Anyone turn out mixed-genders?

[twofatponies]

I've had my mares in mixed herds (and not) at various barns I've boarded at. They seem fine with it. It seems to depend more on the specific horses rather than gender, whether they get along.

For example, one paddock right now has one of my mares (usually alpha), another mare, and a gelding. The gelding is actually alpha, and my alpha mare shares hay with him and is friendly with him. .

In the summer, when there were some different horses at the barn, my other mare (very submissive) was out with a more dominant mare and a mellow gelding. They all got along fine. When she was in heat she would flirt with him, but he ignored her.

I don't think they've ever been in a group where there were more than one gelding and also mares - maybe that makes a difference in them getting along?

Any observations on this?

[Paragon]

We've done some mixing with the ponies at the barn, but how well it goes seems to depend on individuals. There was one mare and one gelding in particular where it was a serious issue; the mare didn't much care about the gelding, but he became so attached to her that it was an issue during group riding lessons. If anyone else was near her, he'd become more aggressive than was appropriate.

During the winter months, when the paddocks are schlocky or frozen over, all the ponies in the barn go out in the indoor in a big pony herd, and it works very well. The alpha mare tends to try and herd "her" girls, but there's no fighting to speak of. It's the most adorable part of my day, really. :D

[3mares]

yep - we mix them but it does depend on the horses. Mine all tend to be bottom of the pecking order horses in general, so when they are together they are pretty mellow in their actions. Right now I have two geldings and a mare, last year I had one gelding and two mares. They seem to figure it out : )

[Woodland]

Usually I do not mix genders. But since there are just two mares on the whole place I do now :)

[JLR1]

My horses live on 5 acres in a mixed herd. My alpha mare's soul mate is the alpha male....they are always together...what a power couple! For the most part they get along with the others, but are definitely more pushy around feed time. My young gelding is middle of the pack and sort of mingles with everyone. He seems to attract more lady friends when they are in season! When the mares are not in season the girls usually seem to hang around together. The dynamics are 3 geldings and 4 mares. When a new horse is introduced the herd boss usually chases them away from the group for a few days and then they assume their position at the bottom of the totem pole. In a lot of ways it is a painful reminder of junior high!

[KristiKGC]

Yep, right now I've got 2 geldings and 2 mares out together. It works well for them, the boys seem to stick together as do the girls and there is a very odd herd dynamic. Nobody is really alpha, and nobody is at the bottom. Everybody is both dominant and submissive to another horse. It seems to be keeping everyone in check!

I tend to think that personalities play a bigger role in turnout dynamics than gender does. I certainly wouldn't put my very studly gelding in with girls, but I've also seen girls that become very agressive with other girls. I find it better to find a group of horses that get along rather than to just turnout the geldings together and the mares together.

[horsetales]

ours are mixed. Young ones are grouped together by age rather than sex (colts are gelded). I've also boarded with mixed herds. It was all about individuals - only one strong Alpha was the constant I noticed.

[appychik]

Yep. My gelding is turned out with another gelding and three mares. The fourth mare is a POA (read: PITA) and is down right dangerous at times, let along extremely agressive when she wants to be. So, she's kept by herself. The herd is just fine like that... with the two geldings and the three mares. Gringo's lower on the toedom (sp?) pole but won't take crap. It works well with all of them.

Gus, he's only (since I've had him... going on 9 years) been turned out with other geldings. He's very food aggressive... so not sure how he'd be with mare too.

[2 tbs]

The horses themselves really do matter. We have 2 mares with 5 geldings. They are split with one gelding and one mare in their own pasture but that's because she doesn't prefer company (just wants to know they are there) and he can't eat the round bales fed in the bigger pasture (heaves). Otherwise they are all out together and get along just fine.

As with any horse group they find their pecking order and sometimes have to reestablish things to make sure no one should take over ;) Other than that I haven't noticed any difference.

My retired horse who lives at this farm used to be at a different barn where I turned him out with one other horse who happened to be a mare. He got attached to her but not in any way that inconvenienced me-still rode and did all things necessary. Even now he does like his mares but only because he bosses them around. He's much more attached to 3 of the geldings.

My other horse is at a barn where he goes with only one other gelding. The other fields have mixed turn out groups and are fine. I don't really see a problem with it unless one of the horses is super tuned in to their gender ;)

[twofatponies]

I'm at a small barn, and the horses turn over every few months as many of them are there for 3 months training, and then go home again. The four permanent residents are all mares. When there are several geldings, then the groups tend to get split by gender. There is limited pasture, so the division is sometimes easy keepers vs. hard keepers, with the ones who need it going on the grassier pastures, and the easy keepers/ponies on a dry lot, depending on the season. They also get swapped around depending on who gets along with whom as the residents change.

