My gelding 2-Pak is an absolute gentleman on the ground. Of all my other horses, Dante is the only one that sometimes crowds, and that's the only issue I really have with any of them from the ground.
Recently, however, 2-Pak has realized that he's the biggest horse in the pasture, and if he pins his ears, the other horses scatter. He doesn't get overtly aggressive, going after them or anything, just makes sure they respect him. All perfectly normal, I suppose.
The problem I'm having is that if I'm leading another horse, and 2-Pak wanders nearby, or I have to pass him, he'll still try to drive off whomever I'm leading! And it's actually escalated to a point where I feel that I need to tie 2-Pak up to do anything in the pasture with any of the other horses.
And example is, the other day, I caught Magic and went to lead her out the gate... only a span of about twenty feet between where I caught her and the gate. 2-Pak was beyond where I'd caught Magic, so I chased him a bit further away and headed for the gate. I'm just pulling the gate open, and suddenly Magic squeals and bursts through it with a pretty new 2-Pak-bite mark on her rear. I managed to get out of the way, and only got some rope burn from her yanking the rope out of my hand. And 2-Pak just continued on past to the water tank as if nothing had happened.
Another day, 2-Pak was standing paralell with the fence when I came back with Magic, and I went to walk her past (with as much distance as I could, all the while watching for him to turn or pin his ears), and I kept Magic at the far end of the rope so that if he did try to kick at her, I wouldn't acidentally get in between them (I figure Magic can take a kick better than I can). I thought we were in the clear, and suddenly he cowkicked at her rear, she bolted forward, and he turned and double barreled at her again, this time one of his feet catching me in the wrist (just leaving a bruise, thankfully.). After that, and another day that he snuck up behind Tanner, bit her, and made her run me into a electric fence, is when I started tying him up everytime I go in the pasture.
When he's tied up, he still pins his ears and tries to kick, but I can at least control where he is, and just put him out of the way; besides that I really have no idea on how I can keep him from kicking and biting at all the other horses!
Ideas?
Recently, however, 2-Pak has realized that he's the biggest horse in the pasture, and if he pins his ears, the other horses scatter. He doesn't get overtly aggressive, going after them or anything, just makes sure they respect him. All perfectly normal, I suppose.
The problem I'm having is that if I'm leading another horse, and 2-Pak wanders nearby, or I have to pass him, he'll still try to drive off whomever I'm leading! And it's actually escalated to a point where I feel that I need to tie 2-Pak up to do anything in the pasture with any of the other horses.
And example is, the other day, I caught Magic and went to lead her out the gate... only a span of about twenty feet between where I caught her and the gate. 2-Pak was beyond where I'd caught Magic, so I chased him a bit further away and headed for the gate. I'm just pulling the gate open, and suddenly Magic squeals and bursts through it with a pretty new 2-Pak-bite mark on her rear. I managed to get out of the way, and only got some rope burn from her yanking the rope out of my hand. And 2-Pak just continued on past to the water tank as if nothing had happened.
Another day, 2-Pak was standing paralell with the fence when I came back with Magic, and I went to walk her past (with as much distance as I could, all the while watching for him to turn or pin his ears), and I kept Magic at the far end of the rope so that if he did try to kick at her, I wouldn't acidentally get in between them (I figure Magic can take a kick better than I can). I thought we were in the clear, and suddenly he cowkicked at her rear, she bolted forward, and he turned and double barreled at her again, this time one of his feet catching me in the wrist (just leaving a bruise, thankfully.). After that, and another day that he snuck up behind Tanner, bit her, and made her run me into a electric fence, is when I started tying him up everytime I go in the pasture.
When he's tied up, he still pins his ears and tries to kick, but I can at least control where he is, and just put him out of the way; besides that I really have no idea on how I can keep him from kicking and biting at all the other horses!
Ideas?