Problem colt and rigcalm /Angus castus

Welshylady

Welshylady

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I recently bought a 2yr old section D colt , my plans for him were for him to be a future ridden show stallion. However when he got to me from Wales it became clear very quickly , he had many problems.. Many of the problems we have managed to solve for example you couldn't touch him or even go near without him trying to bite you , he was very head shy couldn't touch his head or the top of his neck, ears etc and had to permanently have his head collar on. We now has his head collar on and off daily and has his bridle on so he has come quite a way since august.

However my main concern is he has been serrigated and had no other horse contact since he was a 6 month old foal, I turned him out with 2 geldings at first he was ok, now he's found he can bully both and I can no longer turn him out with company. If he's anywhere near mares he goes absolutely crazy even if they are just moving about the yard. I'm currently considering trying him on Rigcalm or Angus castus ? Does anyone have any experience of these products? Or any advice in general would be of great help. TIA.
 
If he was mine he would be gelded by now. A ridden stallion has to have the right temperament to cope with a lot of horses in close proximity. Your lad has had a rough start before you got him, gelding him would give him the chance of a more normal life.
 
magicgirl said:
If he was mine he would be gelded by now. A ridden stallion has to have the right temperament to cope with a lot of horses in close proximity. Your lad has had a rough start before you got him, gelding him would give him the chance of a more normal life.
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This in spades^^^^! Cut him!!
 
He went out in the summer and got placed in a huge 2yr old section D class with 30+ of his own kind , so he obviously behaved there to get a placing, he's come so far in such a short space of time with some of his problems . But obviously the lack of socialisation is going to be the biggest problem. He happily walks out behind geldings and behaves well being lead! He's extremely well bred and it would be a shame to geld him! The sayings bad people ruin good horses is so true :(
 
Bit of a dilemma for you. I have a young stallion (4yo) and I had always said that if he cannot lead a 'normal' life ie being turned out with company then I would have him gelded, I stand by that - he simply hates not having company in the field and I wouldn't put him through that no matter how well bred.

Sorry, in your case I would geld too.
 
He's stabled with a gelding either side of him and he can touch them through the bars separating them and he's fine. He will stand at the fence if they are in adjoining fields so he does have far more contact now with other horses than he ever has had since being weaned. He is still only young I said I'd persevere till this time next year and if he's no better he'd have to be gelded.
 
Rig Calm is helpful, but it sounds like you colt has a lot of making up to do in the socialising department, with both humans and equines. He has probably been hit around the head for biting and it can take years for the to overcome the head shyness this causes.

There are a lot of good Sec D colts around, and a lot of mediocre ones, too, so, unless he is really exceptional, it would be advisable to get him cut and give him a better chance of a good life.
 
hayinamanger said:
Rig Calm is helpful, but it sounds like you colt has a lot of making up to do in the socialising department, with both humans and equines. He has probably been hit around the head for biting and it can take years for the to overcome the head shyness this causes.

There are a lot of good Sec D colts around, and a lot of mediocre ones, too, so, unless he is really exceptional, it would be advisable to get him cut and give him a better chance of a good life.
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He was placed at this years royal welsh in a very strong class so deffinately wouldn't consider him mediocre after seeing the colts he was up against.

He is now fine with humans he will have the odd sly nip but most 2yr old colts do he was given a piece of pipe every time a human walked in with him for him to hold in his mouth .I didn't want to continue with that as I don't think it's practical at all. You can now groom him, pick all four feet up, play with his ears , bridle him and stroke his face (all this was very difficult) and has took hours of just sitting and trying to gain his trust. But I do agree if rigcalm doesn't work I will geld him , I certainly don't want him to lead a bad life .
 
I'd geld him. There are plenty of ponies like him gping through the sales ring every week selling for a few quid.

It will also give him the chance to lead a normal life with other horses.
 
amymay said:
I'd geld him. There are plenty of ponies like him gping through the sales ring every week selling for a few quid.

It will also give him the chance to lead a normal life with other horses.
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I actually paid a lot of money for him, so he doesn't stand at a few quid to me!!!! He was 6 hours away i didn't buy him from my doorstep!!
 
Welshylady said:
I actually paid a lot of money for him, so he doesn't stand at a few quid to me!!!! He was 6 hours away i didn't buy him from my doorstep!!
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I have no doubt you paid a lot for him. But the fact remains you see his type going through the sales ring weekly for not very much - sadly.

Why add to an already overstocked market? And why not give him the opportunity to lead a normal life?
 