[cllane1]

Our barn has a mixed gender herd of about 20 horses, ranging from ponies to draft crosses, and they all do fine. There are a couple of mares that have their own paddocks, as they really have a problem with the group turnout, but for the vast majority, it works very well. Of course, we monitor the group very closely when new horses come in, and new horses do get some dings while figuring out their place in the order, but we have not had any real problems.

[nuts4cowboybutts]

I just had to read this thread...

From the title of this thread, I thought the OP was asking
who was breeding hermaphrodite horses!!!!

[pony grandma]

YEP. When anyone starts getting a bit heady with their herd hierarchy we turn the little TB mare out with them to bring them back to reality! :D

She also disciplines whomever is hogging on the hay rounds.

And she helps keep the run-in stall a whole lot cleaner - they're all standing outside!

[J-Lu]

I used to be at a small private facility where there was one group turnout for 4 mares and 4 geldings (horses rotated in and out of this herd). They were separated into groups of 2 at dinner but otherwise, spent the day together. They sorted out their issues and no one got hurt. I'm not sure if this is the ideal way to go but it seemed to work at the time.

J.

[TBrescue]

We used to turn out in a mixed herd, 2 mares and 3 geldings. Since the newest horse arrived there have been issues, he fancies himself quite the stud and has claimed one of the mares as his own. Now he can be turned out with everyone else, but he gets possessive if she's part of the group, so we've started to split them into 2 groups-he's in one and she's in the other, which seems to eliminate any issues

[Quin]

At home we have 1 mare and 3 geldings, and the herd dynamics are very fun to watch. We started with 1 mare and 1 gelding who bonded quite strongly (gelding was and still is gooly-eyed in love with the mare). A year later we added the Old Geezer, who would be low man on any totem pole. Finally, the next year we added a younger gelding, who successfully challenged the first gelding for top spot.

The mare is pretty alpha, except when she's in heat. Then she will even sidle up to the Old Geezer and bat her eyelashes at him. When she does, he literally draws back with a look of horror on his face "who are you and what have you done with the mare that usually beats me up?".

After they eat is the funniest of all. They are separated to eat in the run-in barn, but once they are let loose they have access to the whole thing again. The first gelding always goes to see what the Old Geezer dropped (well, he's old......they do dribble a bit). The younger gelding, who is not let loose until all the others have been let go, immediately chases him out of the barn and goes to vacuum up himself. The mare promptly pushes him out of the area - and invites the first gelding to come back in and finish with her. And if the original gelding insists, the mare will even completely back away but still not let the younger gelding come back. In the pasture they generally graze 2 by 2, but which 2 have paired up seems to change from month to month. But the feeding time behavior always remains the same.

At the trainer's barn there is one large mixed group of 20+ horses. They have multiple run-in shelters in the big pasture as well as several round bale areas, and everybody seems to do OK. But the pasture boarders are turned out in smaller pastures in groups of 3-4 each. Any time there's a new boarder, a whole balancing act has to take place. It's based on individual personality, though, rather than gender.......although I do recall one pair of older mares that could only be turned out with each other and sometimes 1 additional mare. But it was accepted wisdom at the barn that the one mare didn't like many people or ANY other horses........and since the kid that owned her showed Hunters, she had a helluva time in a crowded flat class. :eek:

[dressagetraks]

My little Silver Yearling checked into my sorority a year ago. It was his own fault; I DID order internal plumbing. :D I have always just especially enjoyed mares.

It is hilarious to watch him with the girls. No real herd problems, but they are all so status conscious, and he not only doesn't have a chance but is clueless. Typical day's conversation, with body language as loud as words:

Kate: I am alpha. Everybody needs to understand that I am alpha. :yes:

Missy: You only think you are alpha. :no: But since I am busy with the real work, like protecting the herd, go ahead and delude yourself if it makes you feel better. ;)

Twister: How close to Kate can I get before she'll react this time? Another half inch. Okay, look away and graze. Act nonchalant. Another inch. (whistling to herself) So much fun to push her buttons and watch her have a fit. I'm keeping score, and I'm ahead in the game. :cool:

Freedom: I'm always stuck down here at the bottom of the totem pole. :( It's not fair, and I'll never get over - oh look, there goes a grasshopper! Um, sorry, what was I saying?

Toccata, the Silver Yearling: Why do you always spend part of the time standing around making faces at each other? I don't get it. :confused: Come on, girls, let's play!

[SquishTheBunny]

My show gelding goes out with a herd of mares. I didnt want him on private turnout, but he's too wussy to go out with the geldings. "His" mares treat him like a king. I had to buy the next size halter up.

[ellebeaux]

never mind...

[VarsityHero4]

Mine keeps the 3 yr old in check. He's a little "playful" and she'll run around with him but when she's had enough she swing that ol' arse around in his face and he settles right down. LOL.

[TB or not TB?]

I just had to read this thread...

