Stallion on a livery yard..?

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clairew

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Millie has had the winter off (long story short chasing up and down the fence line with a stallion sparked her ringbone up again, thread relating to is: http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=495079). Paid for cortisone (didn't seem to work) and she is on one danilon a day at the moment and is sound.
I've since moved fields away from the stallion but our field backs onto his stable, and they can sniff each other through the wooden slats...
Owner of the stallion says I need to get electric fencing to keep Mills away from the stable wall but I don't know whether it's going to be enough - will she tear about when she's in season and he's in the stable, and will she be likely to still know he's in a field up the road so she'll still go nuts in the new field..?
I've had to see her really lame and am petrified it's going to happen again - before the stallion arrived on the yard I could never tell when she was in season she was so even tempered.
And wish me luck for getting back on her - a friend rode her on Tuesday for the first time for me and won't get on her again - coiled spring is an understatement!!! :eek:
Just realised there was a lot of waffle for not much question :rolleyes:
Can offer a bit of flat Relentless and some shortbread crumbs (crappy day at work - need sugar!!)
 
Sorry to hear about your situation, sounds like a bit of a nightmare!

I must admit that on a livery yard I would expect that safe fencing suitable for the horses boared there would be the responsibility of the YO/YM. If they have decided to take in a stallion then they need to ensure they have suitable facilities, which it doesn't sound like they do. What is their take on all this?
 
Stallions will cause a problem on a livery yard and that is why most sensible yard owners will not entertain them on a Livery Yard. I am afraid that the only way to resolve this issue is to move yards.
 
I was on a yard with a stallion once, it didn't cause any problems. The bloke would turn him out for a bit after all of ours had come in and we didn't have any problems at all.
If yard owners refused them on a yard, where are they meant to go??
 
ThePony said:
Sorry to hear about your situation, sounds like a bit of a nightmare!

I must admit that on a livery yard I would expect that safe fencing suitable for the horses boared there would be the responsibility of the YO/YM. If they have decided to take in a stallion then they need to ensure they have suitable facilities, which it doesn't sound like they do. What is their take on all this?
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YO is a farmer who lets the yard run itself - I said to him that I don't feel it is fair that I should pay for fencing after him not letting me have a field away from the stallion made it necessary for me to pay out a few hundred pounds on vet bills (not just the cortisone but the danilon she's now on - she wasn't on danilon before) and he said he'd see if he could get her to move stallion up one stable, but she hasn't moved yet so I don't think he's said anything. He doesn't seem to care:(
 
Goodness, I can't imagine being on a yard with a stallion with my mare, wouldn't be able to do a thing with her. I guess it depends on the individual mare & stallion but in your case it sounds like your only option would be to find somewhere new - sorry I can't offer any constructive advice but I do wish you luck :-)
 
claireandnadia said:
I was on a yard with a stallion once, it didn't cause any problems. The bloke would turn him out for a bit after all of ours had come in and we didn't have any problems at all.
If yard owners refused them on a yard, where are they meant to go??
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Stallion is out at times everyone elses horses are out - which is why the problem occurred in the first place:confused:. Before this woman had a stallion on the yard a mother and daughter kept three stallions on the yard but kept them in stables away from everyone else and would only turn them out, as you point out, when others are in.
 
clairew said:
YO is a farmer who lets the yard run itself - I said to him that I don't feel it is fair that I should pay for fencing after him not letting me have a field away from the stallion made it necessary for me to pay out a few hundred pounds on vet bills (not just the cortisone but the danilon she's now on - she wasn't on danilon before) and he said he'd see if he could get her to move stallion up one stable, but she hasn't moved yet so I don't think he's said anything. He doesn't seem to care:(
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Sounds pants tbh! Can you ask the owner to move up one stable? Do you think that would help? Is there anyone who might swap fields with you if you ask them? If nothing is going to change then I would just move. Your horses health and soundness is too important to risk, and it sounds like the YO doesn't give a monkeys about safeguarding the horses he takes £ to board.
 
All horses are different and will react in varying ways to other horses, including stallions.

I have kept my own stallion on a livery yard with no problems and also kept other horses on a stud/livery and again all the horses were very settled.

As your mare is obviously very sensitive to a stallion in close proximity and has already injured herself severely I think in your position I would be looking to change yards.
 
I have both stallions and mares and they all get along fine, it's just a matter of everyone getting used to the situation. It is normal for mares to come into season when a new stallion arrives, when she goes out she'll stop pratting about and she may well not show very strong seasons again after she's used to him being there.
 
nativepony said:
Goodness, I can't imagine being on a yard with a stallion with my mare, wouldn't be able to do a thing with her. I guess it depends on the individual mare & stallion but in your case it sounds like your only option would be to find somewhere new - sorry I can't offer any constructive advice but I do wish you luck :-)
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Thank you nativepony, I think it might be getting to the yard moving point - I posted a couple of days ago that somebody has been stealing my danilon at the yard so I think it could be time to go!
 