Usually the type going through the ring is a whole load of crap!!! Nice well bred things with good conformation, good movement and true to type are still making good money... and how am i adding to an overstocked market? i have no plans to sell him and as it stands i have no plans to breed from him either. Many people own stallions and don't use them to reproduce . The fact he stood in the top three colts at this years Royal welsh speaks volumes about his "type"
 
I think hayinamanger was suggesting that yours was one of the good, not mediocre ones - but that being of a reasonably numerous breed there are other good examples and therefore gelding him won't be a disaster for the breed but would probably make him happier.

I think having a time limit for him is probably a good idea.
 
Welshylady said:
Usually the type going through the ring is a whole load of crap!!! Nice well bred things with good conformation, good movement and true to type are still making good money... and how am i adding to an overstocked market? i have no plans to sell him and as it stands i have no plans to breed from him either. Many people own stallions and don't use them to reproduce . The fact he stood in the top three colts at this years Royal welsh speaks volumes about his "type"
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If you're not going to use him as a stallion then why in God's name are you not gelding him?

Give him some chance at a decent life, at least!

You said earlier that because of his excellent breeding it would be a shameto geld him.......
 
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ester said:
I think hayinamanger was suggesting that yours was one of the good, not mediocre ones - but that being of a reasonably numerous breed there are other good examples and therefore gelding him won't be a disaster for the breed but would probably make him happier.

I think having a time limit for him is probably a good idea.
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This is exactly what i plan to do with him Ester, he came in august so i haven't owned him that long. Im going to give him till the coming august if he's no better he will be gelded in the autumn .
 
Rigcalm made sod all difference to my stallion but then again he was never an issue we just gave it to him so he would chill out a bit. I think that you need to seriously consider gelding him... its not even so much the turning out thing that worries me - mine is turned out alone and has no idea how to socialize properly as he was last turned out with another horse at 6 months and he is now 9years. my issue would be with him going crazy about the mares. My stallion is a non breeding stallion and lives on a yard with 9 mares 1 gelding. he is treated like any other - lead in a head collar which even includes past mares tied on the yard when they are in and out of season. if he became difficult to handle or nasty then i would consider gelding him - i also paid a lot of him and i shipped him for 6 days to get him here but i will not have a horse that cannot deal with situations like any other horse or that was increasingly difficult to handle. what is your plan if you got to a show with all the mares there? i have known of stallions who have mounted their owners at shows due to over excitement and frustration. i wouldnt expect a breeding stallion to act as you describe let alone a 2 year old... but its your horse and i wish all the luck in the world with him and his showing career.
 
amymay said:
If you're not going to use him as a stallion then why in God's name are you not gelding him?

Give him some chance at a decent life, at least!
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If you read earlier posts he was bought to be a ridden show horse not a reproduction horse! What's wrong with him developing a good ridden career before even thinking of reproducing from him i breed dogs and showing people don't even consider reproducing till there dog's have Cc's or been made champion, that is why so many horses are going through the sales for coppers! it hasn't even entered my mind yet to want to reproduce from him ... if he does well in the ring then he can be used to reproduce.
 
You seem confused about your intentions for him. You have no intention to breed him/you might breed him.....

His ridden career is not dependent upon whether he's a stallion or not.

I guess it's up to you ultimately whether you want a happy horse or not. But if you can't offer him a good quality of life as a stallion (and it seems you can't) then geld him.
 
It can be for some, depends how much they lose their showing sparkle once gelded.

At the end of the day if he can chat over the fence/stable he doesn't have a life very different to an awful lot of other horses do with regards to contact.
 
amymay said:
You seem confused about your intentions for him. You have no intention to breed him/you might breed him.....

His ridden career is not dependent upon whether he's a stallion or not.

I guess it's up to you ultimately whether you want a happy horse or not. But if you can't offer him a good quality of life as a stallion (and it seems you can't) then geld him.
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My intentions for him is to be a ridden horse ! I have made this clear from the start!! I don't have any interest in reproducing/breeding horses myself. Theres too many fools in my opinion breeding but thats a whole different story. If he did well in the next 5 years ( would still make him young !! 7 yrs) i may stand him at stud, but i want to do what i want to do with him first im not choosing to think that far down the line. I chose him because he is full of presence, lots loose that presence when they are gelded. Im not sure why i need to explain myself why i choose to leave him entire.
 
I'm not sure why i need to explain myself why i choose to leave him entire.
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You don't. But as you started this post about what suppliments to feed your unhappy entire - it seems like an obvious question to have asked......
 
amymay said:
You don't. But as you started this post about what suppliments to feed your unhappy entire - it seems like an obvious question to have asked......
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If you read through all of the comments he came to me late august , he has come very far since then, i was asking peoples opinions on if they thought these certain suppliments worked to take the edge off things for him, not if i should geld him or not!
 
And most people have responded that gelding him will solve the issues of your 'problem' colt, and that this will result in you not needing to suppliment him.
 
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