jermajay
Member
Again, not a breeder just curious.
Has anyone kept stallions with mares year-round?
- Thread starter jermajay
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Pinkvboots
Well-Known Member
What do you mean by keeping them together do you mean all living out in the same field all year round?
Midlifecrisis
Well-Known Member
Friesian Scotland keeps stallions and mares on the same farm…suitably distanced when necessary..only introduced for breeding purposes..all the horses lead a lovely life around and about one another.
jermajay
Member
Yep ^^ One stallion though, not multiple
gallopingby
Well-Known Member
Plenty people let a stallion run with mares all year around and many don’t. It depends entirely on your set up and how many you want to increase to! Also the stability of the herd. Not good to keep chopping and changing. I prefer to cover in hand, much easier to keep tract of dates that way.
tda
Well-Known Member
Yes I did, I had a stallion on loan for a couple of years, he lived with four of my mares the first year, then stayed with two of them for another 18 months
He was an absolute diamond and had great manners, was a fantastic dad and when we weaned the first two foals they stayed with him over winter.
He was an absolute diamond and had great manners, was a fantastic dad and when we weaned the first two foals they stayed with him over winter.
jermajay
Member
Did you seperate out the mares when they foaled? If not, how was he when they were newborn? I've heard some domestic stallions will kill young foals.
jermajay
Member
Does is generally work better with a larger number of mares? I'd imagine that would more closely imitate the wild herd, rather than just one or two.
Wishfilly
Well-Known Member
This happens a lot with feral ponies, and the stallions don't kill the foals. I think there's more risk of it happening by accident in a more confined space, though. I doubt many stallions would purposefully kill foals, as that would be a very maladaptive behaviour, but I could see it potentially happening by accident if there was a competition over resources.
Obviously, most breeders don't do this because they don't want to breed indiscriminately!
Longer term, you'd obviously have to separate the stallion from any daughters as well.
Obviously, most breeders don't do this because they don't want to breed indiscriminately!
Longer term, you'd obviously have to separate the stallion from any daughters as well.
oldie48
Well-Known Member
We have a stallion across the lane from us and he lives with 3 or 4 mares all year round. I was very worried initially as I had a mare and the fencing etc was pretty lousy but the owner did improve it and tbh the stallion is pretty settled.
tristar
Well-Known Member
i had a stallion many years ago who was raised with other genders, and ran with his mares, natural cover, present at births lived with 24 7 never a problem
present stallion is very hot, would not risk him loose with mares as he a ridden horse
present stallion is very hot, would not risk him loose with mares as he a ridden horse
jermajay
Member
I've heard that in the wild, stallions will kill foals from foreign mares, or maybe foals from other stallions? I can't quite remember, but it does seem counterproductive. Since people mentioned stability, I'd guess that taking out daughters or switching out mares if you breed every other year would probably be too stressful for them?
stangs
Well-Known Member
There is evidence of some infanticide in various wild and feral equids, but it's highly uncommon, and isn't significantly correlated with mares entering a band with a foreign stallion. From people I know who observe mustang bands, there's pretty much no evidence of it with them. In Przewalski's horses, they found it to be more common - but still not common enough to be statistically significant - in zoo-bred stallions to whom humans had introduced the mare [x]. Just goes to show that when humans get involved, things get riskier for the foal. Then you add in the fact that many domestic stallions are exceptionally poorly socialised, and the outlook doesn't look good.
I've known two stallions who lived with mares all year round: one was owned by a bit of a dodgy breeder who just sold on whatever the mare produced if she got pregnant (mares with foal at foot were separated from the stallion, because he wasn't the nicest of horses), one was kept with a barren mare and seemed very settled having her as a companion.
I've known two stallions who lived with mares all year round: one was owned by a bit of a dodgy breeder who just sold on whatever the mare produced if she got pregnant (mares with foal at foot were separated from the stallion, because he wasn't the nicest of horses), one was kept with a barren mare and seemed very settled having her as a companion.
Wishfilly
Well-Known Member
AFIAK that's not common horse behaviour. It's seen in some predatory animals such as lions, but far less in social herbivores anyway.
I know some people have this picture of the "herd" with the stallion, and the alpha mare and then a few other mares with foals at foot, with the colts being pushed out at certain ages etc- but more recent research suggests this isn't necessarily the case. Bands are are lot more flexible, and you can have more than one stallion present, and there can be an element of mare choice involved too. In general, wild/feral stallions aren't actively trying to kill anyone- even other stallions. It's rare for stallions to fight to the death if one of them can get away.
I don't think anyone should be allowing stallions to breed with their own daughters- I think that's highly unethical. You'd need a way to remove colt foals, or allow them to leave, to avoid fights as well.
Most stallions who run with mares seem to cope with mares switching in and out okay.
cariad
Well-Known Member
This was quite a timely thread, because I have been browsing ride and drive/driving horses and ponies-not with any serious intention of buying; it's because I bought a very cheap pony trap at auction and was just window shopping.
So many of the horses and ponies up for sale seem to be stallions of all shapes, sizes and ages and some look quite decent (with the proviso that it's a for sale ad!). The ads swear that they are the quietest stallions/animals ever, wouldn't know they were a stallion, can do anything and everything with them, ridden by children etc etc. But are at least some of these ads true or not exactly a complete lie? I have 5 geldings of varying ages from youngsters to oldies and a mare, who could be bred from. I do have enough room and experience for that and the mare is quality. They all live out 24/7/365 and are very settled.
Can being turned out in a small herd work actually work? I do know of stallions that have lived amongst mares and worked alongside them quite happily. They were not turned out with them, but were used for in-hand and AI coverings and then back to work/business as usual.
So many of the horses and ponies up for sale seem to be stallions of all shapes, sizes and ages and some look quite decent (with the proviso that it's a for sale ad!). The ads swear that they are the quietest stallions/animals ever, wouldn't know they were a stallion, can do anything and everything with them, ridden by children etc etc. But are at least some of these ads true or not exactly a complete lie? I have 5 geldings of varying ages from youngsters to oldies and a mare, who could be bred from. I do have enough room and experience for that and the mare is quality. They all live out 24/7/365 and are very settled.
Can being turned out in a small herd work actually work? I do know of stallions that have lived amongst mares and worked alongside them quite happily. They were not turned out with them, but were used for in-hand and AI coverings and then back to work/business as usual.
jermajay
Member
I hadn't heard about the new research on herd dynamics, that's really interesting! Would you know where I can find more info on it?
Wishfilly
Well-Known Member
I'm sure if you google, or maybe search on google scholar, things will come up. A lot of the recent research has been done on mustangs, I think.