Handling Stallions

[Theresa_F]

Two girls at our yard - 14 are about to share a french stallion who is about 19. They said they think he is a standard bred.

I have little experience of handling/riding stallions, and the ones I have encountered have been fine but they were very well trained.

I have been taught to treat with respect and be aware that they can change moods quickly and are inclined to be handy with front legs and teeth on occasion. I also understand that they are more inclined to rear.

They say that under the saddle he is well behaved, he is an ex competition horse, dressage and jumping and has covered mares in the past and shares a field with another old mare.

I have advised them to be very careful handling him - and that stallions can be inclined to nip, strike out and rear. I also said I would strongly reconsider taking on a stallion and politely suggested that they are out of their minds to do this.

Their mum just smiled and said he is very nice and quiet apart from getting upset when the mare was bought in from the field before he was. She really is not very horsey at all and I don't think has a clue of the potential danger a stallion can offer to someone not used to handling them.

These girls are fairly novice - they have problems sometimes with the old 14.2 mare they currently share - and can be nervous of the 14.2 gelding in the field - two ponies that I have no problems with, hence am I correct to be concerned about them?

 

[airedale]

stallions pick up on body language and should be handled by confident people. I would suggest that if these 2 have a 'worried' body language then this stallion will soon be in charge of them and not the other way round

however, if he's well behaved as they say then he should be fine with anyone else who is a confident and balanced horse-handler.

pity the poor mare that shares his field though - old or not I cannot see him leaving her alone entirely - shame

also - with current litigation - is there facility at the yard to cope with an isolated stallion - i.e. could an accident happen that these muppets will end up being liable for due to others ignorance ? Whilst mum may be blithely ignorant her bank account might focus her mind.........

 

[Theresa_F]

Thanks, no they are not that confident - they are nervous when the 14.2 gelding comes up between them and the mare they share - he is quite possessive over her - I just go in and swoosh him away and off he goes.

They have let the mare get out of the stable several times, lost control leading her, and are nervous hacking her out.

They are now taking on a 15.3 stallion, hence why I am very worried about their safety. I tried to make him sound probably worse than he is in the hope they will think again - if they have problems with the horses where we are, who are on the whole angels, then god help them.

 

[jayvee]

Ohhh this sounds a recipe for disaster! You are very right to be concened and in expressing them. du know what.. I don't even know where to start on this. Only irresponsible!

 

[Skhosu]

hmm..all depends. If he has a super temperment, they may be alright.
As an ex-competition horse though he is probably used to firm handling by experienced people, so may get badly behaved?
Don't think there's a lot you can do TBH, are they buying him?

 

[Elmere]

Depends on the stallion, i broke mine in when i was 12 but he'd ran out on a hill before that, but i'm confident around horses.
Just because he's a stallion you shouldn't automatically give him a bad name, he might be the quietest thing you've ever met, mares and geldings can be just as dangerous!

 

[Weezy]

It all depends on the horse - same as mares and geldings, some stallions are forthright and some are like lambs - there is SUCH an anti-stallion feeling in this country and that stallys should be handled with the utmost caution, however IMHO this view doesnt help - sure some stallys can be very overbearing but I dont think the whole "stallions are evil" culture is founded - ensure manners are instilled, do not allow the horse to push boundaries and be cautious

 

[Theresa_F]

No they are sharing him for free. His owner has got married and has no time for him and her father is looking after him and needed some help.

I hate seeming a kill joy and if it were another steady pony I would be very happy for them. They want to do jumping, apparently he used to do 1.20 m and is still good for 1 m, but I haven't seen them do more than a small cross pole on a very steady old pony.

As they looked at me as if I were mad to suggest that a stallion can be difficult, I think I will have to stand back and let them learn the hard way and pray they or the stallion don't get injured. Hopefully he will nip them hard and put them off. They did say he shakes his head and bites the air when upset - sh*t the more I think about it the more worried I am for them.

 

[Theresa_F]

I am not at all anti-stallion, I would love to have kept Chancer entire. I have ridden a few, and they were extremely well behaved but their owners were very experienced and they had trained them well.

What I do realise is that they are best handled by people who are experienced and know what they are doing. Mares can be difficult - I have had them all my life until recently, and a gelding is probably easiest of all to own in most cases.

If it were a gypsy cob stallion, I would be less worried - all the ones I have met are lovely and you wouldn't know they were entire if you didn't look.

This is a large stallion who will be looked after by novice girls - hence my concern in this instance.

 

[missshell]

At least if they can't cope with him they can give him back to his owner.

 

[peapod]

Oh blimey, sounds like a disaster waiting to happen really.

As you know we have our Dales stallion - we also have a 2 year old colt. The main thing I've learnt with stallions is that you have to be SO black and white in your actions - otherwise they WILL take advantage. To me there seems to be a whole new set of rules with a stallion - for example: Magic has a set of different bits: one for covering, one for being led around with, and one for showing. It wouldn't matter if you put a different bit on a gelding once; but if we get the wrong bit with Magic it confuses him, and it's unfair on him (ie if he thinks he's covering, but is actually going showing etc!)

I'm not sure what to suggest really - Magic is THE most laid back pony I've ever met, but we DO have to be aware that he is a stallion - you simply cannot treat a stallion like a gelding.

I don't really know what you can suggest - maybe try and find some stallion related "horror stories" to put them off - it may be worth you trying to find an alternative pony they can share instead?

