Need suggestions please!

[julia gulia]

I love the farm where my horse is boarded.The people are lovely but here is my problem.
There are two large pastures.The geldings(six of them including my boy)are in the upper pasture and the three mares are in the lower.In order to get my boy I go through the lower pasture, go through the gate, close it, then get my boy, go back through the gate and all the way through the pasture where the mares are, then through another gate to the barn.
I am the only boarder who visits my horse on a daily basis.Almost all the other horses are not brought in to be groomed or ridden much although they are brought in at night for grain and are stalled overnight .Recently, the other horses are all running up to me as soon as I get there.I chase them off as nicely as I can, get my boy, and make my way out but they won't really leave us alone.They don't do anything really bad but I am not particularly comfortable being in the middle of all of this.My boy hasn't been there too long and so I'm not sure yet where he is in the heirarchy.They all crowd the gate and want to come out with us.I certainly don't want them getting out as the mares are in the next field.
which we also have to walk through.When I first got here there was no problem with them following us but in the last week they run up as soon as they see me.I do NOT ever take any food in with me.Why do you think this is hapenning all of a sudden? My boy is 24 years old so I do not want anything to happen to him or me.I have always had to retrieve him from a herd situation and have never had this trouble before.We have been at this new barn for about six weeks now.Any help you can give me will be soooo appreciated.
Thank you!

[Huntress]

Is it not possible to make another gate for you guys then? So that you don't have to walk past the mares?

[Jessey]

Sounds to me like they are getting in the routine of when someone comes in the pasture they expect to be brought to their stalls for grain, then when you don't they are waiting round the gate in the hopes you will change you're mind :p
Could the geldings and mares be swapped, so you don't have to walk through the field with the mares? or could you arrange a double gate system with electric fence so you can get your boy out of the way before opening the main gate into the mares field?

Best of luck

J x

[julia gulia]

Sometimes they do switch the mares and geldings but the upper pasture where the geldings are is bigger and with only three mares and six geldings they put the boys in the bigger field.Galadriel suggested that I carry a dressage whip to wave so I will try this today.I hadn't had a problem up until this week.It's strange!!!!

[eeyore]

yeah we had that problem last year (we had it the same way round and everything! geldings up back - mares out front!)

what you could do is get some electric fencing and section off the area around the gate (like a pen). so you can lead him into the sectioning off area, shut it behind you and then escape out the real gate!

they tried this last year when all the geldings started trying to barge out but most of them weren't scared of the "pretend" electric fencing and squashed it :rolleyes:

on the other hand, yeah you could try running around with a lunging whip ... providing your boy isn't scared of it and follow the mares! :p

[julia gulia]

It's just becoming a stressfull situation.My boy looks at me with this scooby doo look on his face like" ruh ruh????" I certainly don't want to be in the middle of things, don't want my boy hurt and I don't want to het hurt either. One evening when all the horses were in their stalls for the night I went around each one and gave them all an apple for dessert.
Big mistake!!!! l.o.l. Apparently, horses NEVER forget a random act of kindness.tee hee.I think the other horses are probably a little board too and so want to hang out with me and my boy but that being said, it is not a safe situation to be in!!!!!

[NoviceNic]

I had the same problem and got squashed twice. For a while I had to be a big bad person and wave a whip around to keep all the others away but now I just have to shout at them and they back off enough for me to get my fella out.