Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

IMO, it is cruel to have more geldings than mares in any pasture or paddock. 
 Geldings may not be able to produce foals, but they don't know that, and 
they still love sex.

Geldings will corner mares, run them down to wear them out, deprive them of 
water, won't let them graze or eat, pester them to death, and many other 
ways they torment mares in heat, relentlessly, unless there is a mare that 
is not in heat that can protect the mare in heat.

Mares put out an odor while coming into heat and going out of heat as well 
as while in heat that drives geldings totally nuts, makes them crazy, so 
they can't think about anything but getting sex, can't graze, can't do 
anything but try to get sex.

Mares are coming into heat, in heat, and coming out of heat 3/4 of the time; 
they are not in heat 1/4 of the time.

IMO, there should be no less than 2 mares to every gelding so every mare in 
heat has a mare that is not in heat to guard and protect them from sexual 
abuse by geldings.



> From: Equus Wolf <equuswolf@xxxxxxxxx>
> To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [RC]   Pasture Arrangements with Mares/Geldings
> Date: Tue, 28 Feb 2006 20:59:25 -0800 (PST)
>
> >>>>So, my question is:
> What do you do about mixing geldings and mares?
> thanks
> Keith<<<<<
>
>   When I was younger, I had my horse at a farm where mares and geldings 
> were kept together.  I never saw it as a problem *if* the horses were a 
> good match in personalities.  However, my mare hooked up with a gelding and 
> it would take us hours to catch them (never had catching problems until 
> that.)  The gelding was moved to another pasture and problem solved 
> immediately.  I also remember another mixed pasture that frequently had 
> injured horses from kicks/bites because the geldings didn't "get the drift" 
> when the mares were in heat and got too close (even if it was innocent.)
>
>   Since then, I have been at stables that keep mares and geldings 
> separated.  Herd dynamics just seem to work better.  It prevents the 
> mare/gelding forgot he was a gelding issue.  We also keep the pastures 
> rotated in such a way that the mares and geldings never share a fence line. 
>  No broken fences yet.  And that's a first of anywhere I've been.
>
>   I think it just depends on the types of horses you have (personality 
> wise).  Both of my mares would be find with geldings that knew they were 
> geldings.  I know mares that would tear a gelding up if he even thought of 
> entering her "space" *laugh*
>
>   Sounds almost like a playground at school!
>
>   Jennifer
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
> Relax. Yahoo! Mail virus scanning helps detect nasty viruses!

_________________________________________________________________
FREE pop-up blocking with the new MSN Toolbar ? get it now! 
http://toolbar.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200415ave/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!!

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