Are stallions suddenly fashionable?

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

I follow a few horsey pages on Facebook and it seems that everyone is buying stallions.. and it’s absolutely imperative that they mention they own a stallion in every post or photo of their horse.

Have I missed something and it’s suddenly the ‘in’ thing? I don’t mention my horses lack of nuts in every post I make.. should I be? ?

 

[Lipglosspukka]

Oh don't.

I find it cringe! They seem to think it's even more impressive if said stallion is a poorly mannered s***!

 

[rabatsa]

I have a stallion.

He is booked in for his plums removing a week on Tuesday.

 

[ycbm]

I follow a few horsey pages on Facebook and it seems that everyone is buying stallions.. and it’s absolutely imperative that they mention they own a stallion in every post or photo of their horse.

Have I missed something and it’s suddenly the ‘in’ thing? I don’t mention my horses lack of nuts in every post I make.. should I be? ?

I used to ride a friend's stallion and he couldn't stop himself telling everyone who would listen. We went to a horse show in Geneva (we all lived in Geneva) and a pair of girls asked in French "what's his name? " His named was Schwarzwald but my friend answered "il est étalon", very proudly. I nearly wet myself.


To make it even more ridiculous, the horse was seemingly sexless and took no notice at all of in season mares. I've ridden geldings with more testosterone.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

It's been a sadly common thing in showing in the last decade or so. I have seen some god awful examples of breeds that should have been cut as yearlings and gone on to be useful all rounder ponies but they are winning in the show ring because a stallion has more presence and va va voom than a mare of gelding. A few years ago at Olympia 40 ponies went forward for the Native pony final - 4 mares, 3 geldings, 43 stallions. Most of those stallions would never cover a mare and were exclusively show stallions. Quite a few of them should not have been allowed to cover mares as they were crap examples of their breeds. It's a sad life for them.

I currently have a 29yo Shetland stallion. He has been here since 2001. He is our stud stallion and used every 3 or 4 years on a mare. Apart from wickering every single time he comes out of his box, shaking his head and spanish walking with his front feet for a few strides on a loose rope you would never know he was a stallion. He is far too polite and well mannered for that! You could lead him through a field full of in season mares and whilst he was attached to a human he would do nothing more than wicker and shoogle his feet at them.

 

[Lady2021]

There is a YouTube called Shelby Dennis and she is keeping her colt a stallion for no apparent reason apparently because it’s cool the stallion is 2 years old . There is loads of mares on the yard.

 

[J&S]

Stallions should have even better manners than geldings! I have had my mare stood next to two in the show ring and they were absolutely perfectly mannered NF ponies. I broke in and rode a small chap for his owner and would quite happily let my children ride him. I rode a young stallion for an elderly lady, who once he was fully educated let her ride him even after she had suffered a stroke and was really pretty wonky. He never let her down and they rode out together daily for many years. He regularly covered mares in the breeding season.
It will only get riders and owners a bad/worse name if the country becomes littered with badly mannered stallions with arrogant and stupid owners.

 

[Teajack]

There is a YouTube called Shelby Dennis and she is keeping her colt a stallion for no apparent reason apparently because it’s cool the stallion is 2 years old . There is loads of mares on the yard.

I believe Shelby Dennis is keeping her colt entire until she sees what he grows into - she's said she may or may not geld him. He looks to be well mannered and we'll put together (not that I'm any sort of expert)

 

[Fortanedancer]

Stallions are like men and you really don’t know what you’ll get. Some are happy with a good novel in their Jimmy jams others are on pornhub naked. Just about sums it up.

 

[paddy555]

Stallions are like men and you really don’t know what you’ll get. Some are happy with a good novel in their Jimmy jams others are on pornhub naked. Just about sums it up.

love this. I have a stallion. He is currently in his Jimmy jams and I don't allow him the internet so none of the pornhub stuff .

 

[meleeka]

I think they’ve always been fashionable. I can count on one hand the ones I’ve met that had a nice life. Most are/were cooped up in a box most of the time and fed too much. I really don’t see the point in keeping them entire unless they get to spend their days serving mares and snoozing. What’s the point otherwise?

 

[Fortanedancer]

love this. I have a stallion. He is currently in his Jimmy jams and I don't allow him the internet so none of the pornhub stuff .

