2yo playing too rough

[Bloopie]

Kind of a rant because I don’t think there’s much to be done. My 2yo gelding finally found a friend! Unfortunately, my 2yo apparently plays way too rough and is about to lose access to the one horse who will play with him. He’s normally turned out with older geldings to keep him in line and none of them will play with him at all. He knows he’s bottom of the herd and behaves accordingly. Also unfortunately, he’s the only 2yo on the property. He gets occasional turnout with his friend so they can both play and be horses (the other horse has limited turn out). But so far my kiddo has: kicked the other horse in the face, struck the other horse in the face and caused a good deal of facial swelling from a cut just beneath their eye, and left cuts/scrapes all over the other horse. And when he does tell the other horse off that he’s not interested in play right that second, he hauls off on the other horse with a kick that can be heard from the barn. It’s usually 100% play except for the “I’ve had enough” part.

I hate for them to no longer have any turn out sessions, no matter how brief, but the owner of the other horse is rightfully concerned after what we’ve seen. One reason we started letting them out together occasionally was to help them get energy out since all the other geldings are either elderly or fuddy duddies. My guy’s 2 and not in any kind of heavy work so he has some energy to burn. I was hoping after a few sessions together that my guy would settle in and they’d figure things out so to speak but if anything he’s becoming emboldened and getting worse. Do they ever figure out how to play politely?

[Highflyer1]

It’s likely that he will outgrow the worst of it eventually, but it does sound like separating the two of them is the right move.

[NaturallyHappy]

I agree. If I owned the other horse, I’d have done it yesterday.

[LCDR]

The problem that I see is the “occasional” part.

[Bluey]

Our old vet used to say that half of his job seems to be patching horses their owners insist to keep together when they just are too rough on each other.

Seems that is turning to be into one of those situations.
Maybe your youngster needs to learn to mind good herd manners more than play?

[IndysMom]

I had one of those. He never did figure it out and was a “turnout alone only” for most of his life. He finally has a turnout buddy (at age 19). He’s known around the farm as the “enforcer”. Funny thing is-he just gives “the look” and not much else these days. LOL!

[TheHunterKid90]

This!!
People are too worried about their young horses playing when they should be learning herd dynamic. The perfect spot for this colt is at the bottom of the totem pole in a herd environment provided he himself isn’t getting hurt.

[OverandOnward]

If I were the owner of the other horse, I would be furious that he was being subjected to this. Protecting my horse would be a reason to move barns as far as I’m concerned. In fact … I did, once.

One flying hoof landed in the wrong place could do permanent damage to the other horse.

[luvmyhackney]

Put him back in with the geldings. He hasn’t learned his place yet. He needs to learn some herd manners.

If I owned the horse that he is injuring, I would have pulled him from turnout yesterday or moved even barns.

[MapleBreeze]

I would put him with a mare that teaches him the rules.

[Renn_aissance]

@MapleBreeze Yeah, he needs a cynical old broodmare.

Failing that, sounds like he understands his place in life with the geldings.

[BayMoose]

Sounds like he either needs the geldings or a herd of young horses out 24/7 with him. Too much energy to burn always gets them into trouble, and the occasional part is probably making the problem worse.

[sascha]

Step into the shoes of the other horse owner. Take a clear look and then put you horse back in with the geldings to learn that he is not king of the paddock at 2 years old. He is an exuberant baby horse who needs to learn proper herd dynamics before he can be trusted with a horse who won’t enforce the rules of polite contact.

[Small_Change]

Add me to the list of people who agree that your two year old doesn’t need a play mate until he realizes that they aren’t a punching bag. Manners trump playing, every time.

[FjordBCRF]

At my old barn there was a younger OTTB gelding that started leaving big bite marks on my geldings neck. That was the end of them going out together. The OTTBs owner didn’t want HIM out with anyone that would put him in his place so you can figure out how that went.

[Arlomine]

Separate them now before he does serious damage. You’re lucky he didn’t smack the other horse in the eye. You would feel awful, and the owner has been MORE than accommodating to this point.

[Bluey]

One point to consider, some times what we think a horse needs makes sense to us, but is it really what we want for that horse?

A two year old gelding that will be living as a domestic horse in groups of horses not his choosing may not need to be growing up like a two year old stallion in the mountains that will need to know how to fight other stallions for his place in the world, which is what that rough play is.

The domestic two year old gelding needs to learn domestic gelding skills, even if we have this idea that to be happy it needs to play with other horses.
Maybe not, especially when not all horses are ours to decide if the risk to get hurt is worth the idea of fulfilling horse play needs.

That is something our old vet always had to teach his clients.
Not all understood what he meant, or agreed with him and, being the owners, had the right to do what they saw best.

[endlessclimb]

Some horses never learn to play nice.

Two that I know of. One was really mild mannered, but his version of play was to bite the cannon bones of his buddies - brought them to their knees in pain. We ever tried a stallion and he had that stud running away like a little baby. Nope, no buddies for him.

The other was a pest. It didn’t matter how hard the other horses kicked him, he just pestered and pestered and pestered. He would come in lame all the time from getting nailed. We tried mares, it made it worse. Nope, solo turnout.

If he stays in his lane with the older geldings, great. That’s what he needs.

[LaurieB]

I agree with everyone else. This 2yo doesn’t need a friend. He doesn’t need playtime, especially not when it results in injury to the other horse. What he needs is to be put back with the older geldings who keep him in line.

[candyappy]

@MapleBreeze

I would put him with a mare that teaches him the rules.

My young gelding ( now 4) came to me as a yearling and went in with my 2 older mares. He has had nobody to play with ( since they don’t do that kind of thing) and he hasn’t suffered one bit. The boss mare keeps him in line and he spends his time " pestering" them as much as he can.

Burns up extra energy doing that and running his fool head off and nobody gets hurt.