Home Current News News Archive Shop/Advertise Ridecamp Classified Events Learn/AERC
Endurance.Net Home Ridecamp Archives
ridecamp@endurance.net
[Archives Index]   [Date Index]   [Thread Index]   [Author Index]   [Subject Index]

RE: [RC] [RC] re: mixing mares and geldings - Ginny Holsman

I've worked with 100's of horse owners, riders, handlers and trainers who care enough about providing the proper care of horses to obtain advice from a professional like myself, and in the 45 years I have been providing equine consultation to horse owners, riders, handlers and trainers, all over the world, I've seen 100's of horses suffering all sorts of neglect and abuse by those who prefer to imagine having worked with a few horses provides them with all the knowledge they need to handle any horse well.

The most tragic of circumstances that sticks in my mind, though, was client who knew enough to separate geldings and mares, but the mare got out, and a person who knew nothing about horses, trying to help, put the mare into the pasture with the geldings, instead of the separate pasture for mares. The mare was raped to death before the owners got home.

However, I have also seen many mares that have been tortured almost to death by geldings, stiff in the rear, unable to walk well, from too much sex they could not defend themselves against.

Just because you don't SEE a gelding mounting a mare in the pasture; doesn't mean the mare is not in danger of that occurring, or that it is not occurring. Geldings are quick to realize that night-time when everyone is asleep is a much better time to prevent a mare from getting any rest, when no one else will notice what they are up to. They aren't stupid. They are just single-minded. For the most part, mares give in to geldings coveting them, as they must, to have any peace, any water, any food, any rest; when confined with geldings. That they survive such abuse is amazing; that owners, riders, handlers and trainers place them in such circumstances, is horrifying.

It is animal neglect and cruelty to confine too few mares with too many geldings. The best ratio is 3 mares for every 1 gelding; but anything less than 2 mares for every 1 gelding requires separation of the geldings and mares, in order to provide good care that is not neglectful or cruel.

Stables that bring horses into private stalls at night are a different situation in which the mares can obtain enough food, water and rest, overnight, to handle the geldings during the day; but out to pasture all the time is an entirley different situation where they have to compete for basic necessities around the clock indefinitely.

Mares will protect one another, if there are enough of them to do so; but that requires a mare that is not in heat available to protect the mares that are in heat, and since mares are in various stages of coming into and out of heat, and in heat 3/4 of the time; that makes it very difficult for there to be a mare that is not in heat to protect the ones in heat, when there are too many geldings with too few mares!




From: Mary Krauss <lazykfarm@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [RC]   re: mixing mares and geldings
Date: Sat, 4 Mar 2006 19:46:44 -0800

For the most part large pastures allow almost any group of horses enough space to get along, but in Ginny's defense, sometimes I do think some of us horse-people occasionally overlook the uncomfortable social/physical positions we create for our horses. .....Two cases come to mind--beware, the stories are a little graphic....

First, a friend's mare (owned by someone else at the time) was hobbled for breeding, wasn't readied properly, wound up being raped in effect, i.e., was terrified and not at all ready let alone eager for the experience. That mare hasn't allowed anyone since to work with her hind feet. She actively panics and cow kicks. Last week the vet tried real anesthesia, not Ace, and she freaked out even more. This poor terrified thing is about to go to the auction because her owner has no experience or energy (she's ill) to handle the situation....

Second, last summer we took a trip to Sunriver, where we biked the kids to the resort's stable to pet the ponies.... While there we wandered around, amazed by the number of horses they had corralled together for trail-rides. They were all wearing saddles but were loose in a smallish pen. There must have been thirty horses in there. I noticed a lot of commotion in the far corner and discovered a mare in heat, hemmed into the corner by about 10 interested geldings. She was absolutely terrified. She was shaking and dripping with sweat and kept bumping the fence trying to bust out. She had blood coming down her legs. It was horrifying. I walked over to the idiot kid in charge with his idiotic "I'm the man from Snowy River" get-up and said he might want to check the mare in the corner. He grinned and said, "oh she'll be all right, they all work it out eventually." I then smiled and said, "yes, and your boss will work out who should and shouldn't be working here if you don't go get that mare out of that pen right now." When he brought her out she could hardly stand she was shaking so much. Half an hour later, she was still shaking....

I feel the same way when "Natural Horsemanship" practitioners (whom I try to emulate for the most part) insist that a mare in heat has to "handle it" when they want the sacking out to include all sorts of handling of their rear stomach area. Just ask a woman what might happen to a guy who tries to approach that part of the anatomy when cramps are visiting....

Enough said.

Mary K. who really relates to PMS mares.....


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=


Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp

Ride Long and Ride Safe!!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=


_________________________________________________________________
Don?t just search. Find. Check out the new MSN Search! http://search.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200636ave/direct/01/



=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=


Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp

Ride Long and Ride Safe!!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=