Dominant Gelding -  new herd - mare in season



## Nellewash (4 July 2017)

Hi sorry if this has been discussed before but I brought my new horse home yesterday to the yard (livery yard) he was taken from the box and turned out in the mixed herd straight away as there were no horses in and stabled and I didn't want him stressing alone for his first night. He was with his previous owners 4 years, he was 1 of 2 geldings and didn't see another horse for those 4 years. 

Since being in the field (18 hours) he has got himself a girlfriend - a mare in season who keeps squirting at him. I think he will end up being a dominant member of the herd (he was in charge at the last owners place). He and this mare are stuck to each other like glue. 
The others all chase him away from the main herd (especially one very dominant little welsh mare!!) and he just slopes off and sticks with his new gf. He doesn't try to mount her or do anything else - no kicking or biting etc just his 5th leg hanging out!! 

The issue is that he will not come anywhere near enough to be caught (imagine me standing in the field for 2 hours today complete with apples, carrots, polos, plastic bags and buckets to rattle - molasses the whole lot!) and will not let the mare come in either. 

I am hoping that as the mare comes out of season in a few days and he establishes himself in the herd things will settle down. 

I'm just looking for reassurance basically!! I appreciate I have essentially taken him from a monastery to love island and its only been 18 hours, but I'm like all new owners, completely paranoid and now imagining that I have a sexual deviant for a horse. 

Cheers!!


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## MotherOfChickens (4 July 2017)

he's not a sexual deviant but he now has a new friend and doesn't know you from adam. not an ideal way to introduce him to them or to you but its done now! are there multiple troughs? I've seen established horses not let the newcomer drink.
You need help to get the mare in, catch in your new horse and get him used to you and  to leaving the others regularly.


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## Shay (4 July 2017)

Mixed herds can be a complete nightmare.  And you really should not turn out a new one into the herd on day one.  But if that is where you are then you may have no choice.

Get the mare brought in so you can catch him and then perhaps keep him in for a bit. Ideally, if you can, turn him out penned away from the others so he can introduce himself over the fence and out of the way from major injury.   He doesn't know who you are.  Why would he come to you to be caught?  Of course he prefers his new horse friends.  But he will become increasing difficult to handle if you don't deal with this.  He also risks being seriously injured as they work out the hierarchy.  Field injuries are no joke.  A powerful kick will break a leg.


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## Mister Ted (5 July 2017)

Nellewash said:



			Hi sorry if this has been discussed before but I brought my new horse home yesterday to the yard (livery yard) he was taken from the box and turned out in the mixed herd straight away as there were no horses in and stabled and I didn't want him stressing alone for his first night. He was with his previous owners 4 years, he was 1 of 2 geldings and didn't see another horse for those 4 years. 

Since being in the field (18 hours) he has got himself a girlfriend - a mare in season who keeps squirting at him. I think he will end up being a dominant member of the herd (he was in charge at the last owners place). He and this mare are stuck to each other like glue. 
The others all chase him away from the main herd (especially one very dominant little welsh mare!!) and he just slopes off and sticks with his new gf. He doesn't try to mount her or do anything else - no kicking or biting etc just his 5th leg hanging out!! 

The issue is that he will not come anywhere near enough to be caught (imagine me standing in the field for 2 hours today complete with apples, carrots, polos, plastic bags and buckets to rattle - molasses the whole lot!) and will not let the mare come in either. 

I am hoping that as the mare comes out of season in a few days and he establishes himself in the herd things will settle down. 

I'm just looking for reassurance basically!! I appreciate I have essentially taken him from a monastery to love island and its only been 18 hours, but I'm like all new owners, completely paranoid and now imagining that I have a sexual deviant for a horse. 

Cheers!!
		
Click to expand...

This reads very amusing but it is a bit of a dilemma for you I see. At least has is not being kicked yet which is reassuring. My new gelding was the same having to be turned out in the field with a mixed lot when he arrived at the yard. The next thing owners were relishing stories (it was a very quiet yard) of him mounting the mares in the field. He was impossible to catch too. Upshot he was put in a field with a Shetland. I moved house and found a yard that kept the sexes separate. From there he eventually moved to a small private yard with two 12h. Welshes both mares  for company.I thought he would be up to his old ways but was perfect in fact the mares bossed him about and he just loved it.! 
If you dont get complaints from other owners prob.best to see how it goes or separate him from his love interest to a separate field...thats when you catch him of course.!


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## Clodagh (5 July 2017)

You need to get help and catch him and he should be in quarantine. I hope the mares owner is a laid back sort!


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## Clodagh (5 July 2017)

Thinking about it, could you get all the other horses in so you can get near him? Or get friends to help drive him and his gf into a separate field?


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## tallyho! (5 July 2017)

You've done it now so don't worry - so far so good if thats whats really happened... we used to do this all the time. He'll soon get bored of the mare and BEG you to be brought in. I've seen it so many times. It's a novelty right now. 

Unless you have oodles of time to let the dynamic settle, this sort of intro is ill-advised... you will now either just have to shrug your shoulders and walk away for a few weeks or battle it out with herd politics...


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