Lol oh dear I remember getting back on mills after 6 months off! Actually my OH did first - a crowd of other liveries arrived to watch what happened so just to be different she was as good as gold, then when I went to get on 2 days later it was like riding a firework with the fuse lit!
It probably doesn't help matters that she did have a foal and via a natural covering as well so has a reasonable idea of what it's all about ;)
I have to echo amymay, I would probably be looking to move in that situation as it sounds like an accident waiting to happen to me :/
 
ecrozier said:
Lol oh dear I remember getting back on mills after 6 months off! Actually my OH did first - a crowd of other liveries arrived to watch what happened so just to be different she was as good as gold, then when I went to get on 2 days later it was like riding a firework with the fuse lit!
It probably doesn't help matters that she did have a foal and via a natural covering as well so has a reasonable idea of what it's all about ;)
I have to echo amymay, I would probably be looking to move in that situation as it sounds like an accident waiting to happen to me :/
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I am absolutely papping myself to be honest!! She was that excited she was sideways jogging everywhere, got her to calm down a bit then she started humping - I don't think my friend down the yard has ever sat so still in the saddle - the slightest excuse and she was ready to go!! Instructor is coming tonight - I think I'll ask her to ride her, she is totally unflappable and has a bum made of velcro!
I've ridden her after 3 months and that was bad enough, I can't think back but I must have had the confidence to do it then - unfortunately I do have very shakey confidence though:rolleyes:
 
No point messing up your confidence, i would def get your instructor to sit on first couple of times maybe then she will be back to her normal self I am sure! Is she turned out all day at the mo? That will help definately.
 
claireandnadia said:
I was on a yard with a stallion once, it didn't cause any problems. The bloke would turn him out for a bit after all of ours had come in and we didn't have any problems at all.
If yard owners refused them on a yard, where are they meant to go??
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Personally, I think if you need livery then a stallion isn't the horse for you. Most sensible stallion owners either own their own yards or have them with a pro comp rider or stud.

OP, I would move.
 
Yep she's out for a good 9 hours! We were laughing up at the yard last night that Mills really lulls you into a false sense of security - half the time you'd swear she was doped up when she's in the stable, she looks half asleep most of the time, and then the tack comes out.....!!! :D :D
 
A lot depends on the owner of the stallion and the way it was raised, I used to livery at a stud. The stallions were impeccably behaved, they had their own fields and stables that weren't attached to the livery ones although they were in sight and passed the livery stables to get to the fields.
The rule was to always shout 'coming through' when turning the boys out and to be aware of who was on the yard doing what, we never had any problems.

OP - unless you can chat the the stallion owner and come to some arrangement then moving yards may be the best option for you, as the farmer just leaves the yard to its own devices it could well be a recipe for disaster.
 
If you own a stallion and choose to keep it on a livery yard, then it is your responsibility to work round everyone to fit in if I'm honest. We have a large number of entires which are sometimes kept on the main livery yard, though the majority of them are kept in our own separate barn and grazing if we can help it.

When we do have ones down on the main yard, they're always very well behaved and you wouldn't even know they were entires most the time. We work them at the least busiest times of the day [lunchtime or late evening] and are turned out nowhere near the liveries horses for a few hours a day.
When they are out of the stables, we make sure everyone is aware where they'll be - regardless whether they're the most well behaved horse or not. It's just manners to me. Most the time I've found, other people worry and panic more than we do about them...we wouldn't put ourselves in a position where we'd have any potential 'problems' arise anyway with them, so are quite happy with how they are kept and how they are out handled/worked etc. They all get hacked out with mares, can be ridden with other in the school etc - but just for peace of mind for everyone else, it's just easier and common courtesy to do them at the least busiest times.

They shouldn't be a nuisance or cause any problems if kept properly - it's just common sense and courtesy for the most of it and just a case of communications and working together to have a happy medium on the yard to suit all.

Call a yard meeting and all try and come to an arrangement. You're all paying customers who want the same service.
 
We had a stallion on our yard for a long time, he was no bother at all and the mares were pretty uninterested tbh, as was he - he was stabled on the yard with the others, turned out with his brood mare, he was very well mannered.

Could you not just swap stables with a gelding so she's not as close by?

I've got no issue with stallions on livery yards, agree owner of stallion and the yard owner need to take some responsibility to make sure all is well, but I don't think it is wrong to have them on yards.
 
Had a welsh sec b stallion for a few months at my place(helping out a friend), he was as goood as gold, and easy to handle as I have 2 mares and only the younger one took any interst in him, in fact he was happier being next to my geldings. But my younger mare has been on Regumate and she is a pain in the arse, when she comes into season.
 
maggiesmum said:
A lot depends on the owner of the stallion and the way it was raised, I used to livery at a stud. The stallions were impeccably behaved, they had their own fields and stables that weren't attached to the livery ones although they were in sight and passed the livery stables to get to the fields.
The rule was to always shout 'coming through' when turning the boys out and to be aware of who was on the yard doing what, we never had any problems.

OP - unless you can chat the the stallion owner and come to some arrangement then moving yards may be the best option for you, as the farmer just leaves the yard to its own devices it could well be a recipe for disaster.
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This. Thanks for actually understanding stallion management and congrats on the stud for doing it right :cool:
We have stallions that I'll happily lead or tie up next to each other, they go on the horse walker at the same time and are turned out in fields neighboring mares and foals and other stallions. We don't have accidents or incidents because of this, why? Because we raised them right - if we can't manage them like this they don't have the manners to be a stallion. If they are truly exceptional stallions they'll go to one of the other yards we work with, or they'll be gelded and sold. I won't isolate them or treat them any differently.

As for the OP's situation, once again Maggiesmum is spot on - yard sounds like it's begging for an accident by keeping horses in this way.
 
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