Depressed Stallion

Thursday

Thursday

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I seem to have a yard of “sick” horses this week.

My stallion seems depressed. He is jittery in the stable but once out in arena he hardly does anything. He is a little playful but not for as long as normal. He seems bored with arena work – flat and jumping - and everything is done with a heavy heart. His issue with stopping before fences is getting worse – seems terrified almost. He used to bite but then stopped this summer but is biting again as of yesterday and viciously I might add.

Main problem is 2 things:

♫ He is a stallion and there is no proper turn out for him currently. It’s under construction but with the current situation in Ireland, everything is on hold for the minute.
♫ He doesn’t hack out great on his own so needs company which can only be done on the weekends because it’s dark Mon to Fri when I can ride.

What can I do with this lad? If it helps, he is a 6yr old 16.3 Irish draught, he is (normally) ridden for 1 hour a day and goes on the walker when at all possible and is fed 1 scoop of 10% course mix with half scoop of oats with ad lib hay. His teeth where checked recently. He had his back checked about 4 months ago. Feet are done regularly.

Thanks in advance! :)
 
Sounds like he needs to be gelded and allowed to be a horse, i have seen this alot with stallions, they desperatly want to join the others and be allowed to have some freedom they just get fed up , this is why unless i have an exceptional horse i'll always geld.
 
Do you do anything else with him in the school? If I was a horse and the only exercise I got was being ridden round and round in an arena or going round in circles on a walker I think I'd be bored and I would think that's alot of the problem here!

Do you take him out anywhere at the weekends? Have you tried just going somewhere to have a good old gallop? What about different exercises in the school - ie more 'fun' stuff, not jumping, not schooling but a bit of 'play', just some fun, non-serious stuff whether it be ridden or on the ground - get his brain working a bit more.

If he is stopping at fences then there's a problem there - either he's in pain/discomfort (have you had his saddle re-checked as a 6 yo ID is gonna still be growing and the saddle may well be pinching?) or he is unbalance or lacking confidence (or indeed a combination of them all). Maybe he has grown a bit and become more unbalanced hence the return to biting and the reluctance to jump.

There could be so many reasons. I would actually stop trying to jump him and concentrate on doing other things. Maybe try take him out and try him x-country with a leas horse and see how that goes - get some more fun back in to his life!
 
Is his breeding/conformation absolutely spot-on? If not I suggest you geld him and then you will be able to turn him out with a herd, which will keep his mind and body active. His current routine sounds mind-numbing, no wonder he's depressed.
If you need to keep him entire, then please get his facilities sorted out asap. This should have been done before you acquired him tbh.
 
I totally understand his boredom – I do, I totally get it. I just don’t know what to do to help!! I was teaching him medium trot last night which he seemed to get and was practicing himself loose afterwards and he did perk up a bit.

We were competing up until a few weeks ago when the league ended. I will be taking him on hacks over the winter weekends to a friends place so that might benefit him – just to get out and about.

He grew out of his saddle about a month ago and I am another borrowed saddle which is properly fitted to him. Maybe I didn’t notice the ill fitting saddle quick enough? I have tried working with him loose in the school but he ignores me! It’s like he says “FREEDOM – initiate ignore button!” So I have to use a lunge whip with him which only makes him go faster! So a bit stuck there.

I honestly do not understand his stopping. His previous rider (as a 4yr old) would bury him into oxers and get so deep that it was really awkward for him to jump. And he is a big lad and has a lot of muscle/weight/bone to lift up over fences. I have tried to fix this problem over the past two years and I thought we were getting there. I got him jumping over a few 1.40m uprights at home and about 1.15m oxers and we did a few rounds of 1.05m to 1.10m tracks. But the other night I was loose jumping him over an oxer. Perfect on the left, no problems – up and over. On the right, he wouldn’t even go near it. Terrified of it almost. I had to drop it from 1m to two cross poles fairly low.

With regards to xc: we did 3 hunter trials at the beginning of 2010. He did ok at the first 2, usual greenness. Then at the 3rd one, he wouldn’t jump anything – I had to get really cross with him and in the end he jumped me at a drop fence. SO am a little nervous of taking him myself. I have a friend to could lead but neither of her two geldings are fit as she is just back after a baby.
 
I think you've summed it up yourself in the title of your thread :(.

I have had stallions all my life and have had lovely stallions gelded in the past and whilst I look at them now, years later and quietly regret the decision, it was the right thing to do at the time because I didn't have my own premises and their quality of life was paramount in my ultimate decision.

I now have my own yard with acres of my own grazing and my two stallions are out 24/7 with my geldings. They are so happy and you wouldn't know they are stallions they're so relaxed and in a herd where they want to be.

Is your lad used for breeding at all? If not, I really would think about your reasons for keeping him entire as it can be a truly miserable existence for them otherwise. Is there anyone available that's used to/experienced with dealing with stallions that could do some work with him during the week? My main concern would be that if he gets any worse he may well become very aggressive and dangerous.

