# Can sheep and horses live in same pasture?!



## Tamara (Nov 21, 2013)

I have a four year Ewe names Sophia.  She is a chunky girl who I am trying to help loose weight but it is difficult because she lives on a pasture alone at the moment.  I am in the process of finding a place for her to stay coming this winter.  I live within the city of Philadelphia and as much as I would like to have her in my backyard that is not a possibility. For one I do not own my backyard I am currently renting apartments.  I live with my boyfriend who works downtown in Philadelphia at a restaurant. He is required to be at the store as early as 4:30 am to open the restaurant and has to be close.  So at the moment until one of us finds another job we can not move outside of the city like we would like.  But I have my sheep whom I care for.  Currently she lives in Vilanova about  40mins outside the city.  But the place is being sold and the owner would like me to find another place for her before the winter.  



I found a space that is even closer than where she is currently staying. I took Sophia there for a trial run and i don't think it went well.  The owner has two small young ponies, one older horse, and three sheep.  The ponies chased and snapped at Sophia the entire time.  Chasing her into the older full size horse who then became annoyed and bit Sophia on the back.  The three sheep seemed to live inside their stalls as to stay out of the way of the wild ponies.  The sheep also were not fans of Sophia and stomped their feet and would not let Sophia take shelter with them from the ponies.  Sophia is currently overweight ans twice the size of the three sheep.  The entire time she tried to hide behind me and I was sending the ponies away.  I tried to bring her and the other sheep together which is silly.  I don't have very many options for spaces for Sophia.  The woman who owns the property is the nicest lady in the world.  I would be able to come see Sophia whenever I wanted as often as I could.  I do worry that I would not be able to get close to her because the ponies would try to suck up all the attention. 



My question is should I have Sophia try this space out.  I took her there about three different times with the same results but only for a couple hours at a time. Should I worry about her safety and increased stress levels. She grew up with two Boer goats from a lamb who were three times her size. They bullied her and one had a horn who would head butt her. She learned to headbutt but not generally people.  Only me once when she thought straw was hay and I swear that annoyed her.  I know I probably sound silly but she is really important to me.  Also anyone who has any advice or other leads for possible spaces in the surrounding Philadelphia areas I would love the help.  I have checked all surrounding sanctuaries, animals shelter, and dozens of other spaces.  My clock is ticking with the change of the weather. I wish they had places to board sheep like they do for horses.  Please help. Thank you farm friends.



Tamara and Sophia xoxo


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## SheepGirl (Nov 26, 2013)

Try it again, but pen one sheep and Sophia together for a week or two. They need to be penned up close, not in a big pasture together. By then they will be 'forced' to be buddies and you can release both of them back out with the other two and she should be integrated into the flock.

A couple hours is not enough time to see how a sheep will interact with another flock, especially if she hasn't been around other sheep before.


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## bcnewe2 (Nov 27, 2013)

If Sophia was a bottle baby that was never around sheep I doubt she will ever know she's a sheep.  But SheepGirl has a good idea penning her with 1 other sheep.  It will take quite a while to like each other. 
Personally I don't think I'd want a pet sheep in the same pasture as ponies that show the propensity to be so mean to your pet.  Horses, specially ponies can be jerks to sheep.
Hope you can find a different place.
As an example, I currently have a returned bottle baby who wasn't raised around other sheep. She's been her about 3 months, she is now not scared of the other sheep but she will not hang with them. I feel so sorry for her, she thinks she is human or dog but not sheep.  She choses to be alone all the time unless she can buddy up with the LGD and even the LGD isn't that fond of her. and that's not normal for sheep.
Good luck


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## Tamara (Nov 29, 2013)

