Stallions and Geldings kept together

[Turtlebay69]

Just a general question I was wondering about.

Can the both be kept together in a field and stabled next door to each other, or is this a big no no? With mares nearby? Or should mares be kept out of the area?

Would love to hear opinions/experiences

 

[robden]

My arab stallion has a gelding companion, been together 6 years now, they share grazing and 9 times out of 10 choose to share a stable as well

 

[Turtlebay69]

Do you have mares nearby Robden? Or are they just kept together alone?

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Yes, most of the time, but you DO need to know your boys
I've had entires out with geldings - all male gang through the winter. Mares been out with a complete paddock in between them.
However, caveat; I knew my boys well, and have had adult 6 yr old who had covered in hand only, out with a 3yr old colt and 4 geldings one winter.
Once we were covering in hand again, then big boy had his own routine & paddock & only the 1 gelding out with him through the summer as they were best buddies & happily shared a field shelter together

To add, a good friend of mine always weaned her colts with 'the man' over winter & he'd have a band of weanlings & yearlings to keep in place, still does it now

 

[AmyMay]

Can't see why not.

 

[kerrieberry2]

my boy has just come back from a yard where a stallion lived, stallion was on its own but near the school where mares go and they also pass his field as he doesn't bat any eyelid

 

[Turtlebay69]

I was just wondering as so many livery yards even small ones do not allow stallions. Do you think the stallions would become nasty to the geldings when mares are nearby in season?

 

[Char0901]

My gelding is only ten months old and he is stabled with a 10 month old filly and 15 year old stallion.
The filly is in the stable behind him and the stallion is next to her.
They all get on well.
They are turned out in neighbouring fields, my boy with the filly and the stallion on his own next to them.
Neither are very interested in each other, the babies do their own thing and so does the stallion.
The only time I've seen my boy and the stallion interact is when the babies are turned out in the school and they can touch noses over the fence if the stallion is in his stable. My boy does the baby mouthing thing and the stallion looks at him like 'bless...'
He is the most placid stallion ever though, however even saying this I don't think we'd ever turn them out together. Just not worth the risk. The stallion is by no means lonely, roams loose around the yard most of the time.
He's a one in a million stallion though, most stallions probably don't get the freedom or socialization that he does.

 

[Turtlebay69]

My gelding is only ten months old and he is stabled with a 10 month old filly and 15 year old stallion.
The filly is in the stable behind him and the stallion is next to her.
They all get on well.
They are turned out in neighbouring fields, my boy with the filly and the stallion on his own next to them.
Neither are very interested in each other, the babies do their own thing and so does the stallion.
The only time I've seen my boy and the stallion interact is when the babies are turned out in the school and they can touch noses over the fence if the stallion is in his stable. My boy does the baby mouthing thing and the stallion looks at him like 'bless...'
He is the most placid stallion ever though, however even saying this I don't think we'd ever turn them out together. Just not worth the risk. The stallion is by no means lonely, roams loose around the yard most of the time.
He's a one in a million stallion though, most stallions probably don't get the freedom or socialization that he does.

That sounds lovely. He really sounds special. I was just wondering all this as I have always handled others stallions and as a groom looked after them, however thinking for the future I would love to produce my own gypsy cob stallion for showing. Hence why, as I have all geldings and a friend has a mare, I was thinking at the yard how to arrange this. But this is a long long long way ahead yet.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

I was just wondering as so many livery yards even small ones do not allow stallions. Do you think the stallions would become nasty to the geldings when mares are nearby in season?

Not usually.

The 2 main reasons (there are others tho) that most livery yard will not have entires is:
a. They have no knowledge of handling & caring & therefore see a horse with 'balls' on as a problem
b. They DO have knowledge and are therefore very aware of how ignorant other livery owners can be, often causing problems that might never have happened to start with.

 

[Tobiano]

OP I think the issue with livery yards not taking stallions is that they DO need expert handling. The livery staff and / or the owner may not be equal to this. They can be perfectly fine most of the time but if they get sexually aroused you really need to know what you are doing with them. Also you need to be careful to avoid this happening by accident e.g. having fields between them and mares. I know of some very experienced stallion handlers having horrible injuries through a moment's inattention and I can totally see why livery owners don't want to take the risk. I dare say the insurance premiums are 5 times the size too. And of course there is the risk of them getting out and impregnating mares and / or injuring other horses.

I do know some wonderfully well behaved stallions but they are well behaved because of their management.

 

[magicmoose]

My stallion happily lived next to geldings, but had his own paddock. There were mares nearby and I'm sure that he would have been fine sharing, as long as the mares were not right next door. He was an absolute gent, but I have known geldings that could not he turned out with other geldings as they were thugs if mares were around.

