Managing Pastured Horses

["guest@endurance.net" <guest@endurance.net>]

Terry Emmitt tle01@health.state.ny.us
Hi, I'm back again with another herd management question.
("I'm the boss and I'll throw a rock at you if you challenge me"
is still working, and I usually just move him off with my
voice now!)
This question concerns the same bossy gelding.  Last week a friend
came over and brought her gelding.  My gelding got very, very
upset at the prospect of his mare being near this gelding.
(I go out with another mare occasionally and although he does
carry on about us leaving, he's never been "aggressive" about it.)
Luckily, Buddy got to go with us, but he was "high" the whole
time.  We could not let him get within bitting/kicking distance
of the other gelding and had to keep my mare a respectable distance
from both of them (she likes to attach herself to the leader).
These two horses have lived together exclusively for the past two
years, with occasional visits from the other mare.

Here's where I need suggestions.  I'm opening my
farm to a few boarders, who will be mixed with my own horses.
How do I introduce the new member?  I know enough to seperate a
new horse in a smaller paddock near the others until the
acclimation point is reached, but what strategy
should I use to put them together?  Another mare should not be a
problem, because I could put the two mares together first, then
add the gelding; or put the gelding with a new mare, and add the
other when those two are okay.  But if I get another gelding,
should I put him with the mare first, then add Buddy?  Should I
put the two geldings together and NOT add the mare (hoping for
another mare, so she can have company?)?.  This gelding is a wonderful
old schoolmaster, but he's quite bossy in the field, I don't want
to see him beat up too badly by a newcomer. I have the luxury of
every horse having his own pasture, but I want to use
a rotational grazing system and allow them to be horses, with
lots of equine interaction.

Sorry this got so long, but I wanted to give a detailed
picture of my situation, hoping for some good "mixing"
strategies.  Suggestions, please?

Terry


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