Stallion got in with my mare; advice please

[melbiswas]

I have a very beautiful mare on loan who even my geldings think is hot stuff and who has shown hussy like behaviour at most times.

I moved my three back to my yard from their Summer grazing last week and today when I got there I had gained an extra 7 horses, one of which was an Andalusian stallion who was chasing my mare and her favourite gelding (who has been unwell with unexplained weight loss!). Basically he had broken through very sturdy post and rail fencing as he is in love. The others were up for fun and more grass. I have a bad habit of collecting horses but this is most unwelcome!

I have phoned the owner who is abroad. He says he will "deal with it" but can't do anything for a few days. A friend says we can borrow a field for a couple of weeks so I can remove her in the short term.

I am not sure if she is in season. Do you reckon she could have been covered? Her rug was undamaged and she was running away when I got there but wanted to get back to him when I took her away.

Can I insist he removes his stallion? He does have other facilities elsewhere.
Presumably he is liable for the fencing.
Thoughts please...

 

[thatsmygirl]

Sirry I don't quite understand, so it's your yard? Where did the stallion come from? A neighbouring yard/field and broke into yours?

 

[melbiswas]

Yes sorry; next door field. My neighbour has three huge inter-connecting fields in which he keeps youngstock before bringing them to his home to back and break. One of the fields has a shared fence-line with ours.
We have been there for 4 years with no problems. I did not see his horses when I moved back as they were too far away but he has not had a stallion before so I wasn't concerned.

 

[pip6]

If horses have broken into your fields then you can insist he moves them immediately & send him the bill for getting your mare jabbed so if she has been covered she reabsorbs it! Think he should foot bill if his horses broke fence, you if yours did. May also want to get her swabbed to check for STI's.

Would have to be a serious p&r fence to keep stallion apart from hot mare (& yes some are absolute slappers), suggest you put electric along top of fence as well (or your neighbour should on his side) to make sure they aren't in touching distance & he gets big jolt if touches it. Suggest you do same, so both kept away from boundary.

 

[melbiswas]

Thanks pip6. That's what worried me; the fact he could so easily get through the post and rail. I don't think my neighbour can be relied on to ensure an electric fence is maintained as there was a heavy duty one there when we first got there on his side of our post and rail. It wasn't always on and his youngstock would get caught up etc

 

[Tnavas]

I believe that you are not allowed to keep a stallion on property boundaries unless double fenced.

I'd be sending him the bill - who does he have keeping an eye on the horses when he is away. They need to come and move the horses and fix the fence at his expense.

Hope your mare is Okey.

 

[RealityCheck]

I'd be informing her owner ASAP if you haven't already, however (having heard of a similar situation elsewhere) be aware that the mares owner may apportion some of the blame to you.

Arrange the vet to get her injected (unless of course the owner says otherwise ) and then make sure future turnout is fully secure. Be aware that her behavior may change drastically after this experience.

 

[MrsMozart]

That's a bit of a bobber!

Maybe try posting this in Breeding, get the breeding people's thoughts.

Check with the owner as to whether or not he wants the mare to have the injection. Also, send an email/in writing, just so's you have a record of what you informed the owner and the acitons taken, etc.

Get the person bordering your land to sort out his stallion, i.e. get him moved to suitable, properly fenced grazing.

I worked on a stud many years ago and the stallions would have moved heaven and earth to get to a mare (always made for interesting hacks, though they were best under saddle and we always had a handler walking with us).

Hope it gets sorted soon. At the end of the day it's something that people with mares have to allow for. Horses do their thing and despite all the best precautions accidents happen. I don't think you can be held liable, as there hadn't been stallions in the field before and the owner of those horses is experienced, so you wouldn't have had reason to suppose he'd do something so stupid.

 

[AmyMay]

Yes sorry; next door field. My neighbour has three huge inter-connecting fields in which he keeps youngstock before bringing them to his home to back and break. One of the fields has a shared fence-line with ours.
We have been there for 4 years with no problems. I did not see his horses when I moved back as they were too far away but he has not had a stallion before so I wasn't concerned.

And who looks after his stock when they're away.

Get his horses off your land, back on to his - and charge him for the damage, repairs and associated expenses.

 

[Dolcé]

Agree with others to get vet and have her injected to ensure no unwanted deliveries and probably swabbed as well. We did have one of ours end up in the mares field of the arab stud next door, I won't go into how he got there but let us just say he was 'helped' along. The owner of the other horses needs to get it sorted but if you can move her to a 'safe' place until he is back then it would be for the best.

 

[Crosshill Pacers]

A couple of weeks before I was due to pick my mare up from the 'trainer' he told me that my mare had attacked another mare that he was training resulting in huge bite marks all over her neck and shoulders. My mare was apparently unscathed.

When he delivered her home I noticed bite marks on her shoulders also, but assumed that the other mare had fought back a bit.

Then I spoke to the owner of the mare that mine attacked, who had been told by his vet (and subsequently by the owner who admitted under interrogation from the owner) that the bite marks were from his non-SB coloured stallion. It transpired that the stallion has got in with the mares and almost definitely served the guy's 3yo filly and caused the bite marks. I spoke to a few people in the know on the matter and established that the marks on my mare were likely to be the same. My mare was stitched due to a wind-sucking problem but I was also told that this would not for definite stop a stallion.

One quick jab (purely out of precaution as my dad didn't think the stallion had served her) and my mind was put at ease (as far as an unwanted pregnancy goes). Am still absolutely raging with the 'trainer' and will be warning everyone about the sort of things that he lets happen at his place and then covers up!