I love a Jimmy jam stallion. Everyone thinks I’ve done an amazing amount of work with my colt but I’ve just done the same only gelded him, he definitely wouldn’t have been the Jimmy jam type lol x

 

[rara007]

Ours is the biggest trouble maker- the pally at the back. I’m sure it was him responsible for hiding all 3 between the hedge and barn...!
He covered as a youngster but we’re not going to use him (or touch wood sell him). I know it makes me sound like ‘one of those’ owners but for now he doesn’t need to be put through castration. He’s not perfect but he lives a good life and he’s easily managed. He’s been camping at country shows for scurry, international driving, many line ups ridden showing next to mares. None of that phases him. He came from a showing background and no doubt his colour played into why he was left entire. When I went to view him my criteria was imagine him as an 8yo gelding. As it happens we’ve not cut him but I wanted to be sure I wasn’t ‘just’ buying the topline and pretty head.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

There is a huge difference between someone buying a colt/stallion with the intentions of it being a proper working animal - most are well suited to this job because it gives them a purpose and uses their brains. Plus they are taught a hell of a lot more manners because they will be out and about. And someone buying one because it's "the cool thing to do". It's the latter ones I feel sorry for because they always end up locked up, kept away from company, find it hard to get a space on a yard etc and end up bad tempered and ill mannered. The competition horses do in general have a much better quality of life and the people who own/produce them have the knowledge to get the best out of them. Stallions do make very good performance horses because they generally are very eager to please and show off at all times.

I am disregarding showing in this because a LOT of plebs have stallions when they shouldn't and have no need foe them. Yes they might be well schooled but quite a few of them are aggressive because they are bored/frustrated.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

This is a topic I'm fairly stubborn about. A vast majority of amateurs do not need stallions.

To me, the only time a horse should stay a stallion is if it is a prime example of its breed and campaigned accordingly (competitions, training, and whatnot).

Stallions are more difficult to rehome and find livery for. The stallion in your back yard may have a nice set up now, but if something happens to you, I hope you have a plan for him. Well, any horse really.

I've seen so many stallions locked away in their stable 24/7. I also know some that live out with other horses, but they're the rarity.

Mine was a stallion until about 4 years old (bought him at 5) and self mutilated. He is now permanently scarred. He was kept totally isolated and just beat the sh*t out of himself in frustration. I know they often keep PRE's entire, but anyone with half a brain would've either socialized him or gelded him sooner to make it easier to socialize him.

He lived out with another stallion a few years ago, and that stallion had better behavior than most geldings (as it should be) and lived a "normal" life. That I have no problem with. The horse was highly trained, super easy, and managed right.

Usually gelding them when older can be more hard on them, but at age 10 or under I've usually seen it workout ok.

People have all sorts of ridiculous ideas in their head to justify owning a stallion, and you can't convince them otherwise. It's sad, really.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

The only reason mine is currently turned out in his own paddock by himself is because everyone is too playful! If I put him out with the Welsh Cob they gallop and play and take each others knees and hocks out - truly playing, not fighting. If I put him out with my tb the same thing happens. Now if everyone was 10 years younger I wouldn't have an issue but he is 29yo and I would rather not have him drop dead of a heart attack because he doesn't know when to stop playing! Nor does anyone else for that matter - bunch of idiots! ?? He has always lived with geldings and other colts/stallions that we have had about neveran issue as well as mares. He much prefers the company of the boys though.

So he can play over the fence with them all instead for everyones sanity ??

As you can see even leading him past Gray is not an easy task ...

 

[Billyandme]

Had a horrific conversation in our local Spa shop recently. One of the assistants who knew I was horsey announced that her 18 year old son who in her own words had ridden a bit, had just bought 3 year old Dutch warm blood stallion, unbroken. Had already been asked to leave one livery yard.

 

[paddy555]

I've seen so many stallions locked away in their stable 24/7. I also know some that live out with other horses, but they're the rarity.