 

[PolarSkye]

Our yard is divided into two yards . . . there is one stallion pony on our section - lives out 24/7 with another gelding and shares a fence line with Kal and his little shetland companion (gelding) in one field, a large shire cross mare in another field and four mares (including two mini shetties) in another . . . all get along just fine and Kal loves playing over the fence with the stally pony. There are three (I think) breeding stallions on the top yard who occasionally come down to our yard to be hitched up to drive . . . the first few times Kal saw one of them on our yard, he grew a little and got a tad snorty, but now he is more curious than anything.

As TFF says, you need to know your boys . . . but this experience has shown me that it is possible for stallions to integrate (safely) into a mixed yard/environment.

P

P.S. Oh, and one of the mini shettie mares keeps escaping into the field with the pony stallion and the gelding and there has been no fighting or possessiveness.

 

[Turtlebay69]

Your replies are all so interesting. I love hearing real experience views on this subject as reading about it online often gets you nowhere.

 

[Char0901]

That sounds lovely. He really sounds special. I was just wondering all this as I have always handled others stallions and as a groom looked after them, however thinking for the future I would love to produce my own gypsy cob stallion for showing. Hence why, as I have all geldings and a friend has a mare, I was thinking at the yard how to arrange this. But this is a long long long way ahead yet.

Every horse is different but especially so when talking about stallions. You need that special gem that's relaxed and easy going.
His owner didn't do anything to make him like this (had him since he was about 3 I think and broke him) he's lovely to ride but also does natural coverings on mares.
she once hacked him up the road to one of her mares, he covered her, and 15 minutes after she hacked him back! Legend.
I think if you're looking to breed a 'nice' stallion (as in a nice person) temperament is paramount. For your sake and theirs!

 

[Megibo]

Isn't there a video of a load of stallions out together?

 

[Fides]

I had stallion and gelding together with no problems, even with my mares in the next field... They were inseparable... And the gelding was cut at 14

 

[FinnishLapphund]

Isn't there a video of a load of stallions out together?

I've always heard that it is recommended, in Sweden, that young colts/stallions, are put together in colt/stallion-groups (at the very least over summer, but preferably longer), so that they learn that they can and how to socialize with other horses/stallions.

Not all stallions have only one thing on their mind. Some years ago, I read about a Swedish trotting stallion, Quick Pay. As I recall it, he was always led to the mare/whatever those fake dummy mares are called in English by his groom, in his ordinary halter. Then one day, in the middle of the breeding season, when Quick Pay was over 20 years old, his groom was sick for about 3 days. Someone else on the stud led Quick Pay to the mare, and he still behaved as nice as usual, but he simply refused to cover any mare. He only began covering again, when his old groom came back to work, and could take him to the mares, the way he was used to.

I've also e.g. read about two Finnish stallions who was used as riding school horses on a small combined riding school/stud.


I'm not sure whether this is the type of video's Megimbo was thinking of, but here is a short video of young stallions that have just been turned out together for the summer:
[youtube]kRNb5gN9kEM[/youtube]


And another, and longer, video of young stallions being turned out together for the summer:
[youtube]ULj-56LXnA4[/youtube]

 

[twiggy2]

Not usually.

The 2 main reasons (there are others tho) that most livery yard will not have entires is:
a. They have no knowledge of handling & caring & therefore see a horse with 'balls' on as a problem
b. They DO have knowledge and are therefore very aware of how ignorant other livery owners can be, often causing problems that might never have happened to start with.

there is a third reason, mares are also entire and having a stallion on a yard CAN mean that the mares become more difficult to handle and the surgery to turn a stallion to a gelding is simple and not easy to neuter mares.

many stallions are well behaved but far more are not

 

[Fides]

there is a third reason, mares are also entire and having a stallion on a yard CAN mean that the mares become more difficult to handle and the surgery to turn a stallion to a gelding is simple and not easy to neuter mares.

many stallions are well behaved but far more are not

My experience had been of stallions being well behaved and mares trying to jump into their field to 'get a bit'. A horny mare is far more difficult than a horny stallion...

 

[Minstrel_Ted]

I had stallion and gelding together with no problems, even with my mares in the next field... They were inseparable... And the gelding was cut at 14

I thought the welshie was cut by the time you got the gelding? Did your stallion not break out and cover a mare? Sorry but I am just sensing some untruths here.

 

[Orangehorse]

OP I think the issue with livery yards not taking stallions is that they DO need expert handling. The livery staff and / or the owner may not be equal to this. They can be perfectly fine most of the time but if they get sexually aroused you really need to know what you are doing with them. Also you need to be careful to avoid this happening by accident e.g. having fields between them and mares. I know of some very experienced stallion handlers having horrible injuries through a moment's inattention and I can totally see why livery owners don't want to take the risk. I dare say the insurance premiums are 5 times the size too. And of course there is the risk of them getting out and impregnating mares and / or injuring other horses.

