Out of control stallion

teddypops

teddypops

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What is the best/ safest/ most sensible thing to do when you are riding a mare and an out of control, escaped stallion is determined to mount the mare?
 
Oh dear I am not sure ,I would be tempted to go into save myself mode get off and use my whip on the stallions face and hope my mare kicked **** out of the stallion .
Nasty thought
 
If the mare is not in season she will probably deal with him by giving him both barrels and any self respecting working stallion will normally not try it on with her anyway, the rider could assist by spinning the mare around and using their whip aimed at his head, if she is in season you would have to ensure she was not going to be able to stop so he can get on her, a stallion cannot mount a moving target very easily so keep moving and use whatever you can to keep out of range.
 
Unfortunately my mare was in season and I had no whip. The stallion and his friend came through their fence onto the lane after us. Stallion was mounting mare (who is only little 14hh) while I was still on her, so I ended up getting off and screaming like a banshee, and spinning my girl round. He was striking out at me and mare. I was genuinely terrified as there was nowhere to go. The other horse then galloped off up the lane, so I started running and dragging my mare while phoning the police due to horse galloping towards main road, he then came back at us at a flat out gallop. I eventually came across an empty field and managed to get everyone in, then my mare out. It was afterwards I just thought that I could have been hurt, no matter what I had done and wondered if there was a ‘correct’ way to deal with this situation!
 
Chastity belt? Pepper spray? CS gas?

Sounds like a frightening situation to be in, but you seem to have dealt with it quite well... Maybe a hunt whip, snakewhip, something that would make more noise than an ordinary crop...

I've been considering an eight-foot snakewhip that I could keep in my jacket pocket for when a dog starts to yap around the horse's hooves...
 
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There is never a correct way to deal with something so unlikely and unexpected, you do what you can at the time and hope you get away with it, you did what you could at the time and managed to get them all in a safe place, the stallion owner needs to get some proper fencing up so this doesn't happen again as they may well be personally liable for any accidents/ injuries the stallion causes if they don't have a secure field and it has got out previously.
I would probably avoid riding past with an in season mare but you should not have to change your route to be safe from a stallion that should be in a well secured field, in the past I think it was advised they were a field away from passing horses or double fenced for safety.
 
be positive said:
There is never a correct way to deal with something so unlikely and unexpected, you do what you can at the time and hope you get away with it, you did what you could at the time and managed to get them all in a safe place, the stallion owner needs to get some proper fencing up so this doesn't happen again as they may well be personally liable for any accidents/ injuries the stallion causes if they don't have a secure field and it has got out previously.
I would probably avoid riding past with an in season mare but you should not have to change your route to be safe from a stallion that should be in a well secured field, in the past I think it was advised they were a field away from passing horses or double fenced for safety.[/QUOTE


The fencing in the field is terrible, part hedges, part barbed wire, part large gaps, it has been empty for about 3 years. There were no horses in it yesterday when I went by, so they have just appeared today at some point. I will have a drive by in the next day or so and see if anything has been done to the fencing, but I won’t be going that route on my pony again which is annoying as it’s 5 minutes from home and 1 of only 2 lanes I can go along.
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In that situation I'm afraid my own safety comes first. I would have got off the mare and let her sort it with the stallion. And sent a vet bill for a pregnancy check and abortion to the stallion owner. I never hack without a whip to discourage any unwanted attention from animals including humans.
 
teddypops said:
Unfortunately my mare was in season and I had no whip. The stallion and his friend came through their fence onto the lane after us. Stallion was mounting mare (who is only little 14hh) while I was still on her, so I ended up getting off and screaming like a banshee, and spinning my girl round. He was striking out at me and mare. I was genuinely terrified as there was nowhere to go. The other horse then galloped off up the lane, so I started running and dragging my mare while phoning the police due to horse galloping towards main road, he then came back at us at a flat out gallop. I eventually came across an empty field and managed to get everyone in, then my mare out. It was afterwards I just thought that I could have been hurt, no matter what I had done and wondered if there was a ‘correct’ way to deal with this situation!
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Wow! You did good!
 
A three year old colt escaped at a show. Everyone panicked except my OH and the old girl she wasnt being ridden or in season but she decked him. caught him center chest with a double barrelled full force kick he dropped to the floor like a stone. He got up looking very sheepish and stood to be caught. I hope there was no damage she wasnt wearing shoes so he got off lightly. You did really well because you managed to keep everyone safe even though it was very scary
 
You poor thing! As Amymay says you were incredibly lucky not to have been hurt.
Is this reportable to someone I wonder? Police? I know you called about the loose horse heading for the road but the owners of this stallion could do with a good talking too.
 
poiuytrewq said:
You poor thing! As Amymay says you were incredibly lucky not to have been hurt.
Is this reportable to someone I wonder? Police? I know you called about the loose horse heading for the road but the owners of this stallion could do with a good talking too.
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I don’t know really. I don’t even know who owns them as they just appeared in the field today. I’m going to drive by in the next day or so and see if anyone is around. I could always speak to the police again when I find out who the owners are.
 
I'd have a chat with the land owner as I believe they are liable for keeping the horses in and any damage would come back on them regardless of someone renting etc. If it's as close to the road as you say they could end up with a hefty bill.

Are they supposed to be in the field or are they being fly grazed?

Sounds like you did the right thing.
 
HappyHorses:) said:
I'd have a chat with the land owner as I believe they are liable for keeping the horses in and any damage would come back on them regardless of someone renting etc. If it's as close to the road as you say they could end up with a hefty bill.

