I know that there are individuals where it is a problem but growing up I never saw barns separate mares and gelding and I had my own barn for a decade and had a good mixture of both…never had a single problem…none. I did have a mare who caused no problems with the geldings but she did jump into a paddock with an uncut yearling colt and sure enough…had a sweet little baby 9 months later. She knew ex
actly what she was doing!
Up until 2 years ago, we had a small mixed-sex/mixed age band (5) horses - 2 geldings and 3 mares. One gelding had been a stallion until he was 7 years and we never had any problems with him and the mares. Good way to find out if the mares were in season. Ages ranged from 32 years to 5 years old - but the 5 year old had been 4 months old when she originally came into the herd.
Sadly, we are now down to 3 - 2 mares (young) and 1 elderly gelding (the ex-7 year stallion). Unfortunately, we lost the boss mare (15 years old) to kidney cancer about 6 weeks ago. Fortunately, her daughter (soon to be 7) stepped up into mama’s role. She isnt as clued on as her mum was but she is very protective of her “uncle”.
We will be looking for another 1-2 horses in our spring as old Mr P wont be with us much longer (he turns 30 on 15 November :D). We will be looking for 1 gelding definitely but also another horse sex unspecified. The only specification is that it must get on with our mares.
I currently have 3 mares and one gelding. For many years I had 2 mares and 2 geldings.
The only problems I have ever had were between the geldings - usually when one was going through the terrible twos.
They pair up in all different ways- no fixed pattern.
My mare and gelding are together, and he’s in charge. They had some drama at the outset, but they’re solid now. BO has five geldings, one mare, and she’s in this weird relationship where she’s in charge, except she cedes to the old grey, who cedes to the big black one… who cedes to the mare. I’ve watched them several times get stuck in a corner and start chasing each other in a shuffling, little circle. If you ever saw the sheep cyclone vid, it’s kind of like that… There’s no drama, though, and there wasn’t when it was two mares, four geldings, either.
Neighbor has three geldings and a mare, and that’s the only continuing instance of drama that I’ve seen in a mixed-sex herd. The lead gelding is possessive of the little mare, so neighbor generally keeps the other two boys separated - which means they all four argue ever time they do end up together. If she’d just let them settle, there wouldn’t be so many issues. It’s mostly a personality conflict, really, as head gelding is a bully on top of his possessiveness.
Most of the worst fights I’ve seen have been mare vs. mare. I actually steer clear of places that insist on sex-segregated herds. Unless you have a personality oddball, you shouldn’t have any trouble.
I have 4 mares and 2 geldings. They can all be turned out together and get along just fine- no drama.
I wish I could put them all together.
I have to separate the mares and geldings, the mares are shameless hussies and the geldings are too randy for their own good and always willing to oblige.
We have 3 geldings and 1 mare in our mixed herd.
A boarder (who ownes one of the geldings) added a new mare…after careful introductions and time in side by side paddocks, they are all together now.
Only issue is the newest mare is at the bottom and often kicked out of their circle to stand off to the side…but if your petting her or loving on her, boss mare comes over, pushes her away and then they get into a squirting match…kinda gross.
We did have issues with 1 gelding, he would be a pushy jerk to everyone else if he wanted to eat first or get to the human first…but to me he isn’t the herd leader, thats my guy!! When he moves, they all follow.
I will go along with the majority of the other posters. It is an individual horse thing, not a gender thing.
My little herd is two mares and one gelding. My one mare is a pushy jerk and I think would be the same no matter who she is out with.
Right now my fields are comprised of: 1 stallion, 3 mares and a foal; 4 mares and a gelding; 4 mares and 5 geldings. It all works fine. No drama, although the mares in the field across from the stallion are happy to show their easy virtue from time to time. He stays with his herd.
My gelding was out at one farm with a mare and he would not let her near the shared fenceline near the geldings.
At another farm he would herd the mare away from the gelding and if the gelding persisted drive him away.
He would also call to the mare the whole time I was riding him or she was out of sight.
Another friend had a mare and gelding together for 20+ years. They were absolutely married. When she trail rode the mare and left the gelding at home he had to be locked in a stall and and would scream for her and pace. If they were on the same trail ride the mare would lunge with open mouth at horses that got too close to “her” gelding.
When she got in a new young horse that was a gelding, the mare started to suck up to the much younger gelding and he wouldn’t let the old gelding near her. Now that she died the two geldings are buddies but not married. Old gelding does not care if young gelding is taken off the property to trail ride. No calling, pacing.
I understand it is an individual dynamics thing but I also understand why many barns just don’t mix geldings and mares.