 

[lorenababbit]

the person who needs educating is the one who is about to loan a pair of novices a stallion no matter how alledgedly well behaved

 

[pixie]

I don't know, it honestly depends on the individual horse. I've ridden since I was 12, but would still consider myself to be very much an intermediate rider, and certainly not nearly as experienced as others. However I have ridden and handled a few stallions (from Fell ponies to sportshorses) and haven't had any problems at all, because they were well behaved and easy to do. I think people often forget that mares are also entire, yet very few people feel cautious about handling them...

 

[GTs]

As other people have said it all depends on the horse - SB our hospital horse was a stallion and was the easiest horse to handle in the world. He was frequently led around by one of the doctors young daughters when all sort of commotion was going on - and he really never gave a fuss. But then there are those stallions that do require a lot more experience and effort handling.

I personally would just let them be - if it is going to go bad it will so early on and they will figure it out. Alternatively he will start smacking his package against his tummy, with a very proud face and that gross them out.

 

[teapot]

Really does depend on the horse - one the stallions at the yard, doesn't have to be tied up for anything really. Obviously he is esp when the RS is busy but he just stands there and falls to sleep.

Other one we had who was eventually gelded was a total fruit loop and took 2 of us to pick his feet out.

But can understand why you're concerned

 

[Elmere]

Well my stallions the easiest out of all of mine, someone left his door open the other day and he just stood their while mares walked past the stable, whilst my mare just goes through the door, even my colts not as bad as her

 

[Christmas_Kate]

Like so many people have said, it depends on the stallion. One of the stallions at the yard I used to keep LM at was an absolute sweetie. he could be handled by kids, and would never hurt a fly. The only time you knew he was a stallion was when you rode him, you had to ride him differently. The other stallion was just 4 or 5 but he was a handful at times, not naughty, he'd been taught well, but would take the pee if he thought he could get away with it, like most youngsters. The only difference was you had to watch how you handled him, as stallion do have that extra reason to tank off if they want to...mares!! I've only ever handled these two stallions, and both were nothing like I expected stallions to be. Stallions aren't always the huge dangerous creatures they are thought to be, as long as you treat them with respect and don't try to boss them about they're fine.

 

[Agent XXX999]

In europe stallions are more common than geldings. Sying that they are only 14 and I woudl be more worried about the advice they would be given - that and 14year ollds are liable to loose interest

 

[henryhorn]

I think what worries me the most is the fact he is kept with a mare and so will have stallion like tendancies, stallions kept in yards with lots of other stallions tend to behave just like geldings and are not usually a problem. A stallion with a "wife" will always be a dangerous horse to have around.
My main fear is the sheer unpredictability of stallion behaviour. take Chocolate who we have had a few years now and who has never so much as put his ears back at anyone. Our farrier however always said he felt he had threatened him a couple of times but he was great with us. until a couple of months ago when his normal routine was upset by his paddock being sprayed and he didn't go out first thing as usual but stayed in all day. He managed to stuff a massive amount of haylage by 3pm so at 5pm CCJ was bending down in the corridor filling a net for him. He casually leaned over his door and picked her up by the hip, biting so deep he drew blood and she will probably bear two of the scars for life.
A stallion always retains that ability to get very angry indeed and these girls will not understand this, also if they show any backing down in handling him they will soon find he will be the boss.
I'm sorry I think it's a bad idea unless they are on a yard with professional supervision both our stallions were excellent to handle, I have however owned a couple that were total bastards at times and had both gelded asap..

 

[Tia]

I agree with you Dolores. My stallion is an absolute dream - perfect manners and the most beautiful temperament.....however I would never give him to someone else to look after and certainly not pass over the responsibility of his day to day care to 14 year old novices.....not because he would do anything to them....but because they might do something to him!

 

[Kezza]

All horses are different, as are stallions. My friends stallion is a charm, yes he likes to consider nipping you but never does, he also prances about sometimes when tied up but he soon stops if you tell him to. He is led around the yard with a chain over his nose "just in case" but is a pleasure to handle. He can be lairy to ride but the worst he does is get a little "hot on the spot". He likes to run around his paddock a bit and show off but he's out on his own with geldings next door and is fine. He has been handled and looked after by a 14 year old girl without any problems.

I have been told that most andalucian stallions have virtually the same temperament as a gelding and many people leave them "entire".

So as I said, all horses are different, I know some stallions who have grids up at their stable doors because they can be dangerous but then I know some geldings and mares who are the same.

It really depends on the horse, I do hope what they say about him is true and then they will all get on fabulously and hopefully they can give him a lovely home to the end of his days!

 

[Helen010382]

I was always told that you
"tell a gelding,
ask a mare,
and discuss it with a stallion"

My two boys can be a nightmare if handled by nervous people - they need to have the ground rules set and they need to know their boundaries and when they overstep them.

When we have been to shows loads of people come up and say how sweet they are (they stand 34 and 33") but as soon as I mention they are a stallion they can't get away quick enough. Really don't understand why people can be so anti-stallion. IMHO a mare in season can be just as dangerous (if not more) as a stallion.

The case you have mentioned sounds like a recipe for disaster.

 

[unicorndreams]

I think the problem is more about the girls lack of experience than the fact that the horse is a stallion. As the posts here testify, there's a great many good stallions around, I had a super one a few years back now who was very safe to be around BUT he had been very well trained by an experienced horseman (using parellis type methods). I would certainly echo your concerns about their lack of experience. What on earth is their mum thinking? Any way she can be shown what sort of danger inexperienced handlers/riders expose themselves to?

 

[amandaco2]

sounds like a disaster waiting to happen, i really hope nothing awful happens to either the owners or the poor horse.
stallions are not for novices no matter how well behaved they are when they are veiwed for buying.