I'll try to keep a long story brief, but need your thoughts on this.
Some very good friends of mine, a wife and her husband, wanted horses. They are beginners and didn't know that much. So we searched high and low until we found two very beginner friendly TWH mares. They have land but didn't have a fence up so I told them they could keep them for free at my place until they got their fence up. I think that was late last fall. Later, we rescued a 20 year old emaciated TWH. It took me several months to get her in decent shape but she turned out to be a wonderful horse for their granddaughter. So she is here too.
I turned their horses in with mine on the 48 acres across the road. In that pasture were three of my horses and my sister's spotted saddle horse and my little niece's spotted saddle horse (I keep the horses for my sister sometimes too). At the house I have 5 acres and on that side I had my sister's show horse and one of my horses.
Well, the horses on the 48 acres got out one day and my husband didn't know what else to do (I was at work) so he put them all in the 5 acres. During the chaos, one of the horses chased my sister's show horse into the fence, or kicked her badly, and ripped her chest open. Lots of stitches, a permanent scar and a $411 vet bill.
I suspected it was my friend's bay mare, who is very horse aggressive, but I didn't say anything about it much then. But last night I went out to find my little niece's small spotted saddle horse with a huge swelling on her lower jaw (mandible?). Very hard, not soft. So first thing this morning we are at the vet again. This time he said for sure it was a bad kick and her jaw is fractured. He said it happened probably two weeks ago and we are just now seeing bone growth over it, and the deformity to her jaw is permanent.
My vet said I am seeing the results of an aggressive horse's behavior and I need to determine which horse and get it out of the pasture ASAP before something worse happens. I've watched the horses a lot and know how they interact, and the ONLY one I've seen chase and kick the other horses is my friend's mare.
So I have called them and told them they have to get their fence up, and that I will help them put up electric fence, whatever it takes, but that I have to get their horses home to them. The horses that have gotten hurt don't even belong to me and I'm sick over that. I could tell my friends are angry and it makes me sick but I don't know what else to do. I don't really have the facilities to fence off anything else, and the 48 acres is not mine, I only lease it. Plus its expensive to fence and I don't need any more fencing for my horses or my sisters. What can I do or say to make this better?
Some very good friends of mine, a wife and her husband, wanted horses. They are beginners and didn't know that much. So we searched high and low until we found two very beginner friendly TWH mares. They have land but didn't have a fence up so I told them they could keep them for free at my place until they got their fence up. I think that was late last fall. Later, we rescued a 20 year old emaciated TWH. It took me several months to get her in decent shape but she turned out to be a wonderful horse for their granddaughter. So she is here too.
I turned their horses in with mine on the 48 acres across the road. In that pasture were three of my horses and my sister's spotted saddle horse and my little niece's spotted saddle horse (I keep the horses for my sister sometimes too). At the house I have 5 acres and on that side I had my sister's show horse and one of my horses.
Well, the horses on the 48 acres got out one day and my husband didn't know what else to do (I was at work) so he put them all in the 5 acres. During the chaos, one of the horses chased my sister's show horse into the fence, or kicked her badly, and ripped her chest open. Lots of stitches, a permanent scar and a $411 vet bill.
I suspected it was my friend's bay mare, who is very horse aggressive, but I didn't say anything about it much then. But last night I went out to find my little niece's small spotted saddle horse with a huge swelling on her lower jaw (mandible?). Very hard, not soft. So first thing this morning we are at the vet again. This time he said for sure it was a bad kick and her jaw is fractured. He said it happened probably two weeks ago and we are just now seeing bone growth over it, and the deformity to her jaw is permanent.
My vet said I am seeing the results of an aggressive horse's behavior and I need to determine which horse and get it out of the pasture ASAP before something worse happens. I've watched the horses a lot and know how they interact, and the ONLY one I've seen chase and kick the other horses is my friend's mare.
So I have called them and told them they have to get their fence up, and that I will help them put up electric fence, whatever it takes, but that I have to get their horses home to them. The horses that have gotten hurt don't even belong to me and I'm sick over that. I could tell my friends are angry and it makes me sick but I don't know what else to do. I don't really have the facilities to fence off anything else, and the 48 acres is not mine, I only lease it. Plus its expensive to fence and I don't need any more fencing for my horses or my sisters. What can I do or say to make this better?