Another story - a friend of mine told me about her neighbour who bred a foal, assuming it to be out of his mare by his own stallion. I had to send the passport application back as the sire was excluded by it's DNA. It transpired that another of his neighbour's NF stallions had broken into the field and served the mare. He then told the NF owner that she HAD to buy the foal off him for £600 (more than he would likely get for a full-bred SB foal) by law as it was her fault. She bought the foal!

 

[Crugeran Celt]

This happened to us a few years back and unfortunately the stallion caused some major injuries to one of my elderly mares. As the stallion had broken in to our mares his owner paid all vets bills and the mare was fine in time. You can have her injected by the vet to ensure there is no foal we had both our mares done just in case. I think if the stallion broke into your yard the owner is liable by law to cover any costs incured by you.

 

[wench]

Agree with the others that you should check with the mare's owner to see if she wants the foal, should she be pregnant.

 

[Dolcé]

This happened to us a few years back and unfortunately the stallion caused some major injuries to one of my elderly mares. As the stallion had broken in to our mares his owner paid all vets bills and the mare was fine in time. You can have her injected by the vet to ensure there is no foal we had both our mares done just in case. I think if the stallion broke into your yard the owner is liable by law to cover any costs incured by you.

Probably is liable but it really shouldn't need to be tested! We paid for vet to come out and inject neighbours mare that she insisted had been covered, we though it unlikely as he is only 11hh and mare 15hh but know it is not impossible. The stallion owner should cover any costs incurred to the mare owner regardless what they be just because it is the right thing to do. We spoke to our vet before the owner even knew he had been in there because it isn't something I would wish on anyone and then explained the options to her.

 

[melbiswas]

This is the first time I have posted a problem and it has been very helpful - thank you everyone.

Madam and her boys have been moved out of the way of temptation.

It transpires the chestnut I felt like hanging on to is also entire, just isn't aware of it yet!

Pleasant Polish chappie with "no English" has patched up fencing and removed stallion who I have to say does seem quite a sweet gentle boy really. In fact he is a lovely colour too, tho didn't move that well despite in showing- off mode. Sadly I think he is being kept in.

Strangely I was a little disappointed when her owner said she didn't want a foal; this whole thing has awakened a broody feeling in me which is so not appropriate for our horsey plans at the moment. Clueless about breeding, rearing young etc. too.

Now hope he keeps his word and sorts out fencing / moves his boys

Didn't even think of STD's......

 

[Cortez]

If the mare wasn't in season then she cannot be in foal. STD's are highly unlikely unless the stallion has been serving a lot of mares, and you can easily swab for these (charge the stallion owner). If he has been at public stud then he should be clear of these anyway. There is a simple blood test that will determine if she is in foal rather than injecting her unescessarily with some pretty powerful hormones that could mess up her cycle..

 

[magicgirl]

I believe that you are not allowed to keep a stallion on property boundaries unless double fenced.

.

No idea where you got that little gem from.

Several years ago we had fun and games at our stud.Walkers /trespassers left two gates open and our stallion got in with our mares. He was only out for an hour and it was October. When I got to him he seemed interested in one of the mares. I had the vet up the next day to inject her, everything else seemed fine. In the spring one of the other mares didn't look quite right and I got the vet up. I made a throwaway remark about her possibly being in foal and an internal confirmed this. I then asked him to check the third mare who had been in the field and sure enough she was in foal as well. In September I had two lovely fillies on consecutive days, not bad for an hours work!!

 

[Tnavas]

No idea where you got that little gem from.

Several years ago we had fun and games at our stud.Walkers /trespassers left two gates open and our stallion got in with our mares. He was only out for an hour and it was October. When I got to him he seemed interested in one of the mares. I had the vet up the next day to inject her, everything else seemed fine. In the spring one of the other mares didn't look quite right and I got the vet up. I made a throwaway remark about her possibly being in foal and an internal confirmed this. I then asked him to check the third mare who had been in the field and sure enough she was in foal as well. In September I had two lovely fillies on consecutive days, not bad for an hours work!!

Was just a thought! Its law in New Zealand and many of our laws are the same as UK - must admit that it is a very sensible law and the majority of the many TB studs in my area are double fenced - horses cannot make any contact with the horse next door.

 

[melbiswas]

Think I need to take MrsMozart's advice and ask on breeding section now but there seem to be quite a few with experience in this section:

I hadn't noticed her in season. It is usually very obvious to the point that she seems in some discomfort, constantly walking the fence line, napping when ridden. I had considered getting her ovaries scanned. She is also a very dominant mare and can be mean to the boys.
I have not noticed this and didn't think she was due yet but when I put her in the stable this morning away from harm she was winking away and very pumped.

We have been back for 6 days. Could being next to a stallion have brought her into season?

Our old gelding was working hard to get in between them. No-one was kicked or bitten.

Think the stallion might be young and inexperienced. Do they come back for more if they have already covered (could be young and vigorous...)?

I phoned the vets before coming on here to ask if there was a horsey "morning-after pill" (yes,I did!) and was told they would scan 21 -28 days. Sounds like a blood test might be a cheaper option but perhaps the machine that scans her womb could also look at the rest of her reproductive system ?

Now also probably need to go into vet section ! Off for a glass of wine.

 

[melbiswas]

ps Tnavas , I have always found New Zealanders very practical people!

Neighbour is a Swiss banker I am told, who I am sure could stretch to a second line of fencing etc. However I don't blame him; he wasn't to know I was moving back. I would have contacted him first and had this in place had I realised he had stallions.

 

[Coblover63]

If it wasn't so late in the year, I would suggest waiting to see if she comes back into season as the injection isn't without it's own risks....