# Do your horses chase



## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

They're not playing. Your son's horse is vying for the herd leader position, or at the very least, number two. 

If it's been going on for 6 months, this isn't regular herd order dynamics. Your son's horse may need to be separated from the others for being too aggressive.


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## Island Horselover (Apr 4, 2012)

Horses are herd animals and they live by a certain packing order.... there is always more and less dominant horses if you keep them together. There is a lot of biting, kicking and chasing going on in my herd of 7 horses but not to the point that one of them gets injured or seriously hurt. After a while they figure out who is the boss and accept that, so you might have to separate him from the group...


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## kntry (Nov 11, 2011)

Thank you. That's what I thought. 

A few weeks ago, the Draft had him on the ground. Luckily, we were there Nd stopped him. Yesterday, my DH came home to find them all running. The Draft was chasing him, snorting and would not stop. My DH said he looked like he would have killed him if he would not have gotten home when he did. The Draft and my Bickskin are so calm and peaceful. They just want to be left alone. 

He's not very bright!


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

Agreed about separating him. Too bad. My 3 kick and bite each other, but hang within sight during turnout. They even pick up their Jolly ball and even sticks and play tug o'war. Your son's horse sounds like he hasn't been socialized. It will take a very tough herd leader to knock some sense into him without killing him. My horse, "Tyke" (1970-1998, RIP) could have done the job.


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## kntry (Nov 11, 2011)

I don't know if the Draft will kill him or not. When the other was on the ground, he was yelling but the Draft didn't hurt him. Things have escalated since then. They are raring up at each other and not stopping when we yell or crack the whip in the air.


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## Fulford15 (Oct 17, 2012)

I would seperate them before yourself or the horses get hurt.


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## kntry (Nov 11, 2011)

My son is supposed to have separated them this morning. He is furious at me right now because he hates the Draft and is blaming it on him. His horse just wants to play and the Draft is causing the problems. He'll get over being mad or, oh well. It's better than another horse getting hurt or killed. 

They stay installs at night.


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## Horsesdontlie (Mar 11, 2011)

Just thought I would provide examples of fighting horses verses playing horses. They tend to make a lot more noise, a lot more ear pinning, and hard kicks make contact. Though if any animals are being stressed out through fighting or play they should be separated. How old are all the horses in question?

Fighting horses (extreme case):










Playing horses (despite the title...ignore it they are playing):


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## kntry (Nov 11, 2011)

It's a cross between the ones fighting and playing. A lot rougher. 

My buckskin runs from them. When he gets cornered, he'll turn and kick but not hard. 

The ones I'm worried about are the newer horse and Draft. The newer horse will continue nipping at the Draft until he stops eating and starts raring up. In the last few days, the Draft has started chasing him down because he'a tired of the aggravation

3 of the horses are 3-6 years old and the Draft is about 8-9.


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## Horsesdontlie (Mar 11, 2011)

kntry said:


> It's a cross between the ones fighting and playing. A lot rougher.
> 
> My buckskin runs from them. When he gets cornered, he'll turn and kick but not hard.
> 
> ...


It sounds like your other two are getting tired of him. I think part of it might be due to his age. Are there mares in the herd? If so are any in heat? All males are castrated right?

Other more experienced people I have a theory but I don't want to say try it to the OP, what about short interaction times? I imagine it would be possible for the newer (young) horse to just be too full of himself and just pestering the others to the point they just can't take it. What about doing daily interactions? Possibly making sure the said horse is worked before interaction either through riding, active lunging, games...something interactive. Then let the horses interact for an hour or two then separate again?

That way so this new horse can learn to interact with the new horses when he has expelled his energy and when the current horses are more tolerant because they haven't been bothered for hours on end. This could all be supervised to make sure nothing would escalate. Most of it sounds like a pesky youngster that is getting on the senior's nerves and stressing out the others. I'm thinking full separation just may cause the horse to become more unsocial.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

The horse has been doing this for SIX MONTHS. This isn't a training, interaction, or 'make him tired' issue, it's an _aggression_ issue.

I had a horse aggressive gelding. There was absolutely _nothing_ I could do other than separate him from the majority of horses. He would have killed or been killed when it came to most horses.

As long as he can see the other horses he should be fine by himself. The OP may find another horse with whom he can become buddies, but in the meantime for the safety and well being of ALL the horses he needs to be separated.


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## Horsesdontlie (Mar 11, 2011)

Hmm, guess I was going down the track that the horse was being more of an obnoxious youngster than horse aggression. A horse that perhaps had not been socialized properly for long amount of time. It sounded like the draft was being a lot more aggressive than the new horse which was just non-stop playing. I was basing my thoughts on that. 

I agree though that horses that are horse aggressive will most likely stay horse aggressive throughout their entire lives.


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## kntry (Nov 11, 2011)

The Draft is not aggressive at all. Neither is the Buckskin. The Draft is reacting to the situation. He's tired of being aggravated. I've watched him with his head to the ground, off by himself grazing. The horse walks up to him and starts nipping at his neck. He will not stop until the Draft starts nipping back and then raring up, leading to chasing. 

My son's two horses are about the same age as my Buckskin. My son's first horse nips at the Buckskin and chases him but they are playing. The Buckskin will chase him once in a while. It's the newer horse that is causing the problems.


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## Rachel1786 (Nov 14, 2010)

My moms gelding is a jerk like that. He espesially loves to chase the donkey around nipping at his butt and then in the begging of December when I move my TB back from a boarding stable(my mom lets me keep her there for free, just pay for food) he would not leave her alone the first 2 days, constantly chasing her and having kick fests, I was really worried they were going to hurt each other but some of the fence of our other pasture blew down in hurricane sandy so I didn't have a place to separate them(and I think if I put Bella in the other field she would have jumped the fence). Now he only chases her when he gets a bug up his butt. He's 2 short videos of his antics. 
Legacy chases the donkey - YouTube

then Legacy chases Bella - YouTube


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## kntry (Nov 11, 2011)

Legacy is gorgeous!

We had a donkey for a while. He and the Draft were inseparable. All of a sudden, the donkey started picking on the Draft. The Draft had bite marks and kick scrapes all over him from the donkey. He never hurt the donkey. I finally gave the donkey away.

I forgot to answer before but yes, these are all geldings.


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## usandpets (Jan 1, 2011)

Ever heard the expression "Boys will be boys"? If it was settling the order in the herd, it wouldn't go on for 6 months. 

Ours do this all the time. I do not think it is aggression. It sounds like they are playing. Some play more rough than others. When they don't want to play any more or at all, they will put the playful one in its place. 

We have an 8 month old colt in with our geldings. One chases him all over. We have seen him let the others know he's had enough. He double barreled another in the chin. It was so cute, him standing up to the others. Two of the geldings didn't seem to know how to play when we got them. Now all get into it at some point. Their ages are 8 months, one is 6, one is 7, two are 9 and one is 11. You can see and hear them bite one another. They will rear. They will kick out and make contact at times. There are marks on pretty much each of them. Some have been kind of bad. 

Horses will be horses and boys will be boys. Together you get geldings will be geldings. I don't see mares do this very often.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## kntry (Nov 11, 2011)

I have a couple of problems with letting them be boys. My Buckskin is scared to death of him. If the horse even looks like he's walking towards the Buckskin, he literally runs to the other side of the pasture. 

Yesterday when my DH came home and found them all running, the Buckskin ran right to him and stayed next to him.

The Draft outweighs this horse by about 1000 lbs. If he gets him on the ground again, I'm afraid the Draft is going to stomp him. DH said he was snorting yesterday, he was so mad.


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