# Can goats and horses be kept together



## Amandanicole (Jun 20, 2014)

? ??


----------



## CountyLineAcres (Jan 22, 2014)

That depends and varies with every horse. We have one horse that will kill or chase anything the size of a dog, while we have another that loves all animals and is just a sweetheart.

I do suggest testing the waters before putting any horse or goat together full time. Just see how they react first under supervision.


----------



## Talron (Nov 17, 2013)

Depends on the horse. I have a Mare who is with my goats 24/7 and she treats them like her foals. Grooms them, lets them all in her space and do whatever they want. 

Some horses are scared of goats, some are aggressive with them, some love them.


----------



## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

The horses will have to learn to tolerate the goats and there needs to be plenty of room for everyone. We'll hopefully be getting a woven fence put around our entire pasture and then goats, horses, burros and llamas will all run together.


----------



## Amandanicole (Jun 20, 2014)

Thank y'all for the quick replies! We are thinking about getting a horse, but only have one pasture set up. If we have too we have room for another pasture, but we didn't want to spend the money if we didn't have too.


----------



## top_goat (Sep 16, 2014)

I'm a newbie, so I offer you the advice of Pat Coleby, author of Natural Goat Care (great book -- I highly recommend it if you don't have it.)

On page 286 of the 2012 edition, Pat says that horses are the only stock she recommends to be run with goats, as long as the horses are not allowed to chase the goats. Her reasoning is that goats and horses do not share the same parasites, unlike (aparently) sheep or cattle, and their grazing habits will aid in parasite control for the goats.

Hope this helps!


----------



## canyontrailgoats (Jan 4, 2014)

I agree that it depends on the horse. I'd have an area that's "goat only" in a little shed or narrow gate, so your goat would have an escape if the horse gets a little cranky or rowdy.


----------



## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

The other thing you can keep in mind is that goats were often used as companions for race horses. They were kept in a stall together and it still happens. One reason some of the old timers will give is that keeping goats and horses together will keep the horse from colicking. Dunno if there is really anything to that or not but....I've also had MANY an old timer tell me that keeping goats with horses will keep them from getting sick


----------



## cowgirlboergoats (Apr 29, 2012)

I also think that the goats would be safe if you have a large area the pen them in. They horses can clam one area and the goats can have another, with out them running into each other. Even though we pen with horses, it depends. They have shown no aggressive behavior that we have no seen, but one mare tries to play with them. From what our goats show, they are scared of the horses so thy stay as far as they can get from them.


----------



## dreamacresfarm2 (May 10, 2014)

my horses and goats are together but I kept them in adjacent fields first so they got to know each other. Then I put them together for short periods while I stayed with them. Lengthen the periods and then tried them without me and it worked. I don't feed them together - the horses can be aggressive with food.


----------



## MNGoooats (Nov 30, 2014)

I have a boer buckling that imprinted on a horse we board. He has been stepped on 3 times on his back leg by that stupid horse and he still walks under him! I have separated them now because I really don't care to set a broken leg!!


----------



## nannysrus (Jun 21, 2014)

We keep ours in with some of our horses. We do have one horse though who is not trustworthy with them.

What we do is put a smaller pen (80' x 80') inside of our pastures that the goats can access but the horses can't. Makes it easy to keep free choice minerals out separately and feed separate. 


Samantha

"5 minutes of fresh air is equivalent to 5 mg Valium"


----------



## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

I would never trust my horses with the goats, but I know a lot of people who run them all together. 

My late QH stallion had a best buddy Nubian buck. However, the buck ended up dead of a broken neck when he jumped into the horse area and got his horn stuck in the horses halter. The horse jerked his head up and the bucks neck was snapped.


----------



## PowerPuffMama (Jan 8, 2013)

We sold a doe this year to a woman looking for a horse companion. Her horse had been with goats in the past and was lonely since being moved. I think it is a watch and see situation.

Good luck!


Sent from my iPad using Goat Forum


----------



## cdsovf (May 5, 2014)

I believe the term "what's got your goat" was coined from the race horse industry. It was (maybe still is?) common to keep a companion goat in the stall with the race horse. If a competitor wanted to upset his competition, they would apparently steal the horse's goat buddy which would upset the horse and then not perform well.

Personal experience: I have a pony in with our goats and they are just best of friends. The pony is particularly attached to one doe and when we remove her, boy does he get mad until you bring her back. It is so silly and kind of cute! 