Good luck and I sincerely hope that you find a solution as soon as possible. Mine all love having the radio on if they're in the stable for any length of time, they do seem to prefer classical music as well, that might help a little but I think you need to be looking for some sort of long term solution ideally. Sorry, probably not the sort of reply you wanted :(.
 
My young Cb stallion came with a mare companion, but I had to separate them when she foaled as I don't put my mares in foal every season. He really doesn't like the mare I wanted to run him with. On his own he stresses.

I had talk grills put between his and the next box and use if for a grey mare he loves or a piebald pony whom he also adores. I give him turnout where he can keep an eye on the mares and he is very chilled now. He does respect the electric fence though, so that is all I need for him.

I also give him plenty of attention - he likes being groomed or having some activity to watch.
 
Thanks guys, thoughts are much appreciated.

I am going to go and price up fencing again and see what I can do! I have a hack organised for Friday afternoon - took a half day.

I love this horse to pieces - I won my first red rosette on him ever only a month or so ago and I know that this is something that we can overcome.
 
Your horse is basically in solitary confinement- totally alien to how he needs to be kept. By 'needs' i mean horses need to move around and socialise for mental and physical health. Getting out of a stable for just an hour or two a day is not enough. He cant graze, roll, socialise, walk about- all very basic natural needs. Sorry if this sounds blunt and i know lots of people keep horses this way but its no wonder hes depressed.

A horse cannot reach its athletic potential if it walks two strides and hits a wall 22 hours a day. Its musculoskeletal system is not designed for this. Bad for their respiratory system too. The refuing is highly likly to be connected with pain/discomfort and being permanently stabled with periods of intense work will only make matters worse.

Why is he entire? Unless he has great conformation, temperament and ability chop off his balls and give him a better quality of life as a gelding. if he is stallion material (make sure you dont have rose tinted specs on) then you need to give him the facilities he needs. Keeping him shut in is not his fault and he is suffering because of having bollox.
 
teddyt said:
Your horse is basically in solitary confinement- totally alien to how he needs to be kept. By 'needs' i mean horses need to move around and socialise for mental and physical health. Getting out of a stable for just an hour or two a day is not enough. He cant graze, roll, socialise, walk about- all very basic natural needs. Sorry if this sounds blunt and i know lots of people keep horses this way but its no wonder hes depressed.

A horse cannot reach its athletic potential if it walks two strides and hits a wall 22 hours a day. Its musculoskeletal system is not designed for this. Bad for their respiratory system too. The refuing is highly likly to be connected with pain/discomfort and being permanently stabled with periods of intense work will only make matters worse.

Why is he entire? Unless he has great conformation, temperament and ability chop off his balls and give him a better quality of life as a gelding. if he is stallion material (make sure you dont have rose tinted specs on) then you need to give him the facilities he needs. Keeping him shut in is not his fault and he is suffering because of having bollox.
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completely aggree
 
If he only stops when turned to the right you may need to look further into it i.e x rays etc I have seen this in horses before and if caught early enough can be sorted!!! if you get a reputable physio to have a look they should be able to feel for any tension anywhere and then help you decide on the best course of action !
 
Hello! T's OH here. This stallion isn't owned by us, we just care for him as best we can within his owners facility. So gelding isn't really an option.

And if it was up to us it'd be a hard decision, he has the finest of breeding, excellent conformation and is throwing great foals. Even then, if we decided we definitely wanted to geld, its not our decision to make and the owner is adamant about keeping him entire. Nothing we can do on that point unfortunately.
 
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ewf said:
Hello! T's OH here. This stallion isn't owned by us, we just care for him as best we can within his owners facility. So gelding isn't really an option.

And if it was up to us it'd be a hard decision, he has the finest of breeding, excellent conformation and is throwing great foals. Even then, if we decided we definitely wanted to geld, its not our decision to make and the owner is adamant about keeping him entire. Nothing we can do on that point.
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Sounds like the owners need to be told that they need better facilities or they shouldnt have a stallion. Its not good enough to negatively affect a horses welfare just because the owner wants that particular horse. The owners are keeping the horse for their convenience, regardless of the impact on the stallion. Selfish! The horse isnt a foal machine- he has a brain! and the poor s0d sounds mentally ill because of the way he is being kept :mad:
 
Posts of this sort are always terribly sad and frustrating.

It's always ends up about what can't be done - as opposed to what can be done.
 
teddyt said:
Your horse is basically in solitary confinement- totally alien to how he needs to be kept. By 'needs' i mean horses need to move around and socialise for mental and physical health. Getting out of a stable for just an hour or two a day is not enough. He cant graze, roll, socialise, walk about- all very basic natural needs. Sorry if this sounds blunt and i know lots of people keep horses this way but its no wonder hes depressed.

A horse cannot reach its athletic potential if it walks two strides and hits a wall 22 hours a day. Its musculoskeletal system is not designed for this. Bad for their respiratory system too. The refuing is highly likly to be connected with pain/discomfort and being permanently stabled with periods of intense work will only make matters worse.