Mine was a stallion until about 4 years old (bought him at 5) and self mutilated. He is now permanently scarred. He was kept totally isolated and just beat the sh*t out of himself in frustration. otherwise. It's sad,

Poor lad.
many of the problems are not the horse's fault but the human's fault. I bought a gelding from a stud. Walked him past a tied up stallion and the stud owner went crazy I had walked past one of the stallions. The stallion had done precisely nothing. There was no risk to anyone. The problem lay with the person not the stallion.

I have had 2. The first one I had for 26 years. Both had have exactly the same treatment as the rest of my horses. They have gone in and out of whatever fields or stables have been convenient to me with whatever company was available. I don't catch horses to bring them in I just open doors and gates and they run into their stables. Stallions do/did the same.

I am not suggesting that someone should just have a stallion but I think half of their problem is humans. Keep them normally and they are a lot quieter and easy to manage. Lock any horse in a stable 24/7 , permanently isolate it and you have a recipe for disaster.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

Most of the stallions I have been around were either Iberians or Arabians, I don't know if the breed comes into play, but they were all sensible. I do wonder if mine would've been braver as a stallion because he's a bit of a chicken ? I used to ride the stallions out alone or in company, they acted the same either way. Spent hours exploring the forest on the back of a lovely PRE stallion. Every one of these stallions lived out (with geldings usually) all year and in paddocks in the winter. So I imagine their good training, lifestyle, and perhaps breeding led to them all being great horses.

I personally shy away from owning one because I don't need one, and I move every few years (on purpose, job related) so I don't have my own stables and land. Not all yards are open to stallions. Plus, I joke that I don't need something else with balls in my life ?

There's one I know that is in a stable 24/7 and only comes out for the occasional lunge or photo shoot. He's still quite green and it's very sad to me.

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

I have no issue with experienced people having stallions which are able to live a normal and fulfilled life and which are a nice example of the breed or aren't used for breeding but are sufficiently mentally stimulated. There is a guy at our livery who has his own fields and he has the most gorgeous and well put together Connie stallions, ex breeding stock which are now living out their days turned out and well cared for with horses in neighbouring fields.

I just hate that it's now becoming the 'in' thing to do, and I don't think it's helped by influencers making it fashionable either. Every video I have ever seen advertised of Matt Harnacke is 'My huge Spanish stallion does this or that', or Erin Williams 'how I tack up my stallion' (I can actually understand why she has one as she has her own place and wants him to perform at a high level of dressage). I have now seen amateurs on the Chit Chat page start advertising that they're buying them. Or the one girl who has a beautiful cob mare, but has now decided to get a stallion of a similar colour and breed them, and even when posting about numnah colours she throws in the word stallion about four times, that's ignoring the fact that she is most definitely breeding for colour and not quality which is a shame.

I agree with everyone above too and say that every stallion that I have seen in amateur hands has had vile manners, been downright dangerous, or lived a life of misery - and for what? A few social media posts and to churn it around a ring three times a year at a local show?

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

This is why I can't leave them in the same field ... I'd go out 10 mins later and find Gray with 2 broken legs and Ranger flailing about on the ground having a heart attack ...

 

[CanteringCarrot]

This is why I can't leave them in the same field ... I'd go out 10 mins later and find Gray with 2 broken legs and Ranger flailing about on the ground having a heart attack ...

The video didn't work for me but if you have a stallion and the herd dynamics, energy level, or general shenanigans don't work for him, that's fine if the stallion is still out and fine with this arrangement.

It's when people go "Oh he's a stallion! Keep him away from all other horses or ways of living outside of a stable" like its some psychotic serial killer that has to be locked away for life.

Most should be able to at least handle a (possibly reinforced) paddock with other horses in the vicinity. If not don't keep it a stallion, too stressful for everyone involved.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

My Arab gelding wasn't cut until he was 4 we bought him as a 2 year old colt we were going to keep him entire to breed with, but he wasn't going to be good enough so we had him gelded we also struggled finding livery for him although he was really well behaved.

I have known mainly Arab stallions and most of them are well behaved and are treated like any other horse, I have also ridden and looked after a few warmblood stallions that were also fine.

I only ever saw 1 colt get over a gate to get to mares he was gelded that week.

