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T O P I C R E V I E W
Hellz
Posted - 29 Jun 2014 : 11:04:09 AM I've had emmett now for nearly 5 years, he's a 12 year old gelding, and he's always been pretty chilled. I've never had a problem with him before, but these past couple of weeks he's started with stallion like behaviour. And I'm at my wits end with what to do with him :/
It started before they went out in the field and if I tied him outside my friends mares stable he would grunt over the door arch his neck and get all 'excited' around her, we just all put it down to him having abit of a crush and left it at that.
They all went out in the field last week (my friends mare not included) and he's turned into a nightmare, he's herding the two mares away from everyone else (he's been out with mares before no problem) he's attacking any horse that goes near them, to the point someone has had to bring their horse in because he's gone lame (not through a kick just from being chased and pulled something) I've brought emmett in and he stresses, started box walking sweats up and just screams the barn down until the mares are in with him.
I rode him out the other day, and I normally love summer turnout because it makes him so much more chilled but he was a pain he jogged everywhere kept shouting at any horses we went near, squeeling if horses got to close and grunting at everything. Someone actually apologised for riding their mare past too close because she thought he was entire!
My normally quiet lovely gelding has become a pain and I don't know what to do for the best, I just don't want him hurting anyone else's horses or himself.
3 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First)
Hellz
Posted - 07 Jul 2014 : 09:40:37 AM Thanykou for replying, we are not able to turnout mares and geldings separately as we have limited grazing so I wouldn't be able to separate him from the mares unless I brought him in altogether. His aggression towards the other horses seems to have calmed down the past couple of days which I'm relieved about. But he is still very much interested in the mares, he was seen to be covering one that is in season this week. Despite this he is no longer showing the signs out on a ride and he seems to have calmed down abit, I'm hoping now that this behaviour may pass, as he has never done this before. I have contacted my vet and as he didn't get cut late and after me having owned him so long and been out with mares before they have told me to keep an eye on him and if he carried on with this behaviour then they will consider coming out and doing bloods although they don't think it is his hormones as he would have shown signs of this behaviour before now.
I'm just hoping he gets passed this and he stops being a pest.
Ari
Posted - 01 Jul 2014 : 8:49:50 PM We don't turnout mares and geldings together so never meet out in the field and although not always practical for some it works for us as some of the ladies do tease over the wall but the geldings have their pals and it's safer for all not to have the mix. I sympathise with your dilemma about safety in the field and summer being a relaxing time as we had a very dominant gelding that rejected any new gelding and my boy totally out of character joined in the bullying and it was a very worrying time that only resolved when dominant gelding was no longer in the equation. As for the sudden interest in ladies, does he see herding / protecting them as part of keeping his place within the herd as it's unlikely it could be testosterone having been gelded so long but I agree with Ruthie it's worth checking as he is displaying same behaviour when out on a hack.
RUTHIE
Posted - 29 Jun 2014 : 7:07:49 PM That sounds really scary for you....especially when you think you know your horse. Best get the vet out to take some blood and have his hormones checked. Good luck
