It was super cool to watch the breeding come thru. Though I am sure her new 29-year-old pasture mate did not think so. She just turned three and has a nice pedigree for cutting. She is also out with another three year old and I never saw her do this to her.
But I have noticed her trying to herd the dogs and me when I am riding another horse.
annieandjoy
Very cute! What is her breeding, if you don’t mind me asking?
High Brow Sugar Bar Quarter Horse (allbreedpedigree.com)
I am especially tickled to have her sire’s dam in the pedigree. She was amazing as a cutter, but also wanted to jump! I put this girl through a jump chute and she has natural skills!!! She is going to do whatever I want. I adore her!
She’s a cutie! I vote cowhorse. She’s already practicing her circles! 
Nah. Older lunging youngie. 
The filly was definitely running the show. The mare is incredibly passive and kind.
Do watch that drive doesn’t become an obssession.
Over many years and horses, so rare, we had two cutting bred geldings that lived to herd, not so good in a pasture with horses that didn’t need herding ALL day long!
One was a dun son of cutting bred top reining sire Topsail Whiz and himself won two small reining futurities as a three year old, was then shown in working cowhorse.
He was also like riding a jackhammer, you got off him stiff and sore.&
Turned out with a handful of ranch horses, he spent the day and night herding them, at times boxing them in a corner and keeping them there for hours.
He was very sneaky about it, no one ever questioned him and fought, no marks on anyone, no one tried to run off, he seemed to quietly, slowly hypnotize them.
He went to live where he had individual turnout.
The other was a cute wonderful sweet appaloosa word champion senior reining, also with working cowhorse background.
He was turned out with four other geldings, three retired older ranch horses.
They were turned out in mile long pasture and he became their boss, again by mutual agreement, no bites or chases.
He spent all day driving them back and forth the whole mile, letting them stop to graze here and there for a bit, then driving on.
One of the geldings would try to slip away grazing, horse would notice an go over to push him back with the others.
Driving them to water, he would let them get a drink, but not linger in the pens, back to driving them.
One old horse was getting foot sore from all that day and night on the move with little rest.
We put driving horse on an adjacent pasture across the fence from them an guess what, the herd stood by the fence, across from him, napping and grazing, waiting for him!
He didn’t care, would go out to grace, come back to drink and be fed, rarely go stand across the fence from them, mostly ignoring them.
We found him a better place and the others, without him along, went back to their old, normal horse herd behavior.
OP, telling you those detailed experiences so you can be proactive and watch that your filly’s strong cutting instincts don’t go astray into unhealthy, obsessive behaviors.
Lucky to have such awesome filly, very nice crosses in her pedigree. I knew some of those horses, we stood a super nice son of Jessie James that had been state cutting champion.
Filly will do great with you.
Oops, this got too long, sorry!
Thanks Bluey! Her herding was going in a bad direction without intervention. My senior mare is just so kind and will not even pin her ears. I could tell from the get go Annie the QH had found her life’s purpose when she started herding Joy. She would stop for a bit and then start moving her. It was at feed time I decided enough was enough. Annie was running Joy.
So, I put Annie on a time out. I put her in the paddock adjacent to the other 3 year old and Joy. She did just fine overnight. I put her back in with the other two the next am and carried a lunge whip. (Back story: Annie arrived at my farm pretty feral as a weanling, and she definitely appreciates me/her cozy life and is very trainable.) I stood by Joy and all I had to do was point the lunge whip at her and tell her no. It only took about ten minutes and she gave up trying to herd the mare.
I do keep an eye on them and I have not seen any more of the herding behavior from Annie, aside from her trying to herd the dogs and me if I am riding near her fence line. She will charge over and seems pissed the fence is in the way! Luckily, my gelding ignores her.
I am super excited to get her going and see what we end up doing. There is a lot of sorting by me and trails. But she also is a cute mover and was very natural going through the jump chute. She seems like she is up for anything.
Great job handling her, forewarned helps, she learns fast and you are so good at managing her.
Horses have their quirks, staying a step ahead helps us increase and preserve the behaviors we want, avoid those we don’t.
Good luch with such a feisty one.
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