# Help !! My gelding is mounting my mare



## watt20

Hi, I am new to this so don't know if this will appear in the right place.

I have an 18 year old gelding who I have had for about 6 months and a 20 something year old mare who I have had for 3 years.

I initially kept them seperate because it was easier to get him out the field for riding. During the summer she kept coming into season and basically driving him crazy. However the other day he managed to get into her field, I kept a close eye on them and because they settled I left them together. However glanced out the window yesterday and saw she was standing quietly and he was mounting her.

Excuse my naivety in this matter but I thought when a horse was gelded he would have no interest in mares, and also there's no way my mare could be in season in this freezing cold weather (is there?) so why would she tolerate it. Basically I'm just wondering if its ok to keep them together for the time being or should I separate them again.

Thanks for any advice.


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## NdAppy

I would separate them. If he continues to mount her, you take the chance of her getting an infection.

And yes, geldings can and do mount. All they can't do is produce sperm.


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## dressagebelle

I would also be concerned about him hurting her, especially with her not being in season, I'm surprised she's allowing him to mount her at all. I've known several geldings that will try to mount mares, and plenty more that at least notice when a mare nearby is in heat. It would be one thing if he did it just that once, and wasn't going to try again, but from the sounds of it, he definitely notices when she's in heat, and I'm pretty sure will try to mount her then too. For his sake and her sake, I would separate them, and keep them separated.


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## watt20

dressagebelle said:


> I would also be concerned about him hurting her, especially with her not being in season, I'm surprised she's allowing him to mount her at all. I've known several geldings that will try to mount mares, and plenty more that at least notice when a mare nearby is in heat. It would be one thing if he did it just that once, and wasn't going to try again, but from the sounds of it, he definitely notices when she's in heat, and I'm pretty sure will try to mount her then too. For his sake and her sake, I would separate them, and keep them separated.


Thanks for the advice, I think I will re-separate them. Havent seen him mount her again but she is following him around like a dog and everytime he stops shes shoving her backside in his face - she is behaving like a hussy really!


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## mbender

I can't believe your not going to let them play! What's wrong with you? Kidding. Their just having fun, they are adults! Again, kidding! Couldn't resist! Sorry 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## netty83

Some geldings if cut late can have some stallion characteristics left. Do you know much about him and when he was cut as a youngster. Something to consider is that he may be a rig?


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## rbarlo32

By the sounds of it I would say you mare is in season. My gelding kept trying to mount my fillies when we first put him in the field with them then he stopped because they weren't intrested but every now and then when they come into season he tries again but he is pretty good with them. He was gelded as a two year old so it was getting on a bit. Also him being gelded doesn't mean the want isn;t their my gelding used to run up and down the fence when a nighboughs mares escaped into the field next to him he went completely mad.

And netty83 a bit of a stupid question what is a rig?


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## back in the crosby again

I would say your mare is in season from the sound of it. 
I would contact who ever you got him from and find out when he was gelded. Like netty83 said some if cut late will act and should be treated just like a stud. On the other hand some geldings just can never handle being turned out with mares. 

A rig is a male horse who's testicles never descended as they should have. A friend looked at a pony who was advertised as a gelding, but when she asked when he was gelded they said, "We did not have to he never grew any balls." They were just ignorant.


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## Gizmo

watt20 said:


> Excuse my naivety in this matter but I thought when a horse was gelded he would have no interest in mares, and also theres no way my mare could be in season in this freezing cold weather (is there?) so why would she tolerate it. Basically I'm just wondering if its ok to keep them together for the time being or should I separate them again. Thanks for any advice.


Well, some do and some don't. It depends on the horse and if the mare is in heat they still have that general instinct. They just don't have the tools to make a baby. Its like when a male person gets "fixed" he can still do the basic deed but can't make babies. Also, it depends on the mare if she comes in heat or not, don't believe they can't because they can! lol. I don't know what it is, possibly they have more testosterone or whatever hormones that make it work in their system, but I had a friend who was told that they don't and she was dumb and put her mare out with a stallion! Well she ended up having a fool in the middle of the winter time in New Hampshire and it was COLD! So he was lucky he even made it. Just to be safe I would never put a mare out with a stallion on the chance it would happen. But your horse is gelded so it won't matter. My Mustang apparently did this when I sold him. She got him home and he started mounting one of the mares they had. lol. He was left a stallion for like three years. I don't know if you know when your horse was gelded. But he could have also been left a stallion for a while and that is why he still does it as well. Unless he gets really aggressive or she can't hold his weight or something, they are fine. He will probably stop after a while.


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## netty83

Like mentioned above a rig is a horse who has one or both testicles retained. Some stallions may have only had one testicle drop and the other remain 'inside'. If this is the case and only one testicle was 'done' at gelding time then the other still remains, producing stallion instinct. I have a shetland who is a rig and we have to seperate him from the mares when they are in season but lives quite happily with them any other time. He is not dangerous to handle and is like any other gelding apart from when my mares are in season. My little brother rides him with no problems. He obviously won't do anything and is too small to bother my mares but he just pesters them and runs them. If your gelding keeps it up i would perhaps get him checked by the vet just to rule this out. Other than that just keep an eye on the situation. good luck.


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## NdAppy

Ahh.. So rig is just another term for cryptorchid. 


I in no certain terms would leave a gelding in with a mare if he was mounting and penetrating her. Not only could it cause her to get an infection that could kill her, you take the risk of the gelding getting kicked and seriously hurt. There are to many risks to make it worth leaving a gelding and mare together that "breed" on a regular basis.


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## watt20

Hi, I kept them together for a bit because they seemed to get on great and actually when they were together they weren't so aprehensive about being separated, often I would find one out in the field and the other stood in the stable, but now I have had to separate them again. As soon as the temperature went up (to above freezing) he wouldn't leave her alone, not mounting her but generally running her around and biting her. she'd had enough and was letting loose at him with both feet. I can't ask about when he was gelded, hes 18 years old, the last person that had him only had him 2 months and nothing they said about him seems to be true, hes certainly not the safe gentleman they said he was - got taken for a ride on that one - the two months should have given it away really shouldn't it!!


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## BansheeGirl

My gelding used to do that to my mare but not penetrating. Sometimes geldings who have been gelded recently or who have bred with mares before will do that though I haven't heard about them actually penetrating them . In my case he had been bred before and so being with another mare in season got him excited. He stopped doing it and I'm sure yours will too.


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## NdAppy

A gelding doesn't have to have been gelded recently or even previously used at stud for penetration to happen.


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## BansheeGirl

I know but that is usually why they do it.


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