Other horses in herd won't let my horse eat, suggestions?
I just started boarding one of my horses at a new place. We kept him in the barn for a couple days with it wide open so the other horses could come over to the gate and sniff him and they all get to know each other that way. When we let him out in the pasture everything was fine, no one gave him any trouble. The only trouble he's having is that the alpha gelding and mare will NOT let him eat, even a bite. Every time he comes up to the feeders (they get hay in the morning and at night) if he tries to approach any of them they will chase my horse away, and they will continue to do so until all the horses are done eating and there is no hay left. he's like getting ravenous hungry and we have to feed him inside because he will not stand up to the 2 alphas in any way. How can I help this situation so he can eat? I'm worried about him for he is an OTTB and needs to maintan his weight (he also gets grain inside, but he obviously needs hay as well like any horse, there's no grass right now for its been raining so much everything is pure mud). please help me out any tips? thanks!
2010-03-20T10:58:07Z
about asking him to be in a different pasture, I can't do that for it's a small and private facility and there is only one pasture for feeding and the only pasture he keeps them in until the grass grows. it's not a huge boarding facility with a lot of horses, just a small handful a mix of mares and geldings.
MillieGriffy2010-03-20T17:44:44Z
Favorite Answer
You can't overpower a horses natural instinct to be the top of the pecking order!!
If you can't have him in a separate paddock, then can't you separate him for a couple of hours so he can eat his breakfast?
Or put the feed somewhere else. Spread out the feed so there are three different piles at opposite ends of the paddock.
You and your barn owner/whatever know the facilities you have to deal with this problem..! so talk to them about it.
He either needs to be separated to feed or put in a pen with more submissive horses.
The last place I boarded used to take square bales and throw them around the pasture in about a 150 foot circle. This way horses that were dominant would have their pick and there was also more piles then horses so no one could hog. Even the old submissive mares will still fat and happy. Now my mare is on a round bale but she only shares with three other horses.
Talk to the barn manager, is there a chance he can be separate so he can eat? Some horses will just not stand up for themselves. Maybe you can move him into an adjoining paddock so he can share the fence line with these horses but he will not have to compete for food.
well since yer keeping him in a small boarding facility u could ask them to put hay on several different sports that r spread apart. 1 pile about 4 flakes of hay equal to the number of horses in the pasture. and another thing introducing a horse takes at least 2 weeks not days. if the r going to introduce a horse in then they can put 1 other horse in the barn with him for a whole day (or at least when every one else is grazing ya know?) and do this at least twice with ever horse in the herd.
First of all, I will start by saying that I cannot access your blog because this computer I am on won't permit me to do that. With that said, I want to point out a few things for the benefit of everyone on here who has said that slaughter should be brought back, as well as for those opposed to it. 1. On Friday, November 18, 2011, President Obama signed an Agricultural Appropriations bill into law at the Oval Office. This new law contains language which, among other things, reauthorizes federal funding for inspections at slaughterhouses that handle and process horse meat. This marked the first time that federal insepctions of horse slaughterhouses had been funded since 2005. The reasons the president and various members of Congress gave for their actions were "concern about horse abuse and abandonment" and "legalizing horse slaughter will solve the problem of equine over population", among others. Another reason that a lot of elected officials gave for this was that " it will create jobs for Americans, and provide a source of needed revenue for the economy." 2. As a result of the new law, there are now at least 6 ( that's right, half a dozen) new slaughter plants which are either in the planning stages or are under construction. These new plants are scattered around in various locations, and the one that is closest to opening is located in Missouri, near St.Louis. ALL of these plants are foreign owned and will be foreign operated. In addition, the 3 original plants in Texas and Illinois are in the process of revamping their operations so that they can reopen. Carvel International, which is based in Brussels, Belgium, is the owner of the 3 original plants. They also own at least two of the new ones. 3. The expected cost to the taxpayers for the inspections at the new slaughter plants will exceed 50 million dollars per year, and this is money that ALL Americans will pay in one way or another. The plant operators, meanwhile, will be making profits of 5 to 10 times that amount, and will be able to send them back to Europe virtually tax free. Never mind the fact that Americans don't raise horses as food animals ( despite their being legally classified as LIVESTOCK, not PETS, in all 50 states) and the meat from American horses is likely to be contaminated with toxic drug residues. Companies like Carvel and Silvercrest don't care. All they're interested in is the bottom line and making a profit. 4. This last point is the real heartbreaker: Slaughter WON'T SOLVE the problems of horse abuse or abandonment. It also will NOT reduce the overall horse population, at least not by much. Because these problems are so complex, a multi faceted approach must be used in solving them. There are multiple ways to solve the equine overpopulation problem without resorting to slaughter, just as there are multiple ways of preventing horse abuse and abandonment. I can't list everything here, though, because there isn't space enough to do so. I can say, however, that I forgive the president for his ignorance about this issue. He's not a horse person, has probably never been near one in his life, and as such, he has no understanding of the issues that horse people face. Ignorance is forgivable and understandable- we all start out as novices. But it is NOT AN EXCUSE for STUPIDITY-and signing that bill into law was pretty damm stupid, if you ask me. These are my thoughts on this.