| Author |
Message |
    
Kathee McGuire
Breeding Stock
Username: Katheekj
Post Number: 494
Registered: 12-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, June 01, 2006 - 11:57 am: | 
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I have been diligent with keeping my gelding away from my now 8 weeks old foal. My question is: When is it reasonably safe to try them together? He has shown no aggression towards her through the fence and they have sniffed and run back and forth along the fence line. The gelding clearly feels dejected by being separted as he is the only male. I turn out the ladies during the day and he is in a grassless area with hay. At night, I have been putting him in the pasture, but find him standing up by the barn paddocks in the AM visitng with the ladies. |
Kris Moos
Breeding Stock
Username: Kris
Post Number: 782
Registered: 01-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, June 01, 2006 - 02:16 pm: |
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kathee-
my gelding has turned out to be the best babysitter there is! i put them together at 5 weeks old. Jericho loves him! he actually is one of the only horse trying to teach jericho some manners! when jericho gets a bit nippy and bouncy (likes to punce and rear at the others) Sunny (gelding) will hit him wiht his head and knowck him sideways and its like he is saying ENOUGH,.. and Jericho listens.
The reason i decided to put them together was hte same, he was playing with Jericho throught eh fence, no sign of aggression, and jericho is strong enough that he can run away. if mom seems she will still protect the baby id try it..but id try with just the 3 , no extras to see how they do, and i would have grain, ropes ready and halters on everyone in case you need to get someone out.
Good luck!!! |
Jan Owen
Yearling
Username: 1frosty1
Post Number: 99
Registered: 04-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, June 01, 2006 - 02:30 pm: |
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My older gelding was a great playmate for my foal too. I waited till 2 months. I ponied out on mom with somebody else riding the gelding and lots of visits throught the fence. I just make sure I turn out the old boy to kick up his heels and run about and get his "feeling" great to be alive out of his system before I turned mom and baby out. My mare and he are great friends and I think that helps. He too disiplined because my mare was a wuss when it came to that. I gelded at 4 months and today he and the senior gelding are fast friends. Just be cautious! Good luck!
Jan |
Kathee McGuire
Breeding Stock
Username: Katheekj
Post Number: 495
Registered: 12-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, June 01, 2006 - 06:21 pm: |
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Thanks for the tips. Mom is the Alpha horse of the group so that may help. She is protective. A non-aggressive little dog made the mistake of wandering in the pasture and she tried to pound him into the ground. I have never seen her act like that before, but I was glad to see it. I may try them tomorrow. |
Kathee McGuire
Breeding Stock
Username: Katheekj
Post Number: 498
Registered: 12-2005
| | Posted on Friday, June 02, 2006 - 01:32 pm: |
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Well...I feel it necessary to post the results of my little experiment. As I posted before, I wanted to try my gelding with my now 2 month old foal. The gelding (Magnum) has been a part of a three horse herd for 2 years prior to Catchers birth. Magnum and the baby had been playing through the fence for over a month and he had no agression. I left Magnum out all night in the pasture and fed him out there in the AM. About noon, I decided to try them together since the heat had already had a chance to work on them (94 degrees). I brought him in and let the mare and baby out. Then I took him to the fence on a lead rope to let them sniff. No problems. Took him inside on the lead and let Mom and baby and Magnum all sniff. No problem. Baby did the gumming motion and Magnum showed no agression. After about 10 minutes of everyone standing around and Mom wandering off, I let him off the lead. Immediately, he laid his ears back, bared his teeth and reared up pawing at her in the air. Panic! Baby takes off running and Mom plants two back hooves on Magnum's side knocking him off balance and sending him running. Baby is running around the pasture, Magnum is running for his life as Mom is chasing him with the apparent plan of murdering him when she catches him. I open the gate between the pastures which Magnum gladly uses and manage to keep Mom and baby on the other side. Needless to say...Magnum has a long 4 months ahead of him in horse isolation. |
Lori aka " Raven"
Breeding Stock
Username: Raven
Post Number: 392
Registered: 03-2006
| | Posted on Friday, June 02, 2006 - 06:32 pm: |
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OMG Kathee!!! I'm so sorry the introduction did not go well 
How is your other mare with Dream and Catcher?
