I have two geldings, one is 24 and the other is 11. Recently, I had to move them to a new location as the owner of the pasture wanted to plant Christmas trees. They are now with a woman who has horses herself and is really good with animals. She had my two geldings in a large pen for a couple weeks while the horses got to know each other over the fence. Then she turned them out with the other horses. The problem is, my 24 year old gelding, who I have owned for 23 years, started mounting her mares, being really aggressive toward her geldings, and also toward my other gelding. My two have been together for 10 years. The aggression just wasn't fading so after a week or two, she put him back in the large pen. She decided to get rid of two of her mares, nothing to do with my horse, one of which was the boss mare. With her gone, she tried once again to integrate him into the heard. Now the aggression seemed even worse.
He shows no aggression to humans. I was up there yesterday and even had an inexperienced rider ride him around the pen after I had trimmed his feet. He was the same good old horse that I have always known. He has been around other horses several times in his life and has never shown this type of aggression. He is not proud cut if that is what you are thinking.
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I'm hoping that someone here can shed some light on the situation. Feel free to send an email message if you would like more info. Thanks so much.
Horses act strange when introduced to new horses, especially if your two guys are used to being the only equines in their little herd. My horses have been pasture mates for 12 years, and they still have squabbles and little fights when a new horse goes in with them.
At a couple farms, we kept geldings and mares in separate pastures which seemed to help with a lot of the same dominance issues you've mentioned. The mare pasture was by far more hairy than the gelding one, for sure, but there was usually one boss and everyone else just stayed out of the way.
Some horses are just dumb (no offense) and they want to be boss even if it's not going to happen. Your older guy sounds like one of those. Was he the boss of his old two-horse herd? He's gotten used to calling the shots. He'll probably keep fighting (to no avail) with the other horses in an attempt to be the boss of his new herd, too.
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Since you've given it a couple weeks to let them work it out, I'd probably just resign to the fact that he isn't going to be happy in that field. Is there a problem with your two being by themselves? If not, I'd just leave them together. If there is a problem with having two herds, I'd first let them settle in to their new home. Maybe once they get the smell of the farm and get comfortable there, you can try it again with one or two new horses at a time. You could also try to separate your two guys and give them each a new herd buddy to get used to alone. Then, put all four of those horses together to see if they get along , then try to make one herd.
The best way I have found to get two horses to get along that hate one another is to put them in a trailer, take them away from home, go for a long ride and most of the time when you get home the will be friends.
You will always have problems with geldings when you have them in with mares because they will always want to be the big stud in the pasture and will generally be agressive to the other geldings moreso when the mares come in heat.
Wow i wish i had an answer for you, my 35 year old gelding get nasty like that (he doesn't mount mares) he will bite and kick at the other horses, especially if they are around me, or there is food around, but apparently he was gelded late (I've had him 12 years and i was told he was cut not long before i got him) ... maybe try a natural calming aid supplement and see if it helps him at all
