Rigs....

Nightmare before Christmas

Nightmare before Christmas

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My horse sure things he is a stallion! Constantly pesters my mare (jumps across two fields to her), gets 'excited' a lot, gets 'excited' if riding with mares, nips and acts quite riggy. When he is not excited he is chilled and placid.

I imported him from Belgium and I think he was gelded Jan Feb time. I cant see any special parts but I also struggle to see any scarring too. He also mounts things such as hay bales, fillers ect if you lead him up to them.

He is more of a pest than a problem and I seem to have the field situation under control now I figured him out.

Anyone else have horses like this? I feel it sensible to get him tested?
 
He should gradually become less hormonal, it sounds as if he may have been used to mounting a dummy, possibly with not the best handling or training, before being gelded. I would try to avoid stimulating him in any way and he should settle down.
 
I had a rig, I bought him at 18months from the sales as a gelding and always put his behaviour down to being the riggy type..
I had him tested at 5 years after the vet came out and said he couldnt find any scarring, the test confirmed he was a rig and still had both bits they had just never dropped.

He was the most amazing pony I ever owned and I would do anything to have him back.
His character gave him so much presence and he was very trainable.

Unfortunately, I put him out on loan due to my financial circumstances and our limits together (he was 11.3hh) and they did not manage him correctly. He came back a completely different pony, he wasn't my boy anymore and his behaviour had got unmanagable for the grazing I had (shared with a mare but seperated with electric fence and barbed wire, not my choice) so I had to sell him on to someone who had the space to manage him as an entire.

If I had him back I would never let him go again, he really was special. This is him -
picture.php
 
Emma S said:
I had a rig, I bought him at 18months from the sales as a gelding and always put his behaviour down to being the riggy type..
I had him tested at 5 years after the vet came out and said he couldnt find any scarring, the test confirmed he was a rig and still had both bits they had just never dropped.

He was the most amazing pony I ever owned and I would do anything to have him back.
His character gave him so much presence and he was very trainable.

Unfortunately, I put him out on loan due to my financial circumstances and our limits together (he was 11.3hh) and they did not manage him correctly. He came back a completely different pony, he wasn't my boy anymore and his behaviour had got unmanagable for the grazing I had (shared with a mare but seperated with electric fence and barbed wire, not my choice) so I had to sell him on to someone who had the space to manage him as an entire.

If I had him back I would never let him go again, he really was special. This is him -
picture.php
Click to expand...

He is stunning! TBH I never made a point of asking if he was gelded. Two more came over with him so he could have been on about one of those he wasnt clear. Passport just says male. I may have him checked, hes a huge character!
 
My last horse was a rig - he was fab for about two years, and then suddenly turned on an elderly mare and tried to kill her :(

Had the vet out, and he suggested Rig Calm, and that did help, but I never put him in a field with other horses again.
 
shysmum said:
My last horse was a rig - he was fab for about two years, and then suddenly turned on an elderly mare and tried to kill her :(

Had the vet out, and he suggested Rig Calm, and that did help, but I never put him in a field with other horses again.
Click to expand...

Yeah he is now out with a small pony. They seem to get on but cant have him near my mares as he does whatever to get to them in the field. Around the stables he is fine. He has brilliant manners to handle and is never out of control, its just an obvious issue. For now I am treating him as a rig. May get the vet to come and have a look at him.
 
Please get him tested if you think he could be a genuine rig :) My friend very nearly lost her 'rig' as the retained testicle had turned cancerous. It was only found as it then managed to strangulate the horse's intestine so he was rushed in to Liphook for colic surgery. He survived, and is doing well, but it is not an uncommon thing to happen with rigs; testicles are not designed to be kept at the higher temperatures within the body cavity.

Alternatively he could still be transitioning from thinking like a stallion, some take longer than others and some never seem to click that they're not :rolleyes:
 
rhino said:
Please get him tested if you think he could be a genuine rig :) My friend very nearly lost her 'rig' as the retained testicle had turned cancerous. It was only found as it then managed to strangulate the horse's intestine so he was rushed in to Liphook for colic surgery. He survived, and is doing well, but it is not an uncommon thing to happen with rigs; testicles are not designed to be kept at the higher temperatures within the body cavity.

Alternatively he could still be transitioning from thinking like a stallion, some take longer than others and some never seem to click that they're not :rolleyes:
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Yeah I will get him tested. Found his gradings online as a yearling! He is very well bred so shall have a look into it as I cant afford for any complications
 
If he is, could there be a connection to your problems in getting your mare in foal? Not sure if it one of those myths, but sure I heard that if a mare is around another stallion it can cause problems.....? Worth checking I guess, as you pick up so many stupid stories, might be a complete crock though. :rolleyes:
 
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