his name is rusty when we got him he was alone and had cribbing problems and now he cant stand to have the two mares away from him one day he charged through a fence! i dont want my parents to sell him and i dont want him to get hurt from anoughther fence. he acts like a gelding one day and a stallion the next i think he is an arabian standeredbred mix maybe morgan... i love him and i dont want him to be sold... i need help...FAST!
Answers:
The first thing you need to check is to make sure he's not a 'rig', or chryptorchid. Occasionally, stallions will retain one testicle inside their body, and it's a more complicated surgical procedure to have it removed. Sometimes, the owners will only remove the visible testicle and leave the other inside. When this happens, gelding will still act and feel like a stallion. It's also possible the gelding was 'proud cut' and part of a testicle was not removed. Talk to your vet. If this is the case, you will need to have the retained testicle removed as it poses a health risk to the horse to leave it in his abdomen, not to mention a problem keeping him around other horses if he's being so obnoxious.
Horses that have a history of cribbing problems are often nervous in general. Your gelding is spoiled and herd-bound and would rather go through a fence than be separated from his herdmates. He's probably learned that his abominable behavior gets him what he wants since it sounds like you're nervous about him, which will only make it worse.
Have the gelding seen by a vet to make sure he's actually a full gelding, and then work with a trainer to improve his behavior. Do you have a safe place to confine him away from the mares? A sturdy box stall or round pen with walls at least 8 feet high is needed. Some horses get so 'herd bound' they'll really injure themselves to get back with the group, so care is necessary. It would probably be easier to start the process if you could take him or the mares to another place, which would allow you to work with your gelding without the distraction until he learns to feel a bit more comfortable when he's by himself. Pat Parelli, Chris Cox, Clinton Anderson, and other well-known trainers have safe, humane, time-honored methods of dealing with problems like these, and you may want to look into those.
Horses are naturally social and need another horse or animal for companionship, but a well-trained horse will behave when he's by himself, too. Get some professional help with your gelding before a person or the horse is hurt.
Since he was alone earlier in life, he is probably scared of being left alone again. Was he pastured with the mares when he first got there? It's possible that he became attached to them and is now having issues with that. OR maybe he was gelded at a late age. Many horses that are gelded late in life tend to keep their stallion-isitc tendencies for their whole lives haha.I say that if they are all safe together I see no reason why the mares cant be pasture with the gelding. If you don't want to do that or if it proves to be unsafe then get him a pasture mate to become friends with and relocate them to a pasture where the mares are out of sight-- a lot of horses don't like being alone. And if you don't want to buy another horse get a goat! Goats are GREAT horse companions believe it or not and they wont cost AS much =)
This can be several different problems. One problem is that the horse may have bred at least once before being gelded. That means he knows the feeling of being with a mare, even though he can't "perform", he still gets the urge, and the scent of a mare, especially if a mare is in season. Male horses, whether gelded or otherwise, have basic male instincts when it comes to the opposite sex.
another issue could be that the horse was "proud cut" meaning that even PART of a testicle was left inside of him. usually a whole testicle, but there have been incidents involving partialities. This serves as a problem because he can still mount and impregnate a mare in SOME cases, and there is nothing like having a brazen gelding lemme tell ya!
another common issue can be the simple fact that he has bonded to your mares, in whic case you might want to just keep them together. Horses ARE social creatures, and do require a fair amount of companionship. If your gelding has bonded to one or both mares, then yah, hes likely to get upset when seperated from his girls, especially since he lived a lonely life before this.
It may be best to just keep him with the mares, and let him have his way. He will be happier, and it will be even more so worth it for you!
I think you should plan more and keep them together.
For instance, if you need the mares, (one or both) catch him FIRST and tie him to something sturdy.
Then go in and get the girls. Leave him tied until they can be reunited. Maybe a special head stall will be needed just for him.
Also, work all three together. If you have a class or whatever, make sure they stay together. Think of them as a unit. Plan for them to work together.
Good luck
Your description of your horse doesn't sound so much that he is "stallion like" as that he is "herd bound" to the extreme.
Up to 30% of geldings can show some stallion like behaviors. Some are proud cut or have some physical reason to retain stallion like behaviors, but many are not. Your equine vet can draw blood and check your horse's hormone level, this will show whether he has a physical problem. That will give you an idea whether that is part of you problem.
Most likely your horse is overly attached to the mares and is "herd bound". Perhaps you can solve his problem by simple modifications such as keeping him alone part time in a sturdy and safe location, or sending him to a trainer, or slowly modifying his behaviors by training. John Lyons and Pat Parelli both have alot of suggestions on how to teach your horse to cope moving away from a buddy. Their ideas often revolve around moving your horse two steps from his friends, and then returning him. Then moving him 3 steps away and returning, slowly teaching him that he can seperate without big problems. These are excellent excercises and if you are experienced enough they may work for this horse.
You also need to consider whether this horse is a good match for your situation. A horse can be a good horse and yet not be the right horse for you. You will have to ask yourself whether you have the skills, patience, maturity, fencing situation, time and effort to take this problem and solve it while keeping both yourself and your three horses safe. I know that the thought of selling a horse is awful and won't make me popular, but even more important is keeping everyone safe. I would be somewhat concerned about a horse that has some nervous issues with cribbing even before you bought him (as another writer mentioned also) and then is anxious enough when seperated briefly that he will run straight through fences.
I would advice you to talk to a good trainer and some experienced friends before deciding what to do. Good luck and may the best work out for you and this horse.
i hav a horse like that aswell they called it
"cut pround"
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