Why is he entire? Unless he has great conformation, temperament and ability chop off his balls and give him a better quality of life as a gelding. if he is stallion material (make sure you dont have rose tinted specs on) then you need to give him the facilities he needs. Keeping him shut in is not his fault and he is suffering because of having bollox.
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Having kept several different stallions over the years, the advice above is (IMHO) spot on.
 
I agree with the above - take semen and freeze - everyone is doing AI now anyway - there are not too many stallions standing for live anymore as the costs, time, risk of injury etc are too high, plus most compete so don't have time to cover. Then geld the poor horse, he sounds miserable, depressed, bored and isolated - can you blame the poor animal kept in such awful conditions and only allowed out to be ridden round and round, never allowed to just be a horse!!:(
 
Um how about some suggestions to help to OP, they have pointed out that it isn't within their power to geld the horse as he doesn't belog to them.

OP I have no experience with Stallions so not sure what to suggest. I think getting him some turn out is crucial. Isn't there any prospect of him going out at all? Can't you use electric fencing to help keep him in if the fencing isn't good enough? Or turn him out when the others are in?

Could a suitable companion be found for him? Maybe a pony gelding a donkey or a mule? Or a goat or sheep?

Could you find some more fun things to do in the school for now? What about spook training or teaching "tricks" like in the andalabrador thread? Or some trec type things.

I appreciate it is dark when you get home in the week but is there any way you could ride outside the school in the dark? Round the fields or down an off road track?

Poor boy, feel very sorry for him.
 
I don’t think he is kept in awful terrible conditions, he is normally quite a happy chappy but the last week or so haven’t been great for some reason.

@ Katt – thanks :) Yes, there is a prospect of him going out. We have grass for him; we just need to fence it off. We will use electric fencing but it needs to be maybe 6 strands or even more high because he has escaped from places before. Fun things are on the agenda most definitely. Trec – that’s a great idea! Might be really good for him and de-spook him from different things!! I also have a companion for him – a small pony – just don’t want anything to happen to either of them if they were turned out together. They “talk” to each other over the fence all the time.
 
If they are happy talking over the fence, could he go out all booted up with you watching and see how he gets on with the pony? If your fencing isn't sorted could you turn out in the school for them to have a hoon about and let off steam?

Can you ride him in company?

Could you get him a stable mirror?

I'd definitely try the radio, and maybe put the pony next to him so that they have some contact while he is in too.
 
IF it is possible to turn out in the school you can put swede and carrot etc around and hidden under things to give him something interesting.... The stallion at our old yard loved to play with horseballs (big red one with the handles on) and things in the school he even got kicking it round !!! Their are those treatballs too that give them something to do. Mirrors are also an excellent idea ..
 
why not take him somewhere different to hack or go for a good beach gallop ??? other than that let him be a horse in the field that doesnt mean geld him as we have our stallion out on his own with horses around him (his fence is very very big) and he loves it
 
Sorry only found this post by chance so a late response.
I'm a bit puzzled why you have an entire if you haven't the facilities to turn him out, it's no wonder he is sour if all he does is work.
Are you planning on standing him at stud in time, because if he already has a stop and isn't that fantastic to ride, (napping is something he shouldn't be doing if his temperament is ok ) why are you wanting to breed more like him?
Some stallions are content hardly going out, others need just a short play etc, but your horse sounds more than depressed to me he sounds in pain.
If he isn't getting turn out you would expect him to buck and have a damn good play voluntarily when loose schooled, or do you mean he whizzes about like a lunatic and isn't lazy?
The fact he is reluctant to jump on one rein would worry me.
If he is difficult on one rein it indicates a problem somewhere in his body, so get a recommended expert out to treat him.
Please think hard whether you need a stallion, they really do need specialised care and when riding someone who instills confidence in them. It doesn't sound like his confidence issue is your fault more his previous rider, but if you went to view a potential stallion, would you use one that doesn't show incredible talent jumping?
I do apologise if I sound down on you, but having kept two stallions for the last twenty odd years I do know a little about them.
You should only keep something entire if you wish to reproduce it's like, so that means it has to have natural talent, an excellent temperament and be worthy of breeding from, your chap to be honest sounds as if he would have a much happier life as a gelding...sorry.
 
Why is he entire?
Currently he's not getting much stimulation. And if he's difficult jumping etc. why is he not being further schooled / investigated?
You don't sound all that confident and I am just wondering have he got some good bloodlines or something worth keeping hiim entire and unhappy?
If you wish to keep him entire, please get hiim turnout or further stimulated. There are many horses kept in 24/7 (not something I approve of) that are bright and cheerful. what are they doing that you are not? That is something to discover and sort out.
 
just seen about him being owned by someone else.
Simple-tell her you do not have the facilities to care for a stallion. If he stays, he shuld be gelded or your facilities upgraded
 
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