Stallion welfare

I

Indefatigable

Active Member
Joined
12 October 2020
Messages
42
Visit site
Has anyone else listened to the Talk Horse podcast? I have followed Pippa Funnell’s career from the get go and have nothing but respect for her, but what the heck is that MIC guy adding to things? But more to the point, does the world out there actually know what a lonely and miserable life most stallions lead? Someone please prove me wrong and that it’s not just about £££££s . (Getting involved in endangered species feels like a bit of a white wash to me). Have a listen:https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/talk-horse/id1784736028?i=1000703690516
 
Is this in the UK?

Do most stallions have a bad life?

Admittedly I have only had any involvement with native pony stallions, however they have all had seemingly very good lives, plenty of turnout with company etc.
 
Jenko109 said:
Is this in the UK?

Do most stallions have a bad life?

Admittedly I have only had any involvement with native pony stallions, however they have all had seemingly very good lives, plenty of turnout with company etc.
Click to expand...
I've know quite a few that never get any turnout except alone in the indoor school.
 
Indefatigable said:
Has anyone else listened to the Talk Horse podcast? I have followed Pippa Funnell’s career from the get go and have nothing but respect for her, but what the heck is that MIC guy adding to things? But more to the point, does the world out there actually know what a lonely and miserable life most stallions lead? Someone please prove me wrong and that it’s not just about £££££s . (Getting involved in endangered species feels like a bit of a white wash to me). Have a listen:https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/talk-horse/id1784736028?i=1000703690516
Click to expand...
I can't speak for all stallions but I pass Matsons regularly and the stallions there definitely get turnout.
 
Jenko109 said:
Is this in the UK?

Do most stallions have a bad life?

Admittedly I have only had any involvement with native pony stallions, however they have all had seemingly very good lives, plenty of turnout with company etc.
Click to expand...
There are lots of stallions that live their lives being treated as if they're a man eating lion. Stabled 24/7, no friends, no turnout, no interaction. Many with grills on their stable doors not able to put their head over their door even. There seems to be an ingrained belief that a stallion is instantly wild and dangerous. I've had two now that I've had to teach to turn out and how to have friends. They turn out with anyone appropriate now and with each other.

I know many who lead a good life with friends, turnout and plenty of enrichment and interaction. I know many native pony stallions that are out with friends all year round and quite a few sports stallions that turn out with geldings or young colts but for every one that leads a good horsey life there are likely to be 3 or more that don't.
 
mine both go out all day,every day next to each other and are stabled to allow social contact but I do know plenty of people who keep them stabled for the majority of the time.

i think its becoming more of a normal thing to have them turned out but many people in the UK still freak out about stallions so until we change our attitude this won't go away.
 
StallionAI are very active on social media, with lots of videos of the stallions living their daily life, and welcome visitors at any time. I've been there, many of the stallions were in the paddocks. They have large stables with windows at the back to look out and seemed happy and relaxed horses.
Of all the things to be concerned about, I don’t this the welfare of the stallions there is one of them. Yes, some stallions are not kept in appropriate conditions, but you could say the same for many mares/ geldings
 
I want to say the Swiss National stud has started turning stallions out together after doing an experiment on it. Found it.

equusmagazine.com

Can stallions get along better than we think?

Research suggests that, if some precautions are taken, it may be possible to safely keep stallions together. Researchers at the Swiss National Stud Farm in Avenches designed an experiment to determine whether domesticated stallions could live together peacefully, as do males in the wild.
equusmagazine.com
 
LEC said:
I want to say the Swiss National stud has started turning stallions out together after doing an experiment on it. Found it.

equusmagazine.com

Can stallions get along better than we think?

Research suggests that, if some precautions are taken, it may be possible to safely keep stallions together. Researchers at the Swiss National Stud Farm in Avenches designed an experiment to determine whether domesticated stallions could live together peacefully, as do males in the wild.
equusmagazine.com
Click to expand...
Hitch in Farm working horses turn out their stallions together (can be found on FB). Mares often work alongside the stallions too.
 
LEC said:
I want to say the Swiss National stud has started turning stallions out together after doing an experiment on it. Found it.

equusmagazine.com

Can stallions get along better than we think?

Research suggests that, if some precautions are taken, it may be possible to safely keep stallions together. Researchers at the Swiss National Stud Farm in Avenches designed an experiment to determine whether domesticated stallions could live together peacefully, as do males in the wild.
equusmagazine.com
Click to expand...

🤣 this tickled me.

The stallions in the New Forest live together very happily on their winter grazing. They have done for years.

I did not realise there were studies to show a sociable herd animal, will safely live as a sociable herd animal.
 
Jenko109 said:
🤣 this tickled me.

The stallions in the New Forest live together very happily on their winter grazing. They have done for years.

I did not realise there were studies to show a sociable herd animal, will safely live as a sociable herd animal.
Click to expand...

It’s well known that wild herds will splinter off and have bachelor bands of young stallions who haven’t yet got mares and older stallions who have lost theirs or don’t seem interested. Amazing it’s taking this long to filter through to studs!
 
Stallion back left, lead mare back right and his foals that year bred by us. 2 other mares lived with him -only problem was he became very attached to his mares and occasionally wouldnt serve visiting mares [ only happened once, thank goodness!] . He would be taken out , worked , competed etc , then returned to his little herd. No problems - despite fact w e d got him as a 3 r old from Germany and he wasnt used to living out for more than an hour at a time , let alone living with his mares and foals. In the winter they all lived together in a cattle pen 45 x30 feet .
Cannot stand seeing stallions left in boxes day after month after year - is it any wonder they get sour? It s something I feel very strongly about , but cannot see any change in the way stallions are kept from when we had them [ 20 years ago] - these are not 'enlightened' times in this aspect of horse keeping.
 

Attachments

  • DSC01922.JPG
    DSC01922.JPG
    847.6 KB · Views: 25
I worked at a Tb stud many many years ago. All the stallions got turned out every day, in really nice paddocks, not postage stamps.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top