Getting a pony horse to live with our dairy goats??

[landis1659]

Hi guys, I only have a 2 acre pasture right now with 5 does in it. We are thinking of getting the grandkids a small horse or pony for Easter. We have a friends house about a block away with over 40 acres and she said that the kids could ride her over there but the rest of the time they would be together in the 2 acre pasture. I've heard of some horses and goats getting along fine but I'm not sure how we should go about doing this? We have a 1/2 acre that has a 4 ft. chainlink fence in the back yard just outside of the pasture, so were thinking of putting her there for a few days to see how they take to each other before putting her in the pasture. Some of my goats have horns too. Is this crazy to do and is there anything else we should have to worry about. I'm also concerned about feeding them together because of the medicated feed that I give the kids. So we will have to feed them separately. Is there anything else we need to watch out for. What about goat minerals? They have copper in them, I don't know if that is bad for the horse or the other way around. Is there something special that I have to feed the horse that the goats can't eat??
Thanks for your help, Pepper

 

[sawfish99]

My answer was decided at "horns". I say don't do it. Horns could unintentionally puncture the sides of a horse or pony when they are grazing next to each other. A goat could decide the horse is a larger goat and start head butting - hence horns damaging the eyes of the horse.

Can you? Yes. Would I? No. It's a matter of how much risk you are willing to accept and how much money you have saved for potential vet bills.

 

[20kidsonhill]

Personally, I would be more concerned about the pony being mean to the goats and kicking them or running them from the shelter or feed area. IT is pretty much a see what happens kind of situation, it could work out great or not.

 

[SDBoerGoats]

It would depend on the personality of the horse for one thing. I have cutting horses and one day I had the bottle babies out running around while I was cleaning pens. They went under the panels into a horses pen and he tried to kill them, luckily I got in there fast and stopped him. Plus the horns on the goats, I would be concerned if one horned the horse. In addition to the grain or minerals for the goats, the horses can't have that much copper. I would probably say no. I did go to look at a Boer doe the other day and she was in a pen with a couple other goats and a very fat horse. The horse apparently wasn't mean to the goats, but the goats were very thin and the horse ate everything. I decided against buying the doe.

 

[beckyburkheart]

we let our goats free range until recently and never had many problems with the horses and goats getting along except at feeding time and we locked them all up in different pens to feed. We have some older retired mares, broodmares and some youngerstock that we're riding.

the only one we had much of a problem with was that my stallion is very food-protective and once the boys were weaned last spring, we put them in with the stallion and a colt we had. the older buck and the one wether we had were disrespectful and/or slow learners and a after a couple of warnings, if they didn't back off the adult stallion would bite them, pick them up and toss them. i was so amazed and absolutely floored that the goat kept going back, ... the horse could easily have killed them and didn't, he's not a mean horse at all and the goats didn't even seem to mind it that much ... very very odd. .. but the stallions all have their own pens now ... BUT the buck we currently have is free roaming and goes in with him and has no trouble at all because he's respectful of the feed bucket. and also is best friends with an older crippled mare we have that lives in the yard.

all that said, we don't let the little ones out until their at least about half grown just because they're so tiny and somewhat clueless and could get stepped on, although the mares are careful if they know they're there. the older mare attended a does birthing last year and tried to steal the kids from her, it's lucky i was there. ... and i did have a very young kid try to nurse a full grown mare who was doing everything she could not to freak out and not to step on the baby while it was running around under her trying to figure out how to reach the nipples ...

so i think it's workable, but you have to be smart about it and aware of the personalities.

 

[ThreeBoysChicks]

I think it truly depends on the horse and the goats.

I have two draft horses that live with 4 goats, 2 sheep and a lot of chickens, ducks, geese and a Turkey.

None of my goats have horns. That would concern me. I know of a horse that had a pretty serious wound from a goat horn puncturing the skin and sliding between the skin and the horse body for about 6 inches. The wound became infected and ultimately, the vet had to open the wound and put in a drain to help it heal. The goat had lived with the horse for a while. They were not fighting nor does the owner think the goat was being mean.

It is also very important how you introduce them. When I added a new horse, they first met from seperate fields, then via a shared fence, then the horses in their stalls, and the goats out side the stall and finally together supervised for a period of time and then let to live together.

They share the same round bale of hay, but when it comes to any grain, the horses are in their stalls alone and the goats and sheep are fed in a seperate area.

 

[jessica_1285]

I think it would be fine . I have a mini horse, 3 goats, a llama and a Pb pig all sharing a 2 acre pasture and living quarters, they are separated for meals. Only.
just make sure you let them get to know eachother before you put them together!
Many animals can and have lived happily together on farms.
Just keep an eye on them

 

[elevan]

Personally, I would be more concerned about the pony being mean to the goats and kicking them or running them from the shelter or feed area. IT is pretty much a see what happens kind of situation, it could work out great or not.

This is pretty much the situation we have with our horses...

My goats have horns and have never once made any attempt to use them on the horses even when the horses would have deserved it.

 

[landis1659]

Thanks guys it's a lot to think about before we get one, we may have to wait until next year when we open up a little more pasture and put her by herself. At least we'll have the option if we need to separate them. Thanks again