old broodmare

Question
hi,
I have recently aquired an old broodmare that is also saddle broke and a 20 yr old quarter pony maiden mare.
the two of them act like a mare and gelding, is this normal? also my arab mare now 16 is in season again and it's nov. she was sold because she did not settle for the last 3 yrs . she had a clean bill of health. Is there something that I can do that will help her not cycle so often? she is highly agitated. all the horses are barefoot and live in a natural type setting with daylight turn out over a variety of terrain and free choice grass fed. the pony mare is now fenced off from the rest of the herd. actually we split the herd 3 and 3 so everyone had buddies.
thank you for your response.

Answer
Sounds like you are taking good care of these guys.  When you say they are acting like mare and gelding, not sure what you mean.  Horses are very social and they buddy up fast.  They need to have extra eyes and ears in the wild to survive, so their herd instinct is very strong.  I have two geldings and they are good buddies.  One is higher and one is lower, the pecking order is a must and again for their survival.  Only the strongest and smartest is in charge and keeps the herd safe.  

All the horses would do better if they were together.  They would have some issues at first, but would work them out in a few days and once it is done, it is done, except for minor ear pinning and squeals.  The bigger the herd the safer they feel.  Moving horses in and out, sometimes slows the pecking order process down.  You can try to leave them out for a week and I bet all will be fine.  Feeding is another issue that cause hard feelings.  When feeding horses in a herd you have to have multiple piles and locations for food, that way horses can get pushed off one pile and will still have another pile to go too.

If they are fed in stalls and only graze together, this should not be an issues.  As for the cycle issue, sorry, I would think you could fix her just like a cat or dog but a vet would be better to answer that question.

Horses will always be horses and they play and juggle for positions.  It is their way.  Put them out there, let them work it out and be horses, things will settle down quicker than you think.  We sometime prolong this process by trying to help or protect them.  They are happiest when they work this out on their own and find their place in the herd.

good luck,  hope this helps,

Rick