Gelding obsessed with mares

[HRF_Second_Chance]

Well just when you fix one… the other one looses his bleeping mind. My older gelding was relocated paddocks a few months ago because of his obsession with the neighboring mares. They teased off him and then would leave, well the leaving would kill him. So he’d scream and run and scream and run for HOURS.

Now I’ve turned him back out over there and for like 36 hours we were FINE. Well that 37th hour was more than he could stand the same behavior ensued (though not as bad). I rode him and he whinned the whole time even though he’d get popped for it.

Thoughts on how to fix this? I want him in the other paddock but moreso I don’t want him so upset over mares. He’s 19 for God’s sake get over it! I have debated depo but he’s really a calm horse other than this. I was also mentioned raspberry leaves. I’m looking to see if anyone else has had this issue…

[Guilherme]

Stallion behavior is instinctive, not hormonal. If you remove the source of the hormones you “turn down the volume” on stallion-like behavior but you don’t eliminate it.

If this is new behavior then you might want to review what’s been going on lately that triggered these actions. If he’s always been like this then maybe you have physical problem, maybe you have a “rig” (full or partial), or maybe you’ve got a “macho gelding.” No way to tell from here!

But the behavior you see can be quite normal for some geldings, even though it’s not a universal behavior to this intensity.

G.

[Simkie]

It sounds like this horse just can’t live with or near mares. There are some that can’t. Can he go back to where he was?

I’ve never found popping them to work for screaming. I wish it would–screaming is the worst. But getting after them about it just doesn’t ever seem to help.

[HRF_Second_Chance]

Well he’s been in mixed turnout before and it’s never been a problem. He had a favorite mare that he hung out with all the time but he wasn’t never obsessed (except if we took her out to brush her but that’s because she NEVER left the herd). He’d lived next to this group for a bit and then they added a mare who teased off him mercilessly and that’s when it all started. He was a mixed bag yesterday. He’d scream and run, but then he’d go stick to his pony and scream. Then he’d get worked up again and run, then hang out with the pony… I’ve moved him back over to the other pasture but he stood at the fence for quite some time calling after those mares… I feel like he’s on the edge of being over it but maybe needs a little help to make him not care so much.

[KarenRO]

Just came across this thread and I am having a similar problem. A group of boarders recently relocated to a different facility so with the exception of 2 new geldings in the mix, all the horses know each other. At the former barn, the mare field was separated from the gelding field by a wide driveway and the two groups rarely paid any attention to each other. At the new facility, the fields are separated by an electric fence.

My gelding has become obsessed with one of the mares. He has put his leg through the electric fence twice (not a fast learner), stands in the field watching this mare instead of playing with his buddies and, the biggest problem, he will become very territorial and start chasing, biting, ripping blankets off the other geldings if they get too close to the mare field. We put him on time-out with another gelding in a separate paddock next to the gelding field for a couple of weeks. We turned him back out and he was fine for a week and has started the same behavior. The barn manager put him on raspberry leaf and another calming supplement and nothing is working. He is fine under saddle - no calling, no head tossing - but he is a menace in the field.

This is new behavior for him. I have moved him to several different barns over the past few years and never had this reaction. Any thoughts?

[Posting_Trot]

There is a gelding where I board that can’t even be in a field that is next to a field that has mares in it, even with electric fence. According to his owner he has always been this way. He’s fine turned out with another gelding, but if he’s next to a field with a mare in it, he’ll stand at the wire and paw and occasionally strike, often catching the tape.

I think some geldings are just like this. It may be that it’s a new behavior, but maybe he just likes the looks of one of the mares! (just kidding; I know how frustrating this can be).

It’s best just to keep him away from the mares’ field. At least he isn’t doing anything bad while you’re riding.

[Sansena]

The only thing that works for me is to keep mine away from all mares, as is reasonably possible.

If/when he does become obsessed, he goes on Depo and his workload increases and becomes more complicated. Lots of ground work, specific request as to where exactly he needs to put his feed, 100% attention on ME (or the trainer) 100% of the time or the demand increases.

My horse is proud cut and it’s been a lifelong PIA if/when it does happen. I’ve found not letting him hang out next to any mares for any amount of time has made him more tolerable. And yes, he used to be turned out with 2 mares and another gelding at one point. Never had an issue with that.

Horses, horses… :rolleyes:

[Alibhai_s_Alibar]

I’ve seen how miserable they can get, and I feel your pain. My guy gets worse as he gets older, and he was so fixated on a mare that I recently had to move barns. He lost a significant amount of weight despite our best efforts, got beat up by other horses, and just generally made himself miserable. He’s never studdish, he was gelded 20+ years ago, and he’s quiet as a mouse and happy as a clam when turned out with the mare, but he worries and frets over every little change. He’s made himself lame pacing fences, too. He can get a little attached to certain geldings, but it’s far worse with mares.

I’ve had to do two on-farm separations from a mare, and both were miserable for all involved. The first time, it just took time. Despite our best planning and management, he fretted, lost weight, and made himself lame, as mentioned above. It took a few weeks before he was himself again, and that was even in a group of new and quiet herdmates. The second time, he lost even more weight, almost two numbers on the Henneke scale. He was less frantic but more visibly depressed. After a few days of calling, he spent his days not moving from one corner of a very large field. I tried to be patient, but I was more worried the second time because he’s in his 20s now, and I gave up and moved farms. We tested for Cushings, scoped for ulcers- every test came back negative, so it appears that it was all stress. A friend affectionately calls it Mare-Induced Senior Gelding Psychosis. He gained all the weight back within a month or two at the new farm, on the exact same amount of feed. Interestingly, it’s not all mares. He’s currently stalled next to a new mare and they can touch noses through their stall bars, but he’s not stressed at all when they’re separated.

As far as solutions, I think it’s an individual thing. It took creativity and patience, and he was getting excellent care and plenty of turnout at all farms where he was boarded. I found that for my guy, he gets most attached to the horses who aren’t taken out and ridden frequently. I also have some success stalling him next to horses who aren’t his pasturemates. When he’s out 24/7 in milder weather, he seems to get more attached than he is when they’re stalled at night in colder weather. It’s frustrating, and it helps a lot to have an understanding barn manager who is willing to try different things and keep ahead of the plan when things change.

Best of luck finding a solution!