sharing a stall

Question
Hi,  I have a 5yr old mare now boarding with a 6yr old gelding.  They do very well together other than some kicks or bites here and there. The gelding is dominant and pushes the mare around and she seems to listen and give in right away. Up 'till now they are outside in the day and locked up in seperate stalls at night.  They can see each other but not touch.  We are considering leaving the doors open so they can come and go as they please so we no longer have to lock them in at night. Our concern is, if they don't get along it could get pretty ugly. If one gets blocked in and a fight breaks out, how dangerous could this be?  Is this a bad idea?  Do you feel the gelding will dominate the stalls as well?  Another concern is, this is the only place the mare has 100% to herself without having to give everything up to the gelding.  What do you think?

Answer
Hello Kim,

Thanks for your question!

Horse are herd animals so chances are if you open the stall doors up they will most likely get in the same stall together. Normally once horses work out their pecking order the herd runs smoothly.
I would not discourage the idea of allowing the horses to roam together. I would test the waters before making the changes to your barns first, in case you are not comfortable with the idea. I would leave the horse out over night for a few nights and see how they react. If they are ok during the day they should not change during the night. If the gelding is dominate I would make sure I grained and fed the mare separately. When you feed your hay out make sure you leave some distance apart from each pile and put several piles out.  

I hope this help you out.