Help- kicking out in company :(

[mountainsandhorses]

Hi all, I started my WB mare this time last year and she has been VERY good. She is a bully in the field and I have put this down to her not having the best of starts (possibly had to fight for food)
On her first hack in company as we went away from a gate she tried to give the staid gelding we were with a good double barrel. I was entering an open field and so quickly took her behind the gelding. Since then she has tried to do the same when led to her paddock and someone leading a gelding behind got about three lengths behind her. I rebuked her. I then turned her out with a more dominant gelding (who she shows a LOT of respect to) she hacks with him fine but is not happy to go upsides him and overtakes with a wide berth.
Yesterday we went to Barton with her "friend gelding" and two others- I had to spend a lot of time wheeling her away from the other geldings as she was going to go for them.
She is such a love, a real cuddle monster but I'm not sure what to do with this. I don't tend to ride with a stick but all the advice Ive seen is to "whip her immediately and HARD" this could cause a situation I don't want- bronking or rearing (she is just under 17HH) I also HATE the idea of striking her as I think she is generally worried. This is clearly going to stop us going in a collecting ring or hunting or hacking in a group...anyone had experience of this??

[sarahp]

Sounds as if she's VERY aware of her pecking order in the herd and doesn't like geldings either, some mares don't. We had one similar, we had to stop turning her out with geldings and she had to be ridden at the front in any group of riders. I don't have anything to suggest to help though I'm afraid - she was bought for my then 14yo daughter to PC and hunt which would not have been safe. She was OK in collecting rings though, and at the front of rides, she didn't kick under saddle. As she wasn't going to be suitable for what we bought her for and was scarily talented too she was sold to a professional SJer. She was bought as a just backed very immature 4yo both physically and mentally and was fine to start with but as she matured into her adult place in the pecking order, so to speak, her natural dominance came to the fore. As a breeder I watch their behaviour in the herd and youngsters are always subservient to mature members, taking their natural place in the pecking order when they mature into adults. The same happens in reverse, as they get old they can go down the pecking order again, fascinating.

How old is your mare? Young I assume as just broken. I must admit I would tell her off/show my displeasure in some way for kicking, she needs to learn it is not acceptable.

[mountainsandhorses]

She is actually rising 6. Her frame looked like that of a three year old when I bought her so she was started last xmas and I took her away from the herd to school her on in May when I had a foal due (also as I didn't know how she would be with a foal) She is actually fine in the field except when there is a feed to be fought over.
My main problem with telling her off is the safety element of putting her in that position again...when she kicked out at my friend's gelding she wasn't far from her thigh and it wasn't easy to sit to either.

[rightrein92]

Not the same I know but my mare was evil to my gelding in the field when ridden they are fine will happily hunt side my side and will stand happily together it was only my gelding she had an issue with mayby it was because she was kept with all mates and I moved her to my own yard with my other horse. She chased him off his feed and generally was nasty to him so I started to lunge her in the field with him in it gave her loads of fuss she soon realised as long as he knew she was boss she only had to put her ears back at him because he wasn't going to get in the way of her mayby because she was schooled in the field with him she associates being in the field as a place where she can't bully him its a place of work as well as play , now they have been together two years and adore each other will happily share a bucket feed if one finishes faster then the other and stand in the field shelter together . X