Gelding mounting mares?
 

Just curious what you would do as a boarder....

Anyway, one day as I was taking care of my two boys (both geldings) and could see the dry-lot "pasture" they were kept on and the herd. They had two LARGE pens, one for geldings and the other for mares, while this one was the "co-ed" pasture. There were about 10 horses or so on 2-3 acres. As I was watching, a gelding that'd been there for a few weeks repeatedly mounted 2 mares. They were being very, erm, promiscuous, backing up and all ready for him, and he was just going back and forth. I don't know if he actually entered them, but he definitely was mounting them and this went on for quite a while and, of course, he was playing the alfa male with his herd of mares at the time as well.

I mentioned to some of the boarders to see what was happening, including the trainer there and another lady who are both close with the BO. Next time I saw the gelding's owner, I told him and he couldn't believe it. But there was only one black gelding in that pen, so I couldn't have been mistaken...

I wasn't sure if this was an "acceptable" thing since it was the first time I'd boarded my horse. Moreover, I didn't feel like people took me seriously on other things regarding my own horse's care (another reason why I left), so I may or may not have mentioned it directly to the BO. I figured the people who were there at the time and that I showed what was happening, given their relationship with the BO, would have brought it up if something should have been done.

My gut instinct is that there would be SO many issues with this - injury to the horses, infections, etc. Am I out of my mind, or is a gelding repeatedly mounting mares something that should have been dealt with?

Boys will be boys. Its nature. Even if a stallion was gelded. His duty is still there. Its hard to fix something that was trained by nature. Even if the hormones are not there. The brain and other senses tell other wise. Even if he is gelding, I would not worry about to much. He cant get the mares pregnant. Now if he gelding starts to get hurt, thats when I would start to worry. Now he could have been pre-cut, meaning not all of testis where removed. So he still has some of the stallion drive going on. Even so he cant get them pregnant.

No, you're not out of your mind. I have a very studdy gelding, and when he was away for training he was kept with geldings ONLY because of that very thing.

Yes, the risk of infection to the mares is very real, as is injury to both the gelding and the mares he's mounting. Just because he's 'shooting blanks' and can't get them pregnant isn't the only concern.

Any gelding who is mounting mares needs to be separated and put in with just other geldings. It's safer and healthier for all of the horses.

And then you have my confused gelding.... he's pastured with all mares because he mounts geldings! :shock: Fights with geldings that are the least bit studdy (and we are talking a to the death fight) and mounts the low-key ones.

Obviously he can't get a gelding pregnant but the potential for someone to get injured is high, so he has his lil band of mares (we picked him some witchy ones, no idea if he'd like to mount them, they would NEVER let him try) and life is peaceful.

Awww, he's gay Delfi, and you're keeping him from his true loves! You meanie! :twisted:

Yeah.... you go tell that to the pony that jumped a 5ft fence to get away from him!

Who knew, a horrifically fat Welsh pony could jump like that! Sure won't jump like that under saddle....no it's the OMG you really expect me to get my fat butt over that piddly lil pole 6" off the ground, grunt, grunt, fart, WHAM, there I got over it, happy now?

This actually happened to me a couple weeks ago. I had tied Henny up to get his feet done in front of a paddock with a gelding and mare in it. The mare was obviously in heat winking and backing up to the gelding. He actually mounted and penetrated her right in front of us. I died laughing(it was awkward) and Henny just stood there like he had no idea what was going on. + 1 to my "studly" boy for not even paying attention to the ordeal. - 1 for being a complete and utter butt for the farrier. :/

Though I would definitely be worried about infection. Like SR said, the repeated penetration can cause an infection that can be deadly if not treated swiftly and correctly.

My gelding whom was not castrated until he was 3 mounted a mare 2-3 months ago and got an infection from her...$200.00 and 15 big pills twice a day ground up in a coffee grinder for 14 days and he was fine.

Hunter was doing this recently. After they took the other gelding out of the paddock (because Hunter would not leave him alone - followed him around all day long) he decided that Cleo looked really cute and kept trying to mount her. In the 3 years I have had him he had never done that before. He was gelded at 15 months right after I adopted him. Anyhoo he is now in his own paddock.

Casper's fine with other geldings, but he acts like he's Studly McMuffinpants around mares!