From the title of this thread, I thought the OP was asking
who was breeding hermaphrodite horses!!!!

We call him/her Pat... S/he races as a gelding. :winkgrin:

[FindersKeepers]

My TB mare does not get along with other mares...because she is downright nasty...but loooves to be out with geldings. She did ok out in a large herd of mares, but if there are fewer than 4 others....she is an evil witch :D

Now she lives on a little private farm, just her and her gelding. She flirst with him like crazy during those "special moments" and he just gets scared and hides. We did have an issue with she and a gelding pony getting waaaayy too attached at another farm a few years ago. They would both scream their heads off if they weren't in sight of each other...

[LockeMeadows]

We have 20 horses out in one "herd" and everyone gets along for the most part. There is one weanling, 3 yearlings, 2 two-year-olds, and the rest are adults. They are out on 80 acres and think they are "wild mustangs" when on the back 40. If you look at them, nobody has bite or kick marks and other than ugly faces, everyone just hangs out and is pretty happy. We have had aggressive horses in the past and they got their 30 day notice and were put in a paddock until they left. I'm very careful what goes into the herd so we keep with good herd dynamics.

[dalpal]

My mare and gelding go out together......they have a May/Dec romance (May..her Dec. him). Never find any bite marks, cuts...it's wonderful.

Now turn my mare out with another mare and she is the BEEEE OTCH from hell..she has done damage to a couple of mares in her past, but never has offered to be ugly to a gelding..go figure.

[pony89]

My mare is pretty easy going. She has been out in groups of mares, mares w/single geldings, or occasionally two extremely mellow geldings. I think turning her out with more than one "interested" gelding would be a potential disaster. She seems to get those boys all in a tizzy!

[Saidapal]

I have two geldings and one mare on my place, they all go out together and they've been together for four years now.

Funny thing is the mare is the smallest and she's the meanest. Those two boys walk the line around her and give her a wide berth. There's no question who rules the pasture out there. They all get along like horses, which means they all have days when they are best buds and days when they can't stand the sight of each other. I've look out there several times and have seen them all standing in three separate spots in the pasture or huddled together plotting on what stinky thing to do to me next.

I just let them be horses.

[Penthilisea]

The bossiest most troublesome diva pony mare.... goes out with my wussy TB gelding and lets him boss her around! They are total bff's and my QH gelding just kind of watches from the sideslines and stays out of their way. It's a pretty good mix, on 8 acres, so everyone can have their own space, of course.

[Chief2]

I think it comes down to personality, density, available space, and the drive to breed or be bred.

Of the 60 horses on the farm, 3 are individually paddocked, and 57 that are turned out to free roam on 75 acres. The herd splits itself down into three smaller herds, which tend to reflect personality preferences: quiet horses, busybody horses, and the young bachelor geldings/pony herd which stirs everyone up several times a day! The herds migrate throughout the acreage (we think they follow the sun, as you rarely see them in the shade as the position of the sun changes), sometimes gather together for meetings, and then split off and migrate again. The bachelor herd is a real PITA to the other herds, as they wind themselves up and then go blasting through the herds, splitting them up like a marbles game. Gets the blood moving and the oldsters get exercise! The vets estimate that the horses walk about 25 or so miles a day when turned out. Under this management, horses don't usually go out into the herd unless they are 18 months to 2.5 years old. Under past ownership, the age was 6 months old when they were turned out. Not all geldings like young horses, and serious injuries to young ones can occur because of this.

In addition to the bachelor/pony band, the fun comes in when one gelding wants another's mare, or when one mare wants to steal away to another geldings mare band, which usually happens when the mares come into season. Geldings who have mare bands usually have 3 or 4 mares in their group, and these groups hold constant until the stealing comes along. Then the chasing back and forth erupts, with some biting. We have even seen one mare steal away, the chasing begin, and another mare from that same band quietly move to another gelding's band during the heat of the battle. No sooner does the gelding get stealer #1 back, then he looks around, realizes he lost a second mare, and has to go get her back as well. It's like herding cats! This can take up much of his afternoon, and go on for several days. Althoug bites and scratches are common, rarely has anyone been seriously injured. Sometimes a gelding will really like one of his mares, and lose her to another gelding, which makes him a very sad guy for quite a while. But, he moves on.

On 75 acres, this usually works out because everyone has room to run, play, steal and retrieve. Put them on 20 acres or so, and we would be having the vet into the place on a daily basis. As it is, most of his trips in for lameness injuries involve a sprained fetlock from tripping in a hole, arthritis acting up from too much hoopla, or a hoof abscess.

[hollyhorse2000]

In the past we've had some mixed fields that ended up being a little too steamy for polite company when the girls were in heat. So now . . . not so much.

[BuddyRoo]

Until very recently, I've never seen the real need for separating by sex. However, with the addition of a rather studly gelding, it became evident that some horses really are better off on their own.