However, we also had a mare quarter horse (she is gone now) and she did not get along with the goats at all. She would chase them off. They had a pasture big enough to get away and they learned to "graze with one eye open" and stay away from her. It is not a set up I care to repeat though. Too stressful for everyone. So end of story, like everyone already said, it just depends on the horse.


----------



## Amandanicole (Jun 20, 2014)

So I got a horse! But sadly he's terrified go goats so I'm boarding him at a friends house for the next 2 weeks, so I can put a fence up between them


----------



## CountyLineAcres (Jan 22, 2014)

That's unfortunate. Maybe after he sees them through the fence, he will feel more comfortable in time.


----------



## Amandanicole (Jun 20, 2014)

CountyLineAcres said:


> That's unfortunate. Maybe after he sees them through the fence, he will feel more comfortable in time.


Hopefully. We are going to try him again tomorrow before we take him to the border. for tonight the goats are locked up in our storage shed/barn, and the horse is in the pasture. The person who owns the place we are taking him wasn't home today.


----------



## Talron (Nov 17, 2013)

One good thing is he's afraid of them not aggressive with them, after he's seen them through the fence for a month or so you can try and introduce them again and things could work out.


----------



## CountyLineAcres (Jan 22, 2014)

I hope it all works out. I agree with Talron. It could be worse if the horse was aggressive. Keep us updated


----------



## Summersun (Apr 24, 2014)

I run my goats with my horses in large pastures but have some precautions in place. I have a safe place for them, I set up panels to allow them to get into a pen that the horses can't get to. They have feed, water and minerals in there. The goats get fed first because if I feed the horses first they run over and the horses chase them off. They also have found a way in with one of my mini studs. He is only 27 inches and he doesn't mind them, so I am gonna buddy him with my buck once breeding is done. My bigger mini stud doesn't like them at all so they aren't allowed in that pasture. Just in with the two QH mares. Wonder how my donkey jack would do with them? He shares a fence with my small mini stud and they sleep side by side with fence between them and hang out together in that corner. Lol


----------



## In_Clover (Feb 28, 2013)

I would never trust my two horses with my goats. It only takes a second for a horse to spook or bolt, and if the goat happens to be in the way they'd be killed instantly. And my two horses can be ornery around my goats just for the fun of it. One time, my mare who is particularly "fun loving," chased my slow little Nigerian buck and scared the H#ll out of him. After that, no more little pasture excursions for the goaties. If my goats are out and meandering near my paddocks, I clear them away. "Get your goat" did come from the racehorse industry. It was apparently a practice, or threat, for an opponent's owner to steal a companion goat to upset and unsettle the high strung racehorse enough to throw the race for the following morning. I had one nice lady, new to goats, who wanted a goat for a pony companion last year. I had to politely tell her that it was not a good idea.


----------



## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Amandanicole said:


> So I got a horse! But sadly he's terrified go goats so I'm boarding him at a friends house for the next 2 weeks, so I can put a fence up between them


If he had never seen a goat before that wouldn't surprise me. Horses are quite often scared of animals they've never seen. Mine were terrified of the pigs when we first brought them here. I'd be willing to bet your horse will settle down in the next couple weeks and be ok with the goats.


----------



## SeventeenFarms (Dec 10, 2013)

probably cant add much to this thread, but we let our goats with our horses, although we dont keep them together full time - just when we let the goats free range. Two of our horses seem to like the company and the third couldnt care a less. We have a centurion fence so the goats can slip in and out if need be, and its a 2 acre pasture so they arent crammed together. I still keep my eye on them though, cause like everyone has said, accidents can happen. The other day my horse, blind on one side, was spooked, and jumped to the side, and the goats, about 5-10 feet away scattered. My horse didnt take off, but just stood alert, but I could see where if he had taken off, he could have run into one. On the other hand, on another day the goats were wandering to a far corner and our other horse walked out to them and gently "herded" them back to to the area where he and the other horses were eating, sort of like to bring them back to the herd which fascinated me. 
So...I guess the best answer is the same answer that applies to almost everything - "it depends..."!

kbt


----------



## Amandanicole (Jun 20, 2014)

So we tried it again this morning, and they did awesome together!


----------



## Amandanicole (Jun 20, 2014)

Here's Charlie (horse) and jasper (goat)


----------



## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

LOL He's still not real sure is he?!


----------



## Amandanicole (Jun 20, 2014)

Well the horse is ok with them, now it's the goats that aren't sure!


----------