Hello guys thank you for your replies and I hope you had an awesome holiday. @SheepGirl I will ask the lady who eon the property if I can do that. But as @bcnewe2 says its difficult with the ponies. I fit Sophia as a lamb at 40lbs. She was living with other sheep big and small. She went to live with boer goats the majority of her life. I spoke with her vet before the holiday. He knows the woman who owns the pasture and animals. He trims the sheeps hooves twice a  year. He also knows the ponies and thinks they will all learn to get along. My options are very slim to nine around these parts. I'm really scared and sad that I've had synch a hard time. I must keep working hard and have faith. My time is shrinking and I don't want to have any regrets I didn't do the best I could. @bcnewe2 you don't think I should take her to the space? Winter is coming and I'm nervous. 
I have a couple questions for you guys. Would you know how I could register my sheep? Also would you guys know the best ways to get a larger 200lb sheep (chunky butt Sophia) on her back to trim her hooves?! I used to be able to when she was smaller now it feels near impossible. I'm taking her to the vet this week to help me. Thank you guys so much xoxo


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## purplequeenvt (Nov 30, 2013)

You can't register her unless she is purebred and her parents are registered and you have access to their registeration information and can get the needed signatures from their owners. 

IF she is black then you could possibly register her as a Natural Colored sheep without any information about the parents, but I'm not positive. 

Why do you want to register her? If she is just your pet and you aren't planing to breed her to a registered ram of the same breed, then there isn't much point in registering her. 

What breed is she? I don't even know if you would be able to register her at this point (assuming you can get all the necessary stuff in order). I have successfully registered a couple 6 year old sheep, but I was only able to do that because I knew everyone that was involved in their breeding. Some registries might not except sheep for registration that are over a year.


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## goatboy1973 (Nov 30, 2013)

Tamara said:


> I have a four year Ewe names Sophia.  She is a chunky girl who I am trying to help loose weight but it is difficult because she lives on a pasture alone at the moment.  I am in the process of finding a place for her to stay coming this winter.  I live within the city of Philadelphia and as much as I would like to have her in my backyard that is not a possibility. For one I do not own my backyard I am currently renting apartments.  I live with my boyfriend who works downtown in Philadelphia at a restaurant. He is required to be at the store as early as 4:30 am to open the restaurant and has to be close.  So at the moment until one of us finds another job we can not move outside of the city like we would like.  But I have my sheep whom I care for.  Currently she lives in Vilanova about  40mins outside the city.  But the place is being sold and the owner would like me to find another place for her before the winter.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I would do like the others have suggested. Try another reintroduction and just let things work themselves out. There has been many times in my 13 yrs. of raising goats that I bought a new goat be it a buck or doe and turned them out with the rest of the herd and it was like a gang fight for a few hours and then after everyone had sniffed each other's butts and butted heads for a few days the pecking order was established and all was good. Sometimes less is more. I know this sheepie was a bottle baby but sometimes you gotta let them go and let their instincts take over. Good luck!


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## Tamara (Dec 1, 2013)

purplequeenvt said:


> You can't register her unless she is purebred and her parents are registered and you have access to their registeration information and can get the needed signatures from their owners.
> 
> IF she is black then you could possibly register her as a Natural Colored sheep without any information about the parents, but I'm not positive.
> 
> ...


Thank you for replying. I thought it was important to register your livestock. She is a pet but one day I would like to have a ranch/farm with more animals. I would also like to breed her one day. Because I do not have a pasture of my own I thought maybe it was the safest way to make sure if anyone tried to keep her she would be legally connected to me. I have never breed sheep but I would love to one day. She is a black sheep but her coat is brown and gold. She came from a livestock auction she has a number tag. Could that be a way I can get more information about her parents. She is four years old and I believe she is a black welsh. She has long legs, strong chest, long tail, and slim face. I wish you all lived close so I could have some sheep and goat friends. Thanks you


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## Tamara (Dec 1, 2013)

goatboy1973 said:


> I would do like the others have suggested. Try another reintroduction and just let things work themselves out. There has been many times in my 13 yrs. of raising goats that I bought a new goat be it a buck or doe and turned them out with the rest of the herd and it was like a gang fight for a few hours and then after everyone had sniffed each other's butts and butted heads for a few days the pecking order was established and all was good. Sometimes less is more. I know this sheepie was a bottle baby but sometimes you gotta let them go and let their instincts take over. Good luck!


