Colts on livery yards.....

[maisie06]

Does yours allow them? TBH I've not come across many that will, just had a text from a friend. She keeps her mare on livery and another livery has been allowed to bring a colt on the yard. friend has expressed her concerns as fencing isn't up to colts, it's just a couple of strands of wire that doesn't keep anything under 12hh in as they just limbo the bottom wire, and the fact her mare is only 2 fields down for the other livery....the colt is out with 2 other mares but apparently this is ok as 1) his balls haven't dropped yet and 2) he's only 11hh Dartmoor hill pony and the mares are 15 hands......can't say I'd be happy TBH. YO not overly interested, I have told her to look elsewhere for a yard and am being taken out for the day on friday to look around a couple of prospective places she's seen on the local FB pages. I am surprised at the YO TBH, and be interesting down the line to see if someone's mare ends up with one in the oven!!

 

[Equi]

They are very likely to. They don't have to drop to mate, and a mini can cover a shire so its possible. However sometimes colts and mares are okay cause the mares put some bloody good manners in the colt - one of the worst things you can do for a colt is isolate it from other horses, esp mares. If its a good dartmoor, it will need manners to cover in the future.

Then again some people take the chance so they have a big "omg my mares pregnant and it is the colts fault what do i do" rant.

 

[maisie06]

It's anything but a good Dartmoor!! It's a random mish mash hill pony, looks like a shettie cross, blue and white and wall eyed!! I agree about not isolating colts, have had them myself in the past, even next to mares with a gelding for company but I had good secure fencing and never had any trouble - plus the yard was a private let with no other liveries to worry about.

 

[be positive]

They are very likely to. They don't have to drop to mate, and a mini can cover a shire so its possible. However sometimes colts and mares are okay cause the mares put some bloody good manners in the colt - one of the worst things you can do for a colt is isolate it from other horses, esp mares. If its a good dartmoor, it will need manners to cover in the future.

Then again some people take the chance so they have a big "omg my mares pregnant and it is the colts fault what do i do" rant.

It is not a Dartmoor pony, but a Dartmoor hill pony so will be of unknown breeding so should not be kept entire or used for breeding purposes, it must be a yearling at least so will be fertile and probably soon start to show an interest in the mares.

I don't understand how any YO can just let random colts onto an unsuitable yard, let alone turn them out with mares, I have had colts but they are segregated from any mares by decent fencing for the safety of both the colt and any mares on the premises.

 

[Equi]

eeeeesh not good then. Hope you find a new yard soon before anything happens.

 

[Goldenstar]

Time to move

 

[Enfys]

I had extremely secure fencing when I had my yard, I did have colts up to 3 years old there, but these were all ones that I had bred myself and they lived in bachelor herds with geldings.

I had my own stallion, gelding/colts and the stallion fields were on one side of the house, mares and other geldings were on the other. I refused to take colts or stallions even though I could have accommodated them on the 'boys side' I just didn't want the hassle, especially if they escaped. I insisted on any colts being gelded before I took them on, none of this "Oh, I'll do it when the weather cools down"

I completely understand YO's who refuse to take them, we do have a responsibility to our clients and introducing a randy teenager that could possibly escape is one trouble no YO needs.

If I was boarding on a yard such as you describe and a stallion arrived I would be exceptionally wary, mind, I had a mare chased to exhaustion (and sustained a life ending injury) through a bog by a randy git of an Irish bogtrotting slimeball of a gelding, so whether they have balls or not doesn't always mean no trouble.

 

[Red-1]

A friend had a small colt on her property, he was with geldings, and the fencing was good, with a 5 bar gate between them and the mares.

This year she had 2 foals. A total surprise. As far as anyone knows the colt never got out. He never showed a sign of jumping. We can only presume he jumped in and out again, or they had relations through the gate!!!

 

[DW Team]

I am very luck to be on a yard which is also a stud so if you had a Colt you would running the yard colts and geldings. In fact my young gelding is running with her colts at the moment. I would be most unhappy if a Colt was running on the DIY side of the yard. I have seen how even when the Colt foals are with the dams try to mount from the word go. Near to weaning 4-5 months they are keen on anything most of the mares tend to put the boys in there place.

 

[Damnation]

I would not be happy at all, especially as the owner of a very "tarty" mare... Even on the yard I am currently at, because most of the geldings are ex racers and cut late they aren't allowed out with mares as they still get the "urges" years after gelding.