 

[gallopingby]

Stallions or colts seem to be the ‘must have’ potential show M&M at the moment. Used to be because they were cheaper to buy, and thought to have more presence in the ring. Also a lot of people who bought the cheap colt foals couldn’t afford to have them gelded so they just let them be ? Forty years ago or so colts thought not going to make the grade as a working stallion we’re automatically gelded and a frequent comment from the experienced judges of the time was often ‘pity he has been gelded’ these days a more appropriate comment would be ‘why not gelded’. Geldings of sufficient merit have in the past beaten both mares and stallions of inferior conformation but many judges these days can’t see past the hyped up presence to the dodgy hind legs and upright shoulders with maybe a bit over at the knee thrown in for good measure.

 

[Nudibranch]

It's the same judges who can't see past the fat either and mistake crests, gutter backsides and wobbling bellies for good conformation.

Not sure what the answer is though! Education doesn't seem to be working. The large breed m&m classes at our county show are won every single year by an obese animal (I mean really obese) and a rider who is a long way starboard of the 20% guide. I only show at that one now to educate youngsters.

 

[Winters100]

A middle aged novice chap at our yard has one. The whole situation is absurd, he claims that the horse is perfect for him but whenever he rides it he walks around for 10 minutes looking terrified and then gets off. I have ridden it for him a few times, it is not difficult, just a bit inclined to nap until he realises that you won't stand for it. Problem is that if someone just says the horse is perfect for them they can't be helped. I do see that he brings a series of much younger girls to the yard to show them his stallion, and it is a good looking horse, so perhaps in this way it is perfect for him

 

[little_critter]

It's been a sadly common thing in showing in the last decade or so. I have seen some god awful examples of breeds that should have been cut as yearlings and gone on to be useful all rounder ponies but they are winning in the show ring because a stallion has more presence and va va voom than a mare of gelding. A few years ago at Olympia 40 ponies went forward for the Native pony final - 4 mares, 3 geldings, 43 stallions. Most of those stallions would never cover a mare and were exclusively show stallions. Quite a few of them should not have been allowed to cover mares as they were crap examples of their breeds. It's a sad life for them.

I currently have a 29yo Shetland stallion. He has been here since 2001. He is our stud stallion and used every 3 or 4 years on a mare. Apart from wickering every single time he comes out of his box, shaking his head and spanish walking with his front feet for a few strides on a loose rope you would never know he was a stallion. He is far too polite and well mannered for that! You could lead him through a field full of in season mares and whilst he was attached to a human he would do nothing more than wicker and shoogle his feet at them.

Are you sure he's a Shetland?

 

[Orangehorse]

A few years ago British Showjumping cracked down hard on the number of stallions. It had become the "in" thing to do, and I gather there were some nasty incidents involving stallions. I don't know the full details but they have to be identified as stallions by wearing a ribbon(?) and cost a lot more to register. Older, established stallions did not cost more to register. It was obviously to deter the people who thought it was cool to own a stallion without thinking through.

I know that stallions can lead a nice life and the dressage stallions seem to cope perfectly OK with competiting and breeding and know the difference about what is on offer that day, ditto show jumpers and event horses. The danger is when people with little knowledge or suitable facilities get one.

There was a show a few years ago where the colt owned by the well meaning but inexperienced owners got loose in the show ring and chased a filly round the showground, knocking over a pram with a child in it, and chasing the filly up the ramp of her horsebox that she had run to. The next time it appeared in public it had become a gelding!

 

[PapaverFollis]

We went to look at a farm when we were house-hunting. There was a resident, solitary Welsh C stallion. About 18? It's been advertised as FTGH for ages but no takers. Probably because you can't lead him anywhere. He did used to live with a couple of geldings but they died or were sold. And now they were trying to sell the farm and the horse needed to go somewhere too. It was all a bit sad. We couldn't afford the farm either because of how all the money worked out.

I've not checked if his advert is still up but if anyone is looking for a late middle aged to elderly but not particularly well handled Welsh C stallion I can point you in the right direction!

 

[Cortez]

The UK isn't geared for stallions, but in many other places horses are not usually gelded unless they have bad temperaments. I've had stallions all my life and prefer them to geldings (actually, my favourites have mostly been mares, but that's another story). In Spain they tell me they only geld colts "to sell them to english ladies" Which makes sense as finding appropriate livery for entires seems to be difficult.