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Discussion on Horse attacks his feild mate for no reason
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Member:
Gr82bme
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Posted on Wednesday, Oct 22, 2003 - 11:53 am:
If anyone has any ideas, please post them. My best friends horse has a problem with mine, but not all the time. They have been in the same feild for 6 years. We now have them in seperate feilds cause hers will bite mine for no reason. They will be grazing side by side when out of the blue hers will bite (draws blood & hide)or kick mine. Then her horse goes back to eating side by side as if nothing happened? I have them in different feilds now but they both hang out together by the gate on oppisite sides of the fence? He has gotten bitten up so bad it took over a week to heal?? They seem to want to be together but I can't have my horse getting beat up. Thanks for any help.
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Member:
Sunny66
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Posted on Wednesday, Oct 22, 2003 - 12:07 pm:
Mine has been VERY aggressive lately to his best buddy too....I think it may be because I've been giving him alphalfa snacks tho...Has their feed changed? Could it be the weather? I wish I could read their minds!!
Sorry I couldn't help!
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Member:
Mrose
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Posted on Wednesday, Oct 22, 2003 - 2:02 pm:
Sometimes there is a physical problem that is the cause for behavior change, esp. if it is sudden. You should talk with your vet.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Thursday, Oct 23, 2003 - 7:08 am:
Well I am afraid this is just regular horse behavior everyone. While with established individuals it often does not take the course of wounds so bad that blood is drawn, it is normal for horses to demand some space and to fight for it. Horses normally find spacing that is mutually agreeable to each other with the more dominant horses maintaining the spacing through threats and if neccesary aggression. It sounds like these wounds bother you more than they bother your gelding. Is the offender a mare Debby?
DrO
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Member:
Gr82bme
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Posted on Thursday, Oct 23, 2003 - 9:23 am:
DrO
This has only become a problem in the last year. They have been together a total of 5 years. The other horse is a gelding too. He is 18 yr old. My gelding is 11 yrs old. When they graze together it is side by side or face to face. The other gelding will just stop grazing- chunk mine- then go back to eating. My horse didn't move. He was just eating where he was eating before the attack. My horse is a rescued Morgan who spent the first 5 yrs of his life alone in a paddock. He always gets picked on. But he will break up a fight between horses or if a human in in danger. He has saved 5 ppl lives total. I am not kidding. But he will not defend himself?? Could this be because of the abuse he has known? He was only 500# & 14.1 hh & 5 yrs old when I found him. Impossible to touch for fear he would be hurt. But now he is a sweetheart. Within 6 months he grew to be 15.2 & 1100#. The vet said to let him add the weight slow. Now he follows like a puppy. This is why we all hate to see him get bit all the time?
The wounds proably do bother us more than him. But it has been a year since I could ride him because he was beaten up so bad. 12 cake plate size blood clots at one time- on both sides of his body. He came in from the feild a bloody mess. When he is attacked he will just stand there. Not even run? Any help would be great. By the way - just joined the site & I love it. wish I would have joined sooner. Here is the last bites. Both sides are like this & that is a bump on his neck too.
Thanks
Debby
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Member:
Sunny66
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Posted on Thursday, Oct 23, 2003 - 10:15 am:
Oh OUCH!!!!!! I can see your concern ( I would be concerned too! Poor thing! Good for you for rescuing him. It sounds like you did a wonderful job!
ps cute kids!
Thanks Dr. O,
Mine is definately not THAT aggressive, he doesn't even leave much of a mark. Now the other horse bolts away with just a "look" from my guy. Funny thing is that the other horse used to be the dominant one and to see him running from my horse is a bit odd. It seems that in the last week or two the dynamics of my "herd" have totally flip flopped!
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Member:
Westks
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Posted on Thursday, Oct 23, 2003 - 10:25 am:
If it were my horse I would move him to his own pen/pasture. The other horse is probably a little jealous of the extras your horse gets but also it is normal behavior to establish and enforce pecking order. Which is probably why he is not defending himself much he knows his place. And previous abuse may play a role in that he is still so much better off than he was before you got him. Like kids that are beaten or wives that are beaten, keep going back for more because its attention(love) period. Because of past he may never defend himself so in order to be able to ride him once in a while and remove risk of serious injury I would remove him to his own pen because he is likely not going to defend himself with any horse, he might if put with a younger horse(2-3yrs max) where he is the older one, might work great for him, the chance still remains that he will let younger horse beat up on him too. But that is the one situation that might improve his confidence and allow him to be the boss for a change. A gelding like him is perfect to put weanlings with because he will teach them alot and not hurt them.
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Member:
Gr82bme
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Posted on Thursday, Oct 23, 2003 - 10:28 am:
Aileen
Thanks. Yes we thought he would just be a feild horse, but I couldn't see anything that abused. My house is filled with rescues. LOL. He was beat very badly by old owners. He bit - Reared & would cow kick if you went near him. Just needed to shown humans can give love too. He is like a big puppy now.
Debby
Thanks for saying the kids are cute. They are my grandchildren.
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Member:
Gr82bme
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Posted on Thursday, Oct 23, 2003 - 10:32 am:
JANETTE
He is in a feild with old mares. LOL They love him. I moved him away after that last attack. It just seems they want to be together but when you leave them he gets hurt. I think it will just have to be different feilds & be done. Thanks for the help
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Member:
Sctamaus
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Posted on Saturday, Oct 25, 2003 - 4:52 pm:
Debbie,
My mare and gelding were in the same pasture together for years. He attacked her last summer and had her on the ground viciously biting at her neck. My two year old mare was franticly trying to stop him. Luckily some people heard my mare screaming and scared my gelding off of her. He tore her skin loose from the flesh and it left a hole in her bigger than a silver dollar when the dead flesh fell off. I read the articles on this site and was amazed at what debriding with a hose does. It helped the flesh grow in quicker. I wish I had taken pictures and posted them. It was an ugly mess. I put my gelding in a separate pasture and will never put him in with my mare again. I honestly believe if those people had not chased him off, he would have killed her. The only thing that had changed at that time was that she was pregnant. She had a beautful baby girl May 10,2003 Thank God her and her baby are o.k. She does have a dent in the side of her neck from the injury though but at least she's still alive.
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