Keeping a stallion & 2 geldings together..recipe for disaster?

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doris2008

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I think I probably already know the answer to this!
Due to current yard crisis, we need somewhere to escape to!
Have been offered some stables and grazing which me & friend can go to with our geldings. It's perfect in every way in that the grazing is good, stables lovely, small menage, great riding, good price and we'd have the run of the place except for the slightly large problem of the owners stallion being there!
He has said the stallion will be ok - but only they have all been turned out together and established their positions!:eek: They would then fence him off and he would be fine. If we try to fence them off first, he will go through the fence we're told.
The stallion is being sold and will be gone by winter in theory so we would then have the run of the place.
I'm not sure its worth even considering, as the last thing I want is either of our boys being injured.
I'm just wandering whether other people keep a stallion with geldings or is it a recipe for disaster?
I am hoping if we say no, that he will contact us when the stallion goes and hopefully we'll find something for the summer.
God, I wish it was easier - not having a good home for the horse is proving incredibly stressful!:(
 
If stallion will go through whatever fencing they have then I'd be concerned about your geldings getting loose when stallion destroys fencing in order to get at any passing hackers if nothing else.

Is stallion currently on the yard by himself? They *can* of course be turned out with any number of different companions but I'm not sure about the 'letting them fight it out first' idea. Is there really no safer way to introduce them?
 
I quite agree Tickles - I was mildly horrified at the idea to say the least. I'm not sure there is another way to introduce them?
There are no passers by to the field - external fencing very good - but the paddock between boys and stallion would be normal electric fencing.
Even just writing it down, I don't think I can risk it. I'm not very experienced with stallions so would have no idea what to expect to be honest. He's currently kept alone - but has been with others in past.
 
It depends on the stallion. They aren't all fire-breathing dragons.... my friends Arab stallion used to live out with 3 geldings, one his son, one Welsh Section B, and a Shetland. In fact the Shetland was also entire for some of that time! And was actually the boss...even after he was cut.... :rolleyes:
 
I would think it would depend on whether the stallion has ever been kept with other horses or if he has just been alone, also are there any mares in the area? Many people keep stallions with geldings all year around, some working stallions just through the winter and some poor bu**ers completely alone!! If the fencing is good and the stallion is 'aware' of it then I would be tempted to run another line down between to create a better gap originally until they get used to seeing each other and then allow them to touch and smell each other over the fence. I would NOT allow them to run together until they had met and touched over a fence to see how they will get along. I am not sure I would give up a place elsewhere until I was sure they would be ok!

We keep 3 older colts, all have covered, with our geldings, one colt decided to have a go at one of the bigger, older geldings and the fight was horrendous. The colt would not leave it and just kept attacking, the gelding (late gelded 6 years ago and had sired a foal) would not back down and kept fighting back. We split them up and don't ever put that particular gelding in with the colts because I do not want a repeat performance.
 
marmalade76 said:
How big is the stallion and how big are the geldings?
Click to expand...

I haven't actually met the stallion yet, I have a 16hh TB and friends is 15hh welsh cob x.
Will approach the idea of double fencing and introducing them another to see if its an option.
Thanks for the replies. :)
 
Depends on both stallion and gelding.
What breed is the stallion and how used to mingling with other horses is he? What are the geldings like - any aggressive individuals?

My stallion lived with my gelding most of his life but they were introduced when young - although stallion (then a colt) had already covered mares. He did think it was a rather good idea to bounce up to gelding shouting and try and mount him. He got the battering of his life and decided gelding was highly dangerous and could be the alpha male.

My stallion was daft as a brush but I never took him for granted and kept a close eye on the dynamics. He lived on a busy mixed yard and was ridden and competed so all this helped.

If it was down to me I would introduce them by walking/riding them out together over several days and generally getting used to each other round the yard. I probably would keep them in adjoining fields for a while then turn out in a completely new field if possible. If the owner thinks the stallion will run the fencing to get to other horses then I would be concerned that he is a bit lairy.

Go and meet the stallion, if he is a gentle chap with a good relationship with his owner/handler go from there. If he is a firebreathing dragon who is a bit freewheeling with his manners then give it a miss.
 
we have a stallion here that has gone from a field where he has covered a mare in to a field with 3 other geldings, yes in the very beginning the stallion thought they were mares but as soon as the geldings told him where to get off, they kicked him by the way, they then settled down and there were no other problems. bearing in mind their field DID NOT have a mare/s in next door so there was nothing to make him feel threatened by the geldings.
 
Not the same dymnamic but I recently acquired a new loan to add to current Arabx gelding and welsh mare. The Arab gelding was very late gelded and is thought to have covered, he went ballistic when the new arrival was put in the adjoining field, the full monty of rushing the fence line, beautiful strike outs that looked like dance moves snorting and galloping up and down looking for gaps in the fence, after a few hours he settled, we rode out together and there were lots of nasty looks from him, two weeks have passed with new boy in solitary next to old pair and they are now in together and he has totally accepted him, quite pally in fact, not even a bite mark on any of them.

This despite the Arab being known to be very dominant. So for me it depends on the characters involved and how the new additions react to overzealous stallion, my new loan didnt react which is the key as others have said, if they start to fight back who knows where it would end.

Personally I would also ride out together and judge temperments, then put them alongside each other in paddocks with strong enough fencing, then together but only if they are happy across the fence by then.
 
As people have said it would depend on the stallion BUT personally I would not dream of putting any strange horses out together straight away but maybe that's coe of my experiences with our 'herd' over the years!

I have a very dominant, riggy gelding pony who is the herd leader. He can be quite terrifying in his protection of his herd should a new horse arrive. He will run at the fences, lunge and scream at anything new. Thankfully he would never touch a fence (he's a big wuss!) so I never worried about him jumping. His main issue was/is keeping the newbie away from his herd - it takes weeks generally for a horse to integrate into the herd and that's after several weeks of us introducing them to the lower ranking horses first.

However, it does sound like this stallion is on his own? Therefore he has no herd to protect and no mares to compete for. Therefore I wouldn't expect him to be too horrendous. I would be concerned about the fence jumping though but i'd probably rather risk that than put them all together to start with.

I have just recalled - although i said my pony would never jump a fence, he did actually jumped an extra high fence (4ft plus) when he was on loan, so he could get to the mare in the next field. That is why I think he's a rig - he acts totally out of character if a mare's around!! i think without a mare about the stallion isn't likely to be as bad.
 
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