How to Deal With the Horse Pasture Bully

A herd or pasture bully can wreak havoc on the other horses with which it lives. Bullies can injure other horses by biting striking and kicking them. They can run them into things and through fences. A bully can adversely affect the condition of submissive horses by preventing them from getting to hay. They can wreak havoc on turnout blankets by shredding them as they bite at the horses wearing them.
Sometimes herd bullies act on their own and sometimes they have a partner or partners that joins in terrorizing the rest of the herd. Bullies can even be mares or geldings big or small and can be any breed or age. Theyre difficult to deal with because you cant control what goes on in the pasture when youre not around.

Horses in a herd have a hierarchy. There is often one horse that is the leader a few that may find favor with the leader and sometimes one submissive soul that takes the brunt of any abuse handed out. Little can be done to influence this pecking order.
When You Are in the Pasture
One thing you must do however is to make it clear to every horse in the herd that when you are present you must be respected. No horse should ever present its heels to you lay its ears back or bite at you when you are in the pasture. If you are just socializing every horse must know that you are the one that chooses when the social time is over. You are the one who decides when the interaction is over.
When a horse is disrespectful in the pasture it is the one time that punishment in the form of a smack or sharp word may be appropriate. If a horse is known to be disrespectful in the pasture it may also be appropriate to carry a whip so that you can use it to keep the horse a safe distance from you and to apply a quick punishment in the form of a flick.
You cant punish horses for their actions towards other horses in the pasture because punishment rarely works and you wont be there enough to do it consistently. Jostling for herd dominance and places in the hierarchy is natural horse behavior.
Protecting the Other Horses
Theres a limited amount you can do to protect other horses from pasture bullies. If the bullying becomes injurious to other horses you