I do know some wonderfully well behaved stallions but they are well behaved because of their management.

This is the root of the matter. A friend bred shetland ponies and her stallion would break through any fencing to attack a gelding in the breeding season, even those he knew well.

You can go to a stud and see the young colts and geldings turned out together and the stallions in their separate boxes, gazing out at the mares and other geldings, so you think that all stallions will behave like that, but unfortunately it isn't necessarily the case.

 

[Fides]

I thought the welshie was cut by the time you got the gelding? Did your stallion not break out and cover a mare? Sorry but I am just sensing some untruths here.

I have had several horses over the past few years from the breeder for breaking - I have had my welshie for 5 years now and he had lived with a couple of geldings and adjacent to a few mares.

He covered my mare once due to my ex being a total idiot and turning the electric fence off to charge his drill whilst I was away but that was when he was a 2yo.

Calling me a liar is a bit unfair without any basis. I have no need to tell any untruths...

 

[Minstrel_Ted]

I have had several horses over the past few years from the breeder for breaking - I have had my welshie for 5 years now and he had lived with a couple of geldings and adjacent to a few mares.

He covered my mare once due to my ex being a total idiot and turning the electric fence off to charge his drill whilst I was away but that was when he was a 2yo.

Calling me a liar is a bit unfair without any basis. I have no need to tell any untruths...

Ahh I see, I did not realise you had so many ex stallions pass through your hands. I actually did not call you a liar I said I was sensing some untruths as things said across forums don't actually add up so I asked for clarification.

 

[Fides]

Ahh I see, I did not realise you had so many ex stallions pass through your hands. I actually did not cause you a liar I said I was sensing some untruths as things said across forums don't actually add up so I asked for clarification.

Let's not hijack the op's thread. If you are that interested in my horses just pm me

 

[palterwell]

I'm posting on here because I can't sleep.This morning I turned my yearling gelding out and went to the shop for some bread,I was gone for half an hour. When I got back Robin was not in the field ,the electric fence was trashed and a Shetland stallion was in my field. Robin was in my friends field,the Shetland had hung from his chest and cornered him until he ran through the electric fence and then jumped the wire fence.The pony has been in the field next door for two weeks,it has been bought by some one with no clue about horses presumably because it was cheap.It was absolutely on a mission to kill my horse.i have owne d horses for forty years including a stallion who always grazed alone,but this is one of the most terrifying things I have ever experienced.

 

[Dry Rot]

In the picture below are a gelding, a stallion, and colt all feeding out of he same bucket and all Highland ponies here at the stud. The stallion, Josethdene, nurse maids all my colts who are always very well behaved.

Joe had to stay over night on the way to a show. I was a bit worried as he was in a stable separated from a little Welsh stallion by a low partition. But in minutes they were grooming each other. The next day, Joe refused to load. (Unheard of!). I suggested loading the Welsh first. Then Joe loaded without protest. He was obviously anxious not to leave his new friend behind!

Joe is regularly taken out from his mares, smartened up, and taken to a show where he is admire for being a perfectly behaved gelding! Nobody believes he is a stallion, but his foals are here, so he must be! After the show, normal service is resumed as usual.

 

[robden]

Do you have mares nearby Robden? Or are they just kept together alone?

Mares around most of the time, before we moved our stables were in a U shape, 2 boys on one side, 2 mares facing them and 1 at the top, initially there was a bit of shouting from the stallion but he settled very quickly and we never really had any problems, no trying to climb the door or anything like that

 

[Patterdale]

Not usually.

The 2 main reasons (there are others tho) that most livery yard will not have entires is:
a. They have no knowledge of handling & caring & therefore see a horse with 'balls' on as a problem
b. They DO have knowledge and are therefore very aware of how ignorant other livery owners can be, often causing problems that might never have happened to start with.

Very true.

Stallions are not another species, and it always makes me sad when you see a sparkling clean pissed off stallion alone in its stable and completely segregated from all other horses and turnout - because 'it's a stallion! Shock horror!'
Which unfortunately is seen far too often

 

[Sizzlea89]

Very true.

Stallions are not another species, and it always makes me sad when you see a sparkling clean pissed off stallion alone in its stable and completely segregated from all other horses and turnout - because 'it's a stallion! Shock horror!'
Which unfortunately is seen far too often

At my yard the yard owner had no problem with me bringing my COLT onto the yard as he had experienced many stallions, geldings and mares coming through over the years.

The fellow liveries on the other hand have told me I'm not to put him out with their geldings as he will rip their jugular vein out! He's not even a stallion yet and he's getting gelded next week because of the fact that he can't get out in the field. I do my best and try to get him out every day but when everyone else has their time slots and he's left out of the rota because he's 'dangerous' honestly he's 11 hands and a lot smaller than their 15.3 cobs and TBs which could do serious damage to him with a kick!