I’ve had a mixed herd of 3-5 horses for the last 20 years or so. I’ve never had any problems with it. I currently have two mares and two geldings. About a year and a half ago, it was 3 geldings and one mare. I’ve had one of the mares for 18 years and she’s always been in charge, even though a few other horses have come and gone in that time. The only small issue I have is that my boss mare gets more attached to the other mare when the other mare is in heat. The geldings don’t care. The mare that’s in heat also doesn’t care.
I have a mixed herd as well. 2 full sized geldings, a pony gelding, and my mare. They get along well. Sometimes when she comes into heat one of the boys will “claim her” for a few days but the rest just ignore the drama and she swats him around.
I’ve had a mixed herd for several years now, with high traffic come and go - I do lots of OTTBs. PLUS 2 donkeys. When I have conflict it’s due to one’s personality, not their sex.
Agree with Personal Champ. And sometimes the whole herd dynamics changes when a rogue, gelding or mare, comes into the herd. But usually if you have one alpha mare and a good gelding second in command, things run smoothly. It’s only when there are several rogues in a herd that things get bad.
[QUOTE=WildandWickedWarmbloods;7640340]
Agree with Personal Champ. And sometimes the whole herd dynamics changes when a rogue, gelding or mare, comes into the herd. But usually if you have one alpha mare and a good gelding second in command, things run smoothly. It’s only when there are several rogues in a herd that things get bad.[/QUOTE]
I’ve also had a mixed herd for years with very few issues. One gelding who’s the laid-back herd boss, three mares. He largely ignores them when they’re in heat and trying to entice. I’ve also had 2 geldings one mare at one point here also.
BUT just one bad apple can really ruin the dynamic. Brought in a new gelding who was not used to a mixed herd. From day 1, even though I kept him separate from the mare, he was absolutely nutso for her. So the formerly laid-back boss gelding turned into a nutjob also, both competing for the mare, even breaking fences to get to her. It never died down and I finally sent the new guy away. So, I sgree with everyone that it’s personality driven, but unfortunately I am not sure you can tell this in advance; my new guy was a mellow, geriatric sort-- I didn’t dream it would be such a problem.
I have a mixed herd - my 7 yr old gelding (was a stallion until 3 1/2) - he was pastured with our old mare as a youngster and she is still with him - but he is the boss, my horse’s daughter and son and my sons mares. 6 all together and I did have our rescue Arab mare with them until she had her foal. The younger gelding and a couple of the mares also sometimes go out with the Arab mare and her colt.
I think it depends on the dynamic of the particular group, and their personalities. My gelding was out with a mare and gelding in his last place, and they all got along well. I’m not sure he has ever figured out the boy/girl thing. My old horse, however, definitely knew about girls! He was out with a herd of mares for years, acted as “herd stallion” and benevolent dictator, kept track of them all–after being away for shows he would go around the pasture sniffing the manure piles to make sure everyone was accounted for. And once I came home to meet the vet, who was coming to look at one of the mares, to find that Ace had herded his girls up into the corner of the pasture and was pacing back and forth in front of them to ward off the evil vet (who was a horse person herself and had gone out to catch the mare). We couldn’t take him anywhere with one of his mares, he would be utterly distracted the whole time–and he never was herd bound at all to any other horses.
We got tired of fixing fence boards from the Clydesdale filly (2 1/2 last year) pushing through to be with the OTTB gelding (now 17). So we put them together and they have been happy clams. Her grooming is wearing a hole in his mane though :no:
We added an OTTB rescue in her own paddock this spring and I have seen unusually aggressive behaviour from the Clyde over the fence when I take the gelding out - like “that’s MY boyfriend!” (I hate to anthropomorphize but…)
I came from a gender-separated boarding barn, but based on my experience and others’ replies here I would certainly mix and match by personality, age…not just gender.
We have 4 mares, one of those being a yearling filly and then 4 geldings. For the most part we try to keep the herd segregated, but one mare goes out with any of the horses easily. The other 2 mares, minus the filly, can go out with any of the boys except for one young gelding that has a high play drive and is fascinated with the mares when they are in season so we do try to keep him out of the pasture with the mares, but otherwise they can all mix as the mares are a little older than the boys and will put them in their place.
In general though, we do prefer to keep the herd segregated. Much less drama.
It depends on the personalities.
Most of the drama I’ve had was on account of gelding refusing to play nice. So with my particular group, it didn’t work. I have several friends that keep mixed herds with no issue, and my girls have previously been part of mixed herds with no issues. It just happens that the boys I’ve had didn’t play well with others.
