Escaped stallion

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ycbm said:
Why would they be expected to inform her that they were keeping a stallion 2 fields away with double fences? It doesn't come naturally to most stallions to break through fences like that or few people would be ever be able to keep one. That behaviour is sterotypical of the "evil stallion" fears of many horse owners who haven't seen much of stallions.
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@poppetpony my stallion turned out very happily on his own, as do many stallions, and didn’t attempt to escape into the next field or attack anyone wandering by. This situation is even odder because you’re indicating he was with a group of other horses so strange that he’d leave them and go two fields away unless of course the fields are exceptionally small or inadequately fenced in which case l)d not be using them.
 
Where I used to live there was a pony stallion that lived in Fort Knox. He was notorious for getting out to any mare in season. Two miles away on one occaision. However he was friendly and well handled, so easy to catch once the mare was no longer interesting. He was costing the owners a lot of money in compensation so they ended up gelding him.

In my friends case the compensation was loss of use of the mare for a year and cost of raising the foal until weaning. No legals were involved and everything was mediated through the vet.

Not much help in this case but I would be giving the owner notice in writing for abandonment of the stallion then have him shot at the end of the notice period.
 
OP, if you are genuine (as others have said, this reads like an uneducated fiction, rather than usual behaviour), please get some experienced help.
It is highly likely that the situation is quickly, quietly and safely solvable by a couple of people who know what they're doing.

At risk of triggering some members (*flak incoming*), one thing you can do to take the wind out of his sails is to remove his access to water until you've caught him.
 
poppetpony said:
As I've said she's been advised not too and it's impossible to get in-between the 3 of them when it's constant fighting and mating. Would you stand in front of a raging wild stallion like that? It's really dangerous!
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having had experience of them then no way unless I wanted to test A & E waiting times.
The smaller the stallion the worse I have found they are be it true ferals or domestic "stud" ones if they have been allowed to get into a difficult situation such as this. They are dangerous full stop.

The safest thing ATM is probably to just leave them and start on the owner. Visit her, the neighbour must know where she is. Find out what she intends to do and how she intends to pay. That will tell you a lot. You may find she will just walk away and has no money to pay. If that is the case then this is going to be a costly exercise for your friend

Find out what she intends to do once the stallion is either trapped or darted with sedative. It can't go back in it's field and if it is feral it will definitely have no respect for fencing and a domestic one probably won't either. If the owner is helpful and has a plan there is something to work to. If not then I would tell her, in writing, that there wlll be no choice but for it to be shot. See what her reaction is. If he is darted she may want him gelded at the time. It will depend on her attitude, his value and what she wants him for.

the farmer will no doubt have a farm insurance policy and I would ring them, especially their legal helpline and see if they have any ideas (about consequences)

to capture the stallion I would work on the natural lay out of the farm, where the fences, yards etc are so you can arrange a route to herd them in. If this is really a genuine situation and the stallion really is wild then it is going to need experienced people and a plan so that nothing can do wrong. If may even be a case of getting rid of the horse's in the neighbours fields, opening up the fencing and driving them that way if there is a suitable building. It may be possible to entice your friend's horses (using food but not going near them) into the most suitable field to start driving them..

Organisation and planning are going to be required. If this post is genuine please don't misjudge a feral stallion. He is not going to worry if water is withdrawn or anything else. He had what he wants and is going to fight to defend her.

If he really is feral and has been brought in (from his mountain or wherever) then if this is local the farmer (who will have experience) may be able to advise re capturing them.

still not sure if this thread is genuine but if it is please don't under estimate him or treat him as a well handled domestic stallion. Having dealt with both they are very different.




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poppetpony said:
As I said there's no safe way to remove her horses without risking the stallion jumping out and possibly getting out on to a road..he jumped 5ft from a standstill. Thier fences are not designed to contain a stallion
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At this point the welfare of the stallion would not be my concern, if he gets out of your friend's fields his owner has a problem not you since he should never have been there. You protect the horses in your care, not a random one that's putting them at risk and has clearly never been properly handled and trained.
 