Are they supposed to be in the field or are they being fly grazed?

Sounds like you did the right thing.
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Not sure as they only appeared in the field today, will have to do some investigating!
 
Sounds horrendous. You were quick thinking and very lucky to escape without injury.
Were they the type likely to have been fly grazing? Assume no one has posted on any local horse sites on social media about missing the stallions, as assume you left them in the other field?
Agree with the above, find out who the land owner is, and explain what happened, and if they’re not helpful go to the police.
 
Well done teddypops, it must have been terrifying, I'm so pleased you and your girl made it away safely. I agree with others, the fencing to secure that stallion should be bomb proof. I'd contact the Police and perhaps a piece in the local paper wouldn't go a miss either, at least it may warn others about a very dangerous situation.

I rider in Wickwar, Gloucestershire (if I remember correctly-several years ago now) was seriously injured when a similar incident occurred when she was out riding her mare. Please be careful and I'd avoid that route like the plague until you are certain it's safe.
 
Massive well done, I know I would have panicked and let the mare deal :redface3:

I’d investigate and find and go mad at the owner, but if it’s the sort I think it is, they won’t care. Definitely a route to avoid.
 
I think you did do the 'correct' thing.
Sounds like that is no way to keep a stallion. I have stallions here and dont have a problem but people need to use their common sense. When there is a mare in season some stallions willget very determined. Ideally double fencing with some sort of electric fencing is ideal. I think you can report the incident to the police, if you havent done so already. They "should" contact the owner and tell them if they cannot keep their animals in and they pose of threat they are liable for prosecuation.
If something had happened you could of sued probably sucessfully.
Is the stallion in good condition? Have hay, water, shelter provided? Bhs welfare officier, or rspca may be interested.
 

As from 1st July 2009 it is an offence for a keeper with 'primary care responsibilities ' eg. full livery yards, person caring for horse under loan agreement, breeders, trainers, transporters, to keep a horse that has not been issued with a passport. It is now a requirement that horses are microchipped before a passport is issued. If your horse already has a passport then you do not need to get a microchip if you don't want to. You could be fined up to £5000 if you don’t have one. Only the owner of a horse can apply for a passport.
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This looks to me as if a horse born after 1 July 2009 must have been chipped, since it needs to be chipped to get a passport, and that a passport is a legal requirement.

I don't know if the chip readers for dogs and cats are able to read horse chips, but I would expect that to be the case. And if it is not, then police in areas with lots of horses should have a second horse chip reader, anyway.

This means that all it takes if for a couple of police officers to come over, read the chip, get the owner's details and go and have a word about the Animals Act 1971.

  • Fly grazing: Liability for damage and expenses due to horses on land in England without lawful authority
  • Stallion not properly restrained: Liability for damage done by dangerous animals (in that while a horse is not considered a dangerous animal per se, it is a reasonable expectation that a stallion is likely to behave in a dangerous way if it smells a mare in heat)
  • Escaping from a field onto the road: Duty to take care to prevent damage from animals straying on to the highway

If the stallion is not chipped, then I suppose the police will need to contact the land owner to find out who the animal belongs to.
 
Keith-That’s what should happen but in reality never does :(

OP- I think you did brilliantly. You put yourself in danger, but managed to keep everyone else safe. It must have been terrifying. I’m not sure what I’d have done as I hope to never be in that situation, but I’d probably have just tried to outrun it and sod the stallion’s safety!
 
OP what a scary situation, I think you did amazingly.

I was in the hairdressers a couple of years ago and there was a lady with a broken leg next to me. We got chatting and it turned out she had been tending to her horses in her field when a loose stallion came flying down the lane on its own, caught sight of her horses and proceeded to jump into her field. It had its eye on her mare and was trying to mount her and the lady’s gelding was going frantic and trying to attack the stallion. Lady tried to get her mare away but ended up getting a kick off the stallion, which snapped her leg in several places. She was then on the floor in amongst all this commotion, with a leg in pieces, trying to ring her husband for help. It sounded horrific.
 
When riding out racehorses, the advice given was that if there was a loose colt harrassing your filly that you turned her head towards it, this is the safest position for the rider. We used to ride out with whips more for this reason than for any other. Getting off does put you in a very tricky and dangerous position but I can see why you did. I had a friend dragged off her horse in a prizegiving by a stallion who was normally fine.
 
Blimey. I wonder why we geld horses?

*starts carrying whip out hacking*

Well done OK, so scary but it sounds like you handled it well!
 
scats said:
OP what a scary situation, I think you did amazingly.

I was in the hairdressers a couple of years ago and there was a lady with a broken leg next to me. We got chatting and it turned out she had been tending to her horses in her field when a loose stallion came flying down the lane on its own, caught sight of her horses and proceeded to jump into her field. It had its eye on her mare and was trying to mount her and the lady’s gelding was going frantic and trying to attack the stallion. Lady tried to get her mare away but ended up getting a kick off the stallion, which snapped her leg in several places. She was then on the floor in amongst all this commotion, with a leg in pieces, trying to ring her husband for help. It sounded horrific.
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OmG! That sounds horrific!
 
Thanks everyone! My friend rode past on her gelding today with daughter on a pushbike, Horses came out after her but just milled about and got in the way, her gelding didn’t worry too much and her daughter managed to catch them and shove them in an empty field. When she went back later to retrieve pushbike, there was someone there fixing and making the fence higher. She is going to go past again Sunday to see if it keeps them in!
 
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