So many issues! Please help, Im drowning!

kingsofscotland

New Member
Jan 14, 2015
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Over the last year I have got back into horses after many years away having family etc. 3 months ago I bought a rising 3 Welsh Section D gelding. He has a VERY strong personality and can be quite bargy. I have plans to do some natural horsemanship techniques to establish myself as herd leader when the ground conditions improve as I have no access to a school. He was being kept on his own when I bought him but I don't like horses living alone so borrowed a pony from my sister to keep him company. He was quite aggressive towards this pony so while I looked for a permanent companion he was integrated into my sister's herd of 6. Here he was second bottom ranked horse but lived fairly companionably for 6 weeks except when separated from his first friend (who he had been so aggressive towards!) at which point he'd get so distressed he'd go through electric fences if necessary to get to him.
I found a perfect companion, a sensible, gentle but firm mare, the same size as him and took her on 6 months loan. They were put together last Sunday and it went really well all week. She was boss, told him off when he misbehaved but not in a nasty way. Firm but fair. But overnight something has changed and he is chasing her very aggressively and relentlessly till they are both puffing and blowing. I have been forced to separate them tonight though they now hang over the fence to each other.
He's also been much more bargy and boldly with me. I'm not scared of him and I'm being really firm. I've had a 3 year old which I trained myself before. This horse is so difficult at times though, I don't know what to do next. I am not wealthy and cannot afford expensive consultations so here are my options as I see them.
a) I send the loan pony back and keep my boy alone (which I hate the idea of. I think he'll be bored and not learn how to behave around other horses)
b) I keep the loan pony, who is an absolute dream to work with compared to my boy at the moment, and admit defeat and sell my horse.
c) I keep them separated for a few days then try them together again.
It's not an option to keep them over the fence from each other for long.
He is also very nappy around other horses and needs company to go everywhere. He's much easier to work with on his own. He so desperately loves company though, I feel it's cruel to keep him lonely. I'm so worried by all this I can't sleep. Please help. I'm usually very strong and confident around horses. In the years I didn't own my own, I still rode frequently but at the moment I'm feeling like I've bitten off more than I can chew and I'm panicking a bit.
 
Your other option is to contact me and, if we are within reasonable distance of one-another, I can help you.

I am within a few miles of Forfar.
 
At rising 3 do you know when your horse was gelded.? Welsh cobs can be very opinionated but yours seems to lack any socialisation. If a bossy mare cannot sort him I would suspect he may have been cut later in life and possibly still has hormonal issues. However I would not really expect a rising three year old who has not yet established a relationship with you to be confident in you as a leader with no other horse around. I assume you are having issues leading or long reining? How much work was done with him before you bought him?
 
He was shown in hand and bitted before I bought him but no lunging, long reining etc. He was gelded at 13 months. I have been leading him out on hacks since I bought him and he enjoys this and is generally very well behaved but can nap when leaving his favourite friend behind. My mare isn't especially bossy but either ignored him or made faces and he backed off in the beginning. They are staying very close to each other across the fence at the moment. He isn't bargy with me all the time, on his own he's very good. When other horses are around he shows off though. He had done very little and by the previous owners admission, had barely been looked at for 6 months before me. I handle him twice a day, before and after work. I'm in North Aberdeenshire. Quite a way from Forfar.
 
I go all over the place to work with horses, and have been known to work free of charge.:) I'd consider north Aberdeenshire to be a reasonable distance. I suppose it depends how much you need help.
 
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