Hallo2012 said:
any famer used to dealing with bulls could have sorted this in an hour or two.
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I agree which is why I think it may be a wind up. It would be an everyday job with farms around here where there lots of ferals. I'm not sure why OP is getting involved. I would have expected friend's farmer dad to be taking the reins here.

However the problem is once he is loaded into a lorry or trapped in a shed what to do with him if the owner is unhelpful. Can you destroy someone's horse without consulting them or at least trying to get permission. I suspect the owner may not be keen to pay for the damage but will be very keen to want compensation for killing the stallion. :D
 
Having had a feral stallion leave his mares to come and visit our geldings I can see why it wasn't safe to move the other horses. Basically think of trying to stand in the middle of wild horses as even the most reliable panic in these situations.

In this situation I'm afraid I'd be getting the marksman with a bullet. If the owner can't handle the stallion, what hope does he have in the current climate!
 
paddy555 said:
I agree which is why I think it may be a wind up. It would be an everyday job with farms around here where there lots of ferals. I'm not sure why OP is getting involved. I would have expected friend's farmer dad to be taking the reins here.

However the problem is once he is loaded into a lorry or trapped in a shed what to do with him if the owner is unhelpful. Can you destroy someone's horse without consulting them or at least trying to get permission. I suspect the owner may not be keen to pay for the damage but will be very keen to want compensation for killing the stallion. :D
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I see it as the same as if a dog got lose and was attacking live stock
Someone’s animal is attacking your own and you do have full rights to shoot

Dog or horse I don’t see why the law would see it as different
 
So farm doesn't have an appropriate building to send all three into and separate - do any of the neighbours? it may mean driving across a couple of field to get them there.

Stallion is now likely knackered after 2 or 3 days of covering and fighting and adrenaline is more settled. He will soon loose interest in the mare now he's done his 'job' several times.

Create a choot in the fence where he came through (cut the fence if you need too) obviously tell neighbours and get them to clear the fields of horses between your fence and there stables (OP mentioned up thread they had stables) and drive all 3 across their land and into the neighbours stable yard. As each horse goes in a stable shut the door behind it. If the stallion goes in close the top door too.

I'm shocked the vet hasn't suggested a marks man/zoo vet to dart the stallion.

OP for any of the above you needs a group of people with good knowledge of dealing with stallions and/or large livestock.

Take advantage of offered help. Get local farmers involved. Put a plea out on local FB farming groups. Contact the welsh feral pony charity for advise.
 
JBM said:
I see it as the same as if a dog got lose and was attacking live stock
Someone’s animal is attacking your own and you do have full rights to shoot

Dog or horse I don’t see why the law would see it as different
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I'd imagine even if they did the value of the stallion is so low that when its offset against the financial losses of the mare owner, the stallion owner will still owe them money. In the eyes of the law horses are just property, there's no uplift for emotional attachment.

And as someone said above a truly feral stallion IS dangerous if provoked. There have been people killed by them, so some caution needs to be used and not just going in all guns blazing waving whips. The people suggested its treated like a bull are totally correct. Thats exactly the way it needs to be approached and handled.
 
Spotherisk said:
To those saying just shoot it, a shotgun won’t do it, so you need a rifle, with an experienced marksman. You wouldn’t do that without the owners written consent, the liability would be too much.
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Do you think? I'd be inclined to think if a horse was causing a risk of death or injury to humans and other horses and could potentially get out on the road, that it would be deemed that you had no other options? I don't know, I'm not a lawyer, but I cant see how dogs can be shot for worrying livestock and a dangerous horse cant be? Does anyone know the law around stuff like this?
 
Spotherisk said:
To those saying just shoot it, a shotgun won’t do it, so you need a rifle, with an experienced marksman. You wouldn’t do that without the owners written consent, the liability would be too much.
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Liability for what? Damage to property? I'm guessing a young, feral stallion isn't worth much at all, so as above, once that's offset against the damage to the friends property (her horses), the owner would still be out of pocket. The problem with shooting is that the surrounding area has to be safe. I know someone that does this and it's not unusual to have to close roads and get authorities involved, because of the potential to miss.
 
