Stallion Keeping

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Tia

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On reading poor FMN's post about her stallion escaping from his field, I was interested as I don't know the answer as I never kept any stallions in the UK; are there any regulations about keeping stallions?

In my municipality, stallions have to be kept in secure permanent fenced fields. These fields have to have two fences between the stallion and a public road. Horses do escape in my area once in a while, just like anywhere in the world, and people appear to all club together to try to find them.....however once in my time here I heard of someone's stallion getting out - oh my! There was absolute public outcry and outrage....is it the same over there?
 
Not as far as I'm aware, certainly the stallion at the livery yard I'm at lives out 24/7 and is only kept in his field by a single strand of electric fencing which is run off a battery. He has got out once and proceeded to let the gelding out their field, fortunately he didn't go find the mares!!
 
Interesting. I'm not sure I would feel comfortable about that, particularly if I had mares.
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Most people don't though surely? I'm trying to think back to stallions I knew back there and I think that most, if not all, were kept in tall post and rail fields; or were turned out once all the other horses were put away in their stables.
 
No not ideal, my mare is kept in the field furtherest from him, so he would have to go through several electric fences (which he is generally very respectful of, to get to her). It is not how I would be comfortable keeping a stallion, but not my land and I have limited livery yard options, due to my shift work.
 
There don't seem to be codified laws particularly pertaining to stallions but there is some BHS guidelines for bridleways which contains this paragraph:

8. It has been noted that action on "statutory nuisance" has been taken against the owner of a
stallion under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. A bridleway had been denied to riders for
many years because of the presence of a stallion in a field crossed by the bridleway. The County
Council, who felt it had few powers in the matter, passed the case to the relevant District Council
who was empowered to take action under the Act. The problem was solved in a week, following
a letter threatening action under the Act.


Food for thought for stallion owners as it would seem there are avenues if the animals actually cause trouble.

There seem to be so many more stallions around now, not living at breeding farms and/or with experienced stallion handlers. In my youth this was almost unheard of. When I showed a few stallions for grading etc. I really became aware (and often alarmed) how many there were just out and about at the shows.
 
I only have experience around two stallions:

1 - kept in a top class SJ yard, was a GP jumper himself. Only turned out into paddocks with double fencing about 5 foot high. If he ever did escape it would only be onto stud land, no access to public land (Note however this stallion once did escape. he was being caught by a groom, saw her coming along the path and as she approached the gate, he decided to let himself in jumped over the gate and hit groom in head with front leg and knocked her out
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)

2 - Young stallion kept at current yard, not turned into our field as owner doesn't feel that they are secure enough. If turned out into indoor for a couple of hours a day, he is never left unattended, Sent away to stud for grass....
 
Ours at work is turned out in a double fenced field (normal height though). We also have a colt (three year old) who is turned out in a normal fenced field, he lives out though and the field is away from the other horses (he does have a companion though). We have a couple of public footpaths through our yard, and I did ask if they were allowed to turn stallion out in fields where the public footpath goes-I think with bulls they arent allowed or it has to be clearly signed? Anyway, I dont think there are any specific rules when it comes to stallions, not that it would matter with ours hes a little lamb at the moment!
 
in this litigation happy world there is no way I'd turn a stallion out in a field with public access - or not unless I had 10 million quid public liability insurance and had the time and interest to put up with the hassle of a legal action, court, claims, etc - just too risky these days when every person thinks, thanks to gov. publicity, that they have the'right to roam' anywhere and everywhere - esp. where a path crosses a field - they have the right to roam so that means the WHOLE field and probably the whole farm in some peoples view.

and then there is the 'isnt' that a nice horsey to pat' lot

riding school near me - unmade track used regularly by walkers - it goes from a to b so is a 'road' - people regularly seen pushing and lifting small kids (less than 3 yrs old) over 4 rail P&R so that they can 'go and pat the ponies'. I told the school owner and there is now a sign stating private land do not enter do not feed the ponies

it's sad but I always assume 3 things. Joe Public are idiiots, Joe public cannot read notices and joe public will try and go anywhere and everywhere they are told not to go. Hence no way I'd put a stallion out unless it's ringfenced and the fencing unclimbable, ungetthruable and unbreakable, with warning notices stating 'stallion, danger, keep out' - but then I'm a pessimist !! (and I've stood my own stallion and no - not turned out anywhere joe public had any access to - legally or any way else as security fenced property)
 
None of the stallions are in fields that are on a footpath-I just asked out of curiosity! Incidently though, the horses that are in the fields with the footpaths are probably more dangerous than the stallion-maybe we should put a sign up "danger-cobs roaming free keep out!" as they are likely to mug you for food!
 
QR -

Thanks everyone; most of your experiences run similar to my own viewings over there.

Interesting piece Cruiser; thanks for that. I agree with you about the amount of stallions over here. This was something which surprised me when I first moved over. The other thing which surprised me was the lower quality of the stallions which some people kept and the want to breed seems a larger thing here in Canada than it is in the UK - I guess that comes with more people having more land.

Reynold, I'm in a very lucky position that no one can get onto my property accidentally. You couldn't just happen across us as our lane only comes to us and we are well off the road. The only way someone ends up on our farm is because they are intending coming here thankfully.
 
Stallions at my RS are behind 6ft high leccie fencing (just more strands) but because they've been treated like normal horses from the word go, you honestly wouldn't believe they are stallions
 
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