# reality of a goat pal for a horse



## ali pearson (Aug 12, 2009)

I have a question for anyone who has goats and a horse. My friend just got a rescue older arab mare, and she is keeping her in a small backyard and knows she needs company for her but doesn't relish getting more horses. Having heard that goats can be pals for horses, we tried putting my two younger pack goats in with her mare. The play date was quickly terminated because all the mare was interested in doing was chase them around and try to bite them. They ran in horror, of course. 
I was wondering if there is any point in trying out some other goats, or trying to get her slowly introduced, or if her attitude about goats is probably not going to change. At this point my advice to my friend is maybe try a llama, but I thought I'd ask if anyone has seen horse/goat relationships start out bad but end good, with the horse actually having companionship from the goat after a rough start?


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## Blueroan (Mar 6, 2010)

Some horses will chase and hurt them. I would not put mine in with the goats, or cows. On the racetrack, we had horses that would benefit from a goat companion. Others would try to bite them. The goat knew who he could go under the gate or webbing and in to their stall and share their hay with. Try a small mule, donkey or pony.


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## sanhestar (Dec 10, 2008)

sorry if this will sound harsh but there is NO reality for a goat living with a horse and with versa.

Both animals will suffer and what will seem like a good friendship - maybe - after a while is nothing more than a shared suffering out of necessity.

I've received several calls and read about two more cases in our german goat forum this year alone on how to help goats that have been kept with horses and are now no longer wanted/needed (horse died, was sold, goat got too cumbersome to keep, would explore too much, damage things in barn/pasture, etc.) and how the goats suffered after being taken from the horse (no longer recognizing goats as herd mates) or judging from the problematic behaviour how much they suffered because the couldn't live out their normal behaviour.

It will be the same with a donkey as companion for a horse.

Please urge your friend to look for a horse as companion or give the mare to someone who can offer her a horse companion but not to create suffering for another animal after rescuing this one.


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## ali pearson (Aug 12, 2009)

I totally appreciate your comments, as I was feeling this way, like it probably was a bad idea, but you do here anecdotal stories- so I thought I would ask. I am definitely going to strongly recommend to her to get another horse or keep her horse in a pasture with other horses. I totally agree that it would seem like no life for a goat to have to dodge an agressive horse, and obviously the horse would just be agitated by the goats and not accept them as herdmates unless it was a pretty messed up horse, a strange one with no other options for friends.


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## jeep (Jan 18, 2011)

I only have one horse. Getting into packgoats was doing me 3 services. 1. To pack my stuff in the mountains. 2. To keep the grass and weeds down on my place-I get tired of mowing. 3. To give some companionship for my horse-I'm not feeding another just to keep him company. So, I got me a bottle baby. When I thought he was big enough, I introduced him to my horse. He dang near killed my little goat. But he survived and grew bigger. I got another goat to add to my first. The goats are penned next to my horse sharing a common fence. About a year later, I decided to give the relationship another try. I threw some feed to the horse to give him something to do, and turned the goats in with him. There have been no problems since. The horse runs them off at times when he doesn't want them eating his hay. But I have had no other problems. The goats even walk under the horses belly sometimes and they eat together. All is well. But they all aren't just the best of buds, more like room mates. But it is company. For your friends situation I think another horse is ideal, but the goats have worked out for me.


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## ali pearson (Aug 12, 2009)

thanks for the response, interesting that the way the horse felt about the goats changed over time, but like you said, more roomates than soulmates.


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## Nanno (Aug 30, 2009)

Personally, I would never opt to get a second horse just to be a companion because horses are super-expensive, accident prone, hard on small acreage, high maintenance, messy, attract flies, eat too much, tend to get over-bonded with each other, and just generally are not worth keeping unless you intend to ride them regularly. Yes, I love horses and I have two of them, but I can't imagine going to the expense and doing all that work for an animal that is only there to play nurse-maid to another horse. 

I understand that goats and horses don't always get along. It's taken quite some time for my two-year-old colt to stop trying to bite and trample my goat, but they did work it out eventually with no injuries to either party. Cuzco simply adores horses and doesn't appear to be "missing out" from not having any goat friends to play with. I believe if a goat were housed near the horse, she would eventually get used to it and stop trying to hurt it. But until they were really settled, I'd make sure the goat had some way to escape if he needed to. 

Some people use ponies as horse companions. They're less expensive to keep than a horse and usually less accident prone (although you have to be careful of their feeding--they tend to founder easily). However, some horses (like my colt) will attack a pony as well, so caution must be exercised there too. There's always a risk in introducing any companion, but I think horses are usually happier if they have another animal with them (or at least near them). Even a "roommate" is better than nothing, and in many ways it's actually better than a soul mate because then you don't have to battle buddy sourness or separation anxiety when you take one away.


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## Nanno (Aug 30, 2009)

Here's my plug for cross-species companionship. 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... osure.html

[youtube:46ge6hqo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssljUJKU1tY[/youtube:46ge6hqo]


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## ali pearson (Aug 12, 2009)

Thank you Nanno! I will relay your advice to my friend.


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## Cazz (Jun 9, 2010)

Hi,
Although we have five horses (all min ponies) and they all boss the goats around really badly, the filly who was in with them for a long while by herself with the goats (for about three months) really loved them, more as toys and companionship to stand around with than as real friends - she still liked nibbling and tweaking their hair and chasing them around occasionally but didn't mind eating with them or sleeping nearby. The two older horses of ours who have been with the goats (a stallion and mare) are both very bossy and don't like the goats at all, though the mare is much meaner and seems to like chasing them around and exercising her authority whenever possible. We have another two horses (mare and gelding) who apparently were fine with goats where we got them from, but we haven't tried them with our goats so far. 
However, I had someone contact me to buy a goat kid as they had an old goat who was a beloved friend of their horse. The goat (an 18 year old wether) both loved and was loved by the horse, and as the owners didn't think he would live much longer, they wanted a replacement friend. Several days before the goat kid I had was ready to be picked up (at two-three weeks old) the old goat died and the horse was distraught. Apparently when the horse first met the goat kid, he 'fell in love' with him and adores him already.  :lol: Must be so funny to see, my gorgeous little Kindle with a big horse following lovingly along behind. :lol: 
So, I think it depends on the horse mainly, though a very bossy goat can earn some respect. Some friends of ours have cows and goats, and the goats thrash the massive cows around with their horns - a goat with a strong but not mean or aggressive personality might work, or having a spot where only the goat could go to escape when it feels like it.
Cheers,
Cazz


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## ali pearson (Aug 12, 2009)

Thank you so much for your reply, Cazz. I guess it all depends on the particular horse and the particular goat. I will let my friend know about your experiences as well. She is thinking she is going to try it again with goats. (someone else's, not mine) I have advised her to make sure the goats have a place they can get away from the horse.


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## Rex (Nov 30, 2008)

We have had mixed experience with Goats and horses. Mostly bad. We had three horses and they would terrorize any goat that was in their pen. After selling two of the three horses the one horse that was left was lonely and spent his days standing with his head over the fence visiting with the goats in the next pasture. This summer we decided to let them in together and they have spent a harmonious summer in the same pasture. Today I heard a ruckus outside and looked out in time to see the horse chasing the goats, probably in play, but they we slamming into the barn and the fences trying to get away from the biting and kicking horse. They are good all summer and then this. They are seperate now for the winter. Having them all cooped in tight quarters for months of deep snow seemed like a very bad idea after today.


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