Spotherisk said:
To those saying just shoot it, a shotgun won’t do it, so you need a rifle, with an experienced marksman. You wouldn’t do that without the owners written consent, the liability would be too much.
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True but perhaps if the owner is contacted to obtain their consent for their horse to be shot (even if you haven't actually got a marksman booked 😉) they might appreciate the seriousness of the situation (although I highly doubt it as they've not shown any concern before now).
Ultimately if these were my horses I would do anything I could to protect them. I hope this is a wind up because the thought of these horses being like this for almost 3 days now!
Personally, aside from having the stallion shot which I think I'd have done myself by now 😡, I'd get a trailer pulled in the gateway and get the horses loaded and moved. Keep the stallion away with a quads/trucks if necessary and use stock fencing to try and coral the horses so that they can be loaded and moved.
 
LadyGascoyne said:
I would stand in front of a raging lion if it went near Mimosa.

The vets are always going to 'advise' not doing something dangerous - it's the only responsible thing to do in a position of trust like a vet is, and they could worry that they would be liable if it goes wrong. But the king himself could advise me not to fetch my horses in, and I'd ignore it.

What I would do is get hold of a mobile stock pen, suitable for cattle. Local farmers should have them and be able to help, otherwise you could pick up from an agricultural store circa £2k would be my guess, and sell on eBay after if need be.

You can set up as a two parallel chutes and use them to separate horses by keeping the chutes open on both ends until you're sure that you've got the stallion caught separately to the others. If they are all in, they just go straight through. If they are in separately, you close up.

I'd corral horses using quad bikes or other suitable vehicles if being on foot with a lunge whip isn't sufficient. I have caught a dangerous wild mare using a chute and two land rovers before.

I'd load up my horses, and I'd drive them 50 miles away if need be.

I'd probably be contacting local liveries right now and getting both horses somewhere with stables, lights, hot water etc as they may require vet care if they are being beaten up.

ETA, do you have a farmer near you that is used to dealing with bulls? I'd want help from a cow man, or a very experienced person who has dealt with horses as working animals, over someone who handles horses as pets in a usually contained setting.
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Perfect response 👍
 
I’d shoot it and worry about the repercussions after. But I imagine it’s owned by travellers and therefore repercussions might be high.
(But yes you need permission from the landowner, a rifle, a good shot and a safe backstop behind the quarry).
Either way my horses would be out of there by now.
 
Spotherisk said:
To those saying just shoot it, a shotgun won’t do it, so you need a rifle, with an experienced marksman. You wouldn’t do that without the owners written consent, the liability would be too much.
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There are plenty of rural people who have rifles and the liability of shooting a dangerous escaped low value stallion would be minimal. If it exists.
 
Clodagh said:
I’d shoot it and worry about the repercussions after. But I imagine it’s owned by travellers and therefore repercussions might be high.
(But yes you need permission from the landowner, a rifle, a good shot and a safe backstop behind the quarry).
Either way my horses would be out of there by now.
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Given my knowledge of travellers, they would wash their hands off this. The second police and authorities start getting involved they don't want to know. If this was something they deemed valuable it would have been retrieved by now. The fact a woman came also make me think its not travellers. None of the ones I know would let a woman deal with anything at all!
 
I'm Dun said:
Given my knowledge of travellers, they would wash their hands off this. The second police and authorities start getting involved they don't want to know. If this was something they deemed valuable it would have been retrieved by now. The fact a woman came also make me think its not travellers. None of the ones I know would let a woman deal with anything at all!
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Agreed!

A traveller's 13h cob stallion got in with a load of warm blood mares belonging to a guy I know and they just vanished. He still had to do the abandonment process before the charities would take it.

Fortunately it was quite cute and easy to catch but his vet bill for making sure his "they are supposed to be breeding showjumpers" mares weren't about to produce anything with hairy legs was big!
 
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