I used to work on a stud where we had a stallion. He was kept within a paddock with 8 foot fencing and electric tape making a 10 foot gap between his fence and the field next door to stop him being tempted or being able to touch other horses. Even his stable was separate.

Any colts born had everything whipped off as soon as they dropped.

 

[DiNozzo]

I used to work on a stud where we had a stallion. He was kept within a paddock with 8 foot fencing and electric tape making a 10 foot gap between his fence and the field next door to stop him being tempted or being able to touch other horses. Even his stable was separate.

Poor, poor, horse. What an awful, cruel thing to do to a herd animal. Stallions are just horses, they deserve to be kept as such, not by themselves

If stallions cannot be kept in appropriate conditions then they should be gelded. Neither the OP or Damnation's set up is appropriate.

 

[Kezzabell2]

I had a situation a number of years ago, where a girl at my yard bought a colt, he was out on his own and I can't remember why but he was moved into the field next to my mare!! He was a tiny section a and my mare is 15'2 but she was also a bit of a ta rt in her day!! I caught him trying to mount my mare through the barbed wire fence!!

Then I sent him away and he tried to mount the gelding he was then turned out with, who swifty kicked him!!

I txt the owner to warn her that he could get hurt by the horse of the fencing and I just got abuse back because my mare shouldn't be such a ta rt!! Luckily the farmer kicked her off shortly after that and her Dad's GF got the pony gelded.

 

[honetpot]

I would not be happy at all, especially as the owner of a very "tarty" mare... Even on the yard I am currently at, because most of the geldings are ex racers and cut late they aren't allowed out with mares as they still get the "urges" years after gelding.

I used to work on a stud where we had a stallion. He was kept within a paddock with 8 foot fencing and electric tape making a 10 foot gap between his fence and the field next door to stop him being tempted or being able to touch other horses. Even his stable was separate.

Any colts born had everything whipped off as soon as they dropped.

What a terrible life for a stallion. I have worked with stallions and own colts and they are treated life any other horse, they are turned out with company and stabled with the rest. The mares have their separate turnout but I have no special fencing, just mains powered electric.

 

[laura_nash]

I used to work on a stud where we had a stallion. He was kept within a paddock with 8 foot fencing and electric tape making a 10 foot gap between his fence and the field next door to stop him being tempted or being able to touch other horses. Even his stable was separate.

.. and this is why so many people in the UK think stallions are dangerous nutters who require specialist handling. Any horse is likely to be a bit odd (and certainly lacking in social skills) if kept in solitary confinement all its life Poor horse!

Not saying OP hasn't got genuine cause for concern though, does sound like a few unexpected foals are likely with that setup.

 

[Damnation]

Poor, poor, horse. What an awful, cruel thing to do to a herd animal. Stallions are just horses, they deserve to be kept as such, not by themselves

If stallions cannot be kept in appropriate conditions then they should be gelded. Neither the OP or Damnation's set up is appropriate.

I had a situation a number of years ago, where a girl at my yard bought a colt, he was out on his own and I can't remember why but he was moved into the field next to my mare!! He was a tiny section a and my mare is 15'2 but she was also a bit of a ta rt in her day!! I caught him trying to mount my mare through the barbed wire fence!!

Then I sent him away and he tried to mount the gelding he was then turned out with, who swifty kicked him!!

I txt the owner to warn her that he could get hurt by the horse of the fencing and I just got abuse back because my mare shouldn't be such a ta rt!! Luckily the farmer kicked her off shortly after that and her Dad's GF got the pony gelded.

What a terrible life for a stallion. I have worked with stallions and own colts and they are treated life any other horse, they are turned out with company and stabled with the rest. The mares have their separate turnout but I have no special fencing, just mains powered electric.

.. and this is why so many people in the UK think stallions are dangerous nutters who require specialist handling. Any horse is likely to be a bit odd (and certainly lacking in social skills) if kept in solitary confinement all its life Poor horse!

Not saying OP hasn't got genuine cause for concern though, does sound like a few unexpected foals are likely with that setup.

I didn't agree with it and I personally thought it was a very lonely life for him, but it is how he had been kept for 20 odd years, I was merely a groom.

If I had an "entire" horse he would have a "friend" i.e other geldings to run with.