You maybe able to try again later on after Dream has lost some of those natural instincts to protect her foal. What kind of relationship did Dream have with Magnum before Catcher?
Sorry you had a rotten frightfull day
I did not turn the older gelding out with Chu kash till he was 11 weeks old and there were no problems.
(Message edited by Raven on June 02, 2006) |
Jan Owen
Breeding Stock
Username: 1frosty1
Post Number: 107
Registered: 04-2006
| | Posted on Saturday, June 03, 2006 - 01:27 am: |
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Kathee,
I am so sorry that it did not go as well as you could hope for. On a positive note better that your mare showed "her momma bear" side instead of not giving a rip. and Magnum appropriately fled and did not confront. Some of that posturing happens and I am sure that Magnum got the message loud and clear that you don't mess with baby.
Don't give up. Maybe some more "supervised" on the lead rope visits. |
Kathee McGuire
Breeding Stock
Username: Katheekj
Post Number: 502
Registered: 12-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, June 03, 2006 - 12:34 pm: |
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I may try him again later, but he is definately in horse "time out" right now. My other mare is fine with baby and has been from the first day together. Catcher will annoy her Mom for a while and then she will annoy the other mare for a while. They both just ignore her. Magnum usually gets along with other horses. In fact, he was the only one that was nice to an 18 month old I horse sat for a while. It is just really weird and completely out of his character. I really expected him to be one of the "good" geldings. |
Jan H
Breeding Stock
Username: Jan_h
Post Number: 338
Registered: 01-2006
| | Posted on Saturday, June 10, 2006 - 12:16 am: |
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Kathee I am sorry that things worked out that way, today was the first time I put Jade and her filly now 8 weeks old together with my 3 year old gelding, at first Jack strutted around chased jade and her baby around and kicked out at them (from afar) then momma Jade ran at him kicked out at him and bared her teeth, Jack backed down and began to mouth at her like a baby does to a new horse...she pinned her ears and he walked away, during the day I watched them come near one another sniff then squell and turn away just to wait and do it again but no squelling, after 5 hours together I took Jade and her filly out to put them in the barn and he hollered like a weanling colt just taken of his mothers teat! LOL so there is still hope. Hang in there and keep trying.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/cmpsp1/d6d1b32f.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/cmpsp1/69684880.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/cmpsp1/c99aef06.jpg |
Juniper Meadow
Neonate
Username: Gracekelly
Post Number: 5
Registered: 05-2006
| | Posted on Friday, June 16, 2006 - 06:17 pm: |
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How sad. Our mares drop babies in the fields, and the geldings watch over. I have never had a problem. I have had alpha mares do the chase thing around the pasture, set the terms of occupancy and then leave the gelding alone. So, Who knows what transpired in horsey talk. How big is your field? Ours are 5 acre minimum pastures, and the mare/foal pasture is 17 so maybe that makes a difference?? |
Kathee McGuire
Breeding Stock
Username: Katheekj
Post Number: 525
Registered: 12-2005
| | Posted on Friday, June 30, 2006 - 11:57 am: |
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I decided to try my gelding again with my filly. My filly remembered the last encounter and immediately ran behind Momma! The gelding also remembered and walked away from Momma and baby. Curiosity got the best of the little girl and she crept out. When the gelding started walking our direction, she ran and stood behind me! I mean right pressed up against me! In the end, Momma chased off the gelding several times and everyone has settled down. My little girl is sticking pretty close to Momma and my other mare today. It seems to be working out. I can watch them from my desk and I will keep an eye on the situation. A much better start than last time! |
Jan Owen
Breeding Stock
Username: 1frosty1
Post Number: 144
Registered: 04-2006
| | Posted on Friday, June 30, 2006 - 05:18 pm: |
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Kathee,
I am so happy things went better!! They will begin to be all part of one big happy herd!
Jan |