But in over 25 years, I've personally never owned any horses who had trouble with a mixed herd situation...as long as there's a enough room and enough food it's never been a problem. Having a friendly but firm boss mare really seems to help though. I have one of those. ;)

[cloudyandcallie]

I like having geldings and mares turned out together. The problems I've seen in herds were not from hormonal issues, but from mares and geldings who beat up both genders.

When Callie was alive, she would dump her brother Cloudy and let a chestnut (always a chestnut:confused:) gelding of ill repute become her guardian. Since these geldings were biters and kickers, they protected her from all other horses and she didn't get marked up. She'd leave the chestnut gelding each time and come with Cloudy to come in for riding and grooming, but she'd go back to him when turned out again. Chestnut rogue gelding after chestnut rogue gelding as one left the barn and another replaced him.

Cloudy on the other hand, ignored hanging out with geldings who wanted to be friends, but ended up with dominate mares who bossed him around. At one barn a huge 18.2 mare who beat up all the other geldings chose Cloudy as her boy the first day, and he didn't get a mark on him from 3 other geldings who beat up everyone, since this behemoth, whom Callie nicknamed "Brunhilde" would put her huge neck and head over Cloudy's back and protect him from all.

Now Cloudy has a 14.3 girlfriend who bosses him around. :cool:

[Bravestrom]

I used to keep all of mine in one herd - until the colt at 10 months decided he wanted to start breeding. Then he was separated but I wanted to keep in a herd environment as well as adjusting to being by himself - so I alternated geldings with him and his mom - who is in foal as well.

My gelding can go with anyone but I have one alpha mare that we put back shoes on - for safety I have kept her with her other friend mare and sometimes put the gelding and her daughter with her.

So I mix up the mares a bit but for the most part I now keep 3 separate groups. I used to keep ponies, horses, mares, geldings and the colt all together and it was great but sometimes a little dangerous when you went out to get a horse.

[MsM]

I have always had geldings. The difficulty with group turnout in my area is that there is often not enough room for proper herd dynamics - horses end up getting "beat up" because they cant retreat far enough. I have had my geldings in mixed group turnout with mixed results. Some were fine with it. The last two, however, had, ummmmm, boy issues. :winkgrin: Both would attempt to "breed" a mare in heat. And my current boy would become somewhat aggressive when herding and protecting "his" mare. They both ended up in gelding-only turnout. :rolleyes:

[Thomas_1]

All mine are in mixed herds with the exception of one "young lads" gang.

They go into mixed herds once they're a little older and more sensible!

[2Below]

I usually have 3 horses, one pony mare and 2 geldings. The mare is aloof and quiet. She's fine alone or with others. With one other gelding, there's no problem. With 2, there ends up being posturing and bickering over her and I end up separating her out. She's 14.1 and right now the geldings are 16 and 16.2, I'd rather have her alone than hurt. I have a new guy who I was told freaked out when turned out with an aggressive gelding. My big gelding is not aggressive, but at this point the mare is his and I think he would posture with the new guy. So now, big guy and mare are together and new guy is separate, sharing a fence line so they get aquainted. I think gender matters a little, as my big guy is not possessive of other geldings but he is with the mare. If the third guy was a quiet, submissive type, they would probably be fine together, but I never seem to end up with those types!

[CowgirlDressage]

We have 2 geldings and 3 mares out in the main pasture together, and it works great for them and for us. A mare is the alpha and then a gelding, then two more mares, and then the other gelding is the omega.

My MIL has her weanling filly in with our aged gelding and they're doing really well together, and we almost always use him for the ones being weaned every year. He's very patient and kind to the youngsters, even the boisterous ones.

[twofatponies]

In the most recent grouping my usually alpha mare was put with a pony mare she knew already, and a new gelding, who was in for training. She went right for him, asserting her alpha spot. He, however, was an enormous draft cross, easily twice her size. He simply turned around and presented his gigantic behind, and you should have seen the look on her face as she reconsidered biting him mid stride! She turned around and walked away. Much to her annoyance he then followed her around for half an hour, with a "hi, can we be friends?" expression on his face. The next day they were sharing hay.

[camohn]

yes, the stud colt is out with a gelding and weanling fillies and another gelding is out with a herd of mares. Our previous stallion could also be turned out with the 2 geldings. We had a previous very studdish gelding that could not be turned out with other males....all depends on the individual.

[redears]

My barn mainly does same-sex turn out, and do strictly for the stall horses. Mine are pasture boarded and there are 12 pasture slots (supposed to be 6 mares, 6 geldings), well 10 of the pasture horses are geldings, which means my mare and the other mare are out with four geldings on their side. I like this because the geldings seem to pick on my mare less and she has less bite marks than when she's out with more mares. My gelding is also in the mixed herd and he gets along with everyone pretty much.