organised 'Stallion Fighting' in....Austria!

Fairynuff

Fairynuff

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I was led to believe that 'stallion fighting' was a thing found in exotic countries like Thailand etc. I was wrong. It is organised in one of the Eurpean countries...AUSTRIA! The idea is to make as much money out of the idiotic tourists who pay to see 2 stallions beat the **** out of each other in order to decide who is 'boss'. it is stated that for 'saferties sake' the battle takes place in a closed in area. Safety for who, the stallions or the public?
I would not have believed that this barbaric practice is organised here in Europe had I not read about it in an italian horse mag. They kept that quiet, didnt they?
http://www.blitzquotidiano.it/facebook/austria-stalloni-leadership-mandria-436301/
 
Before the fluffy new loungers get their knickers in a knot

This is it in detail: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhYH6w6XYcI

Yeah its kind of like watching turning a fresh group of horses out for the first time.

They do it on the flat so they don't suffer major injuries when they let them all out to graze the mountains

Chickens do the same, and every group of mixed horses does this

This is not cruel, or organised fighting, or barbaric - please watch!

Edited to say: My gelding did worse things when introduced to a yearling!!
 
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The shocking bit is not that the stallions are fighting, it's that loads of people are standing there like wet lettuces to watch that. :D

It looks well organised to me btw...
 
From watching that thought I'd hardly call it *organised stallion fighting*!

The ones that are not challenging for leadership are mooching about munching grass.

I think the big turn out is because its a village event thing with communal grazing. Plus there is naff all to do in Austria's Alps with no snow!

If I owned a stallion about to go out with big herds and other stallions I would do it this way too (note the guys with long poles ready to break them up!).
 
thanks for that csj, I did go back to number 1 though as I noticed they were all a bit steamy so wondered what had gone on to start :)
 
i was 'Steamy' due to the pics that accompanied the service on the 'Cavallo ' mag. I tried to find a video on YT before I posted but drew a blank. If you think that this is acceptable practice then hey ho. A bit tamer than the Chinese safari parks but morally, no different. (IMO).
PS, I am not a BH in any form.
 
Fairynuff said:
If you think that this is acceptable practice then hey ho. A bit tamer than the Chinese safari parks but morally, no different. (IMO).
Click to expand...

Right so you have have the Noriker horses, which are kept out all summer on the Alps in herds and then you bring them in for winter to separate farms. You then need to integrate stallions back together for the spring & summer

So what would you do then?

Yes very cruel to make horses live outside in herds rather in stables and confined spaces.

I think your safari park analogy is out of order given that these horses have been kept like this for generations and they are trying to bring the stallions together to sort out the pecking order in a controlled environment so they don't kick the hell out of each other on some hillside miles from anywhere (and vet attention).

Your kind of narrow minded ill thought out response really annoys me! :mad:
 
CotswoldSJ said:
Right so you have have the Noriker horses, which are kept out all summer on the Alps in herds and then you bring them in for winter to separate farms. You then need to integrate stallions back together for the spring & summer

So what would you do then?

Yes very cruel to make horses live outside in herds rather in stables and confined spaces.

I think your safari park analogy is out of order given that these horses have been kept like this for generations and they are trying to bring the stallions together to sort out the pecking order in a controlled environment so they don't kick the hell out of each other on some hillside miles from anywhere (and vet attention).

Your kind of narrow minded ill thought out response really annoys me! :mad:
Click to expand...

I couldn't agree more.
 
Not what I would have described as 'organised stallion fighting'.

Didn't really seem to be a lot of aggression, several were grazing companionably near others.

I don't know anything about this but would guess its probably something done every year and is pretty well organised, were they paying tourists watching or just locals?

The guys with the poles looked ready to break up a serious fight. I would imagine these stallions are well looked after and their well being is paramount?

I think we need to be careful not to condemn something out of hand just because we don't practice it in this country - obviously I am not talking about serious welfare or cruelty issues but just because it doesn't tie in with our ideas of how to look after a horse doesn't mean that it is wrong.

Probably a more natural way to live than alot of our pampered horses?
 
CotswoldSJ said:
Right so you have have the Noriker horses, which are kept out all summer on the Alps in herds and then you bring them in for winter to separate farms. You then need to integrate stallions back together for the spring & summer

So what would you do then?

Yes very cruel to make horses live outside in herds rather in stables and confined spaces.

I think your safari park analogy is out of order given that these horses have been kept like this for generations and they are trying to bring the stallions together to sort out the pecking order in a controlled environment so they don't kick the hell out of each other on some hillside miles from anywhere (and vet attention).

Your kind of narrow minded ill thought out response really annoys me! :mad:
Click to expand...

I bow to your obvious enlightenment. I apologise if I have upset your daily routine and in future, will try my damndest, not to 'rattle' your cage again. Grovel, grovel. Im sure if you have given the go ahead, then everything is smelling of violets.Im sure it will become an olympic sport in the very near future.
 
I think regardless of whether you see it as stallion fighting or something that needs to be done for the safety of the stallions, I just can't think of any time when that many stallions would be in that close of a proximity to each other. I also don't see the need for so many people to be watching if it's just a necessary thing.
 
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