gelding bonding to mare

We have an unfortunate situation where our gelding has become infatuated with our mare. They were out on pasture together and the gelding became very bonded. He is a big draft-cross and we can't manage him when the mare is out of his sight. He becomes desperate and slightly crazed - if the mare calls out to him, we fear for our lives. My question is - we love this mare dearly - and want to try to send her to pasture elsewhere for 3-4 months and then try to bring her back to our barn again but keeping her this time well away on another part of our property in the hope that the gelding doesn't have the close contact again. Has anyone ever tried this? Did it work? We have tried for several months to work with this problem but our gelding can't be managed when his 'panic' button is ignited - which happens as soon as he can't see his mare. The help I would like is if anyone has tried the seperation of a mare and gelding and brought the mare back after some months and kept the two from close contact again. Anyone?

Were I use to ride that had this sort of problem & the took the horse away but when they brought it back it made it worse is there any way you could maybe have her her ina pasture close to him but have then seperated?

Maybe someone else has a better solution :)

What is it about geldings and mares? My mare was in love with a couple of them throughout her life. Kinda funny, actually. One of them got jealous and nasty (with the stallion) after we bred her to a stallion with him watching

If only two go out together, then I think its more the fact that there's only two of them. So when you take one away, the other's alone. Can you invest in another horse or maybe a pony? The rule of thumb is either 1 or 3+.. Two horses get too attatched to each other. My gelding and mare went out together for a day (when she first came) and were attatched to eachother within an hour! They were both put in the same field but with two more horses, and their much less attached now.

They were so attached they would call for each other non stop, after only a day! =p

I agree with adding another horse to the mix...it could really change the dynamics. If adding another horse of your own is not an option, you could think about boarding for someone...maybe give a great deal (but still worth it for you).

Otherwise, I would try to at least create a second pen and keep them in separate pens.

What a tough situation.

We have a big field for our horses, and there are two out there right now, but our mare was out with them before her diet changed from theirs (too much of a pain to feed)...so we have two in individual pens, and two together. They whinnie to each other when one leaves , but no body gets frantic. We also change the horses who are cohabiting every once in a while so it is just old news to them. All four like being able to see each other though.

I haven't heard of the sending away thing, but from what the above poster said, I would try something else first!

Good luck.

Also take a look at it from the "weaning" perspective. You shouldn't wean a foal from its mother all at once, but gradually. So sending the gelding or mare away all in one shot will probably do more harm then good- being they are so attatched. First seperate them in two different fields (but so they can see each other).. Then seperate them so they can't see each other (if at all possible).. but still see each other in the barn? Then I might send away, if at all. (Although if you just plan on bringing them back again, it might not help any.. ?)