Thank you goat pay, 
        That's really awesome that you have been raising goats for so long. I hope to learn more about how to get started. I think your right and I should let time take its course. Sophia was never bottle fed and when she was a lamb she lived with a couple boer goats. But never a larger flock. I think they will be alright together as long as you don't think she'll be hurt. Thank you


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## Tamara (Dec 1, 2013)

Tamara said:


> Thank you goat pay,
> That's really awesome that you have been raising goats for so long. I hope to learn more about how to get started. I think your right and I should let time take its course. Sophia was never bottle fed and when she was a lamb she lived with a couple boer goats. But never a larger flock. I think they will be alright together as long as you don't think she'll be hurt. Thank you


The two lady pictures are of her with the horses and sheep the place I'm concerned about. The top picture is of the goats she used to love with.


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## Ruus (Dec 2, 2013)

She doesn't need to be registered for you to breed her. If she has a nice fleece, or good meat conformation, or whatever you're breeding for, go for it. 
Good luck! One of my local sheep friends is a lady with a fiber flock of 30+ sheep of various breeds, and she started with a pet lamb from a livestock auction like you.


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## SheepGirl (Dec 2, 2013)

She looks like she could be a hair sheep. Have you ever had her sheared? If not, how tall is she? I dont think she is a purebred, but probably a cross of something.

And no, the auction wouldnt be able to tell you anything other than species, sex, weight, and perm. Id. They have previous owner info but I dont think they are allowed to give it to you. Does she still have a scrapie tag in?


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## BrownSheep (Dec 2, 2013)

I agree with SheepGirl that she might have some hair sheep in her going off that belly. Black Welsh are overly common here in the US. 

None of my sheep are registered, nor are they purebred. Even show lambs ( meat club lambs) don't need to be registered. Often times it is done more by people who specialize in one breed and focus on selling breeding stock.


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## Tamara (Dec 5, 2013)

Ruus said:


> She doesn't need to be registered for you to breed her. If she has a nice fleece, or good meat conformation, or whatever you're breeding for, go for it.
> Good luck! One of my local sheep friends is a lady with a fiber flock of 30+ sheep of various breeds, and she started with a pet lamb from a livestock auction like you.


Thank you. I would love to breed her. One of your friends started out just like me? That's really inspiring sometimes I loose hope. Do you think I could talk to her through email? It'd just be nice to get some inspiration. Thanks tamarasheepfarmer@gmail.com


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## Tamara (Dec 5, 2013)

SheepGirl said:


> She looks like she could be a hair sheep. Have you ever had her sheared? If not, how tall is she? I dont think she is a purebred, but probably a cross of something.
> 
> And no, the auction wouldnt be able to tell you anything other than species, sex, weight, and perm. Id. They have previous owner info but I dont think they are allowed to give it to you. Does she still have a scrapie tag in?


I have sheeted her every year. I'm just learning about hair sheep.  She's about 4ft and some change. I'm taking her to vet today so I'll measure then. She still has her original tags in.


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## Tamara (Dec 5, 2013)

BrownSheep said:


> I agree with SheepGirl that she might have some hair sheep in her going off that belly. Black Welsh are overly common here in the US.
> 
> None of my sheep are registered, nor are they purebred. Even show lambs ( meat club lambs) don't need to be registered. Often times it is done more by people who specialize in one breed and focus on selling breeding stock.


Oh I see. Her belly is really cute. Do you think I'd be able to show her one day?


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## BrownSheep (Dec 5, 2013)

More than likely, in a general breeding ewe class.


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## SheepGirl (Dec 5, 2013)

She looks like she could have suffolk in her. And looking at her belly and also the image of her near the salt lick, she looks part hair sheep. 

If shes 4 yrs old she probably cant be shown because at a lot of fairs the age limit is 2.


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## appaloosa 239 (Dec 8, 2013)

I've heard of goats and horses living together and getting along, but never sheep and horses. I'm not sure....maybe you should try it again with those too. I agree with @SheepGirl .


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## boothcreek (Dec 9, 2013)

My sheep get along fine with the horses and cows, but our pasture is 60 acres and they only really come together at feeding time. The horses put one ear back and the sheep vacate the pile of hay in question without any fuss.


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## Beekissed (Jan 26, 2014)

She could be a Katahdin...the fleece looks about right for winter time on a Kat.


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