Can Horses And Sheep Graze Together? (Revealed!)

I recently agreed to look after a couple of my friend’s sheep while he was on holiday, and it occurred to me that I’d always just assumed they would be okay to pasture with my horses, at least for a little while.

They’ve always had plenty of space there, so I thought it would be fine.

Nonetheless, I did want to look into it first just to make sure—you never know with these things.

It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

So, can horses and sheep graze together?

Yes, they can. They may initially need some time to get used to one another, but in general horses and sheep get on very well. Horses do have a very strong fight or flight instinct, and if introduced to sheep too quickly, this could be an issue. Do it slowly and carefully and you’ll be fine.

Many people have kept sheep and horses in the same homestead or pasture over the years, and both creatures are generally docile enough that it isn’t a problem.

It’s always better to be safe and secure, though, so don’t take it too quickly.

Let’s look further into this.

Can horses and sheep be kept together?

They certainly can and very frequently are.

The bottom line, though, is that your horses will be more or less comfortable with other animals depending on how much exposure they’ve had to those animals over their lives.

If your horses have always been around lots of other animals, they will be totally fine with sheep, and will even befriend them.

That said, they’re going to need a rather large pasture.

If they are competing for grazing, then things could get ugly quite quickly. So, make sure they have enough space to share.

If you keep these two things in mind, you’ll have no problem keeping your horses and sheep together.

They’re docile and friendly and will get along great in the right conditions.

Can horses and sheep graze in the same pasture?

Again, as long as you have plenty of space for everyone, your sheep and horses will be able to graze together no problem.

If you don’t have enough space, then grazing specifically could be a problem, as they will fight to protect their food.

With enough space, though, horses and sheep will get on very well.

At worst, they simply won’t pay much attention to each other.

They are both herd animals and should have their own herd of their own species to hang out with; therefore, they’re likely to stick to this herd.

That said, they can also become great companions at times.

Both animals have strong social capacities, and sometimes they can extend to other species.

Let’s look at how good a companion a horse is for a sheep.

Do sheep make good companions for horses?

In general, yes, they do.

Horses and sheep have similar temperaments, and therefore usually get on very well.

They do make good companions in that sense, then.

However, a sheep isn’t really a good substitute for other horses, and vice versa.

If you have one horse, you should really have several to create the herd bond and keep them happy.

Horses, and indeed sheep, need other members of their own species to be properly happy.

In that case, horses and sheep generally won’t become that closely bonded, since they’ve got members of their own species they would prefer to hang out with.

At the same time, herds can bond, and a herd of sheep and a herd of horses will likely become somewhat close living in the same pasture.

As good companions, they can certainly graze alongside one another with no problems.

They will respect each other’s space and get a sufficient amount of grazing.

Can horses get sick from sheep?

There is no special concern you should have about your horse getting sick from being near sheep.

There are some conditions which have been known to spread from sheep to horses—like louping il—but cases in horses are vanishingly rare.

Horses and sheep have very similarly dietary needs and essential biological makeup, so they are typically immune to the same things and there isn’t much they can spread between one another.

That said, if you are at all worried about an illness in your herd of sheep, you should address this before introducing them to your horses.

Again, being safe is best.

So, as long as you’re responsible and cautious about it, sheep will make great companions for your horses, and they will have no problems grazing together.

They are both docile and, for the most part, probably won’t even pay much attention to each other.

Don’t take it for granted, though; introduce them carefully, and keep an eye on them to make sure there are no disagreements.

With that in mind, they will be great together.