Stallions & Geldings any experiences? Not sure what to think..

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Flakey123

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Hi all,

Just looking for a bit of advice. I currently keep my gelding on full livery on a yard where he is stabled over night.

I have discovered that a new livery has moved into the opposite stable, with a stallion! So far (only been a couple of days) all seems quiet and I've haven't noticed much difference in my horse but I feel a little worried as the stables all face each other and mares and are also stabled in the same block.

Does anyone have any advice to give me? Have you ever had your horse kept near a stallion? Should I be worried at all? Could his presence start to stress my horse or could the stallion try and get out and attack? How would you feel not being informed? would you expect to be informed if a stallion moved in as your new night time neighbour? Sorry for the million questions but I don't have a lot of knowledge about stallion behaviour.
 
It *shouldn't* make any difference - providing the stallion is handled and mannerly with not a numpty owner.

We've never isolated stallions previously and have kept them in a mixed environment. Problems occur when they live the isolated life, or again, have numpty owners.

Baby coblet is kept on a mixed yard, stabled between a mare and geldings currently. Though come Spring, I'll move him up one stable not right next to the mare as a precaution. Though, you wouldn't even know he's entire in all honesty. He's a gem and knows his manners and will always maintain his manners. Time and a place for everything and just common sense rules. Obviously from Spring the hormones kick up, so it's just management and manners still. I always see it as, even though it is common sense from other peoples point also, the responsability lies with the owner ultimatly for keeping an entire in my view...and the YO for keeping facilities 'safe and suitable' if they're allowing entires on the yard as livery.
 
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I hope so. I think I'm just worrying as I had problems at my last yard when the YO threw a rig into my horses paddock and it sent him crazy to the point that he crashed through the fencing and hurt himself :( I will observe and see how it goes.
 
Flakey123 said:
I hope so. I think I'm just worrying as I had problems at my last yard when the YO threw a rig into my horses paddock and it sent him crazy to the point that he crashed through the fencing and hurt himself :( I will observe and see how it goes.
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Rigs are completely different to entires, to me and ideally, would want to be introducing them gradually anyway.
How old is he?
Has he been used for stud duties? That can play a big part in behaviour.
Is the stallion used to mixed turnout, if he's going out with others? A lot of ones I know are well adjusted to living out with geldings with no problems.
90% of the time, again presuming on handling and temperament, when no mares are added to the equation, they don't cause that many problems.
 
Unfotunately for the stallion it seems that he's stabled most of the time at the moment (is used for showing I believe) but there are other stallions that are usually turned out individually away from the general yard population.
 
It's a stallion not a raging monster!
Sure the owner of the stallion and the yard owner have arranged management do hopefully nothing should change for you and your gelding :)
 
Well then turnout won't be a problem if there's seperate turnout and he's stabled a lot.


For worrying about him being in the stables? Pointless. No harm will come.

Mare's are no less 'entire' than stallions remember. ;)
 
Flakey123, I wouldn't worry about it as long as the owner and YO are sensible about it's management and don't make excuses for bad behaviour.

We had 3, sometimes 4 stallions at work they all have fantastic manners. Provided they are managed properly and treated with respect, IMO stallions are just like any other horse. Yes they are more spirited, but there is nothing worse than an owner who makes excuses for bad behaviour just beacuse their horse is a stallion.

2 of the stallions at work are stabled next to each other with a gelding next to them as well, none of them give two hoots about each other and only have special moments every now and then-but so does every horse. Their paddocks are all separate, they can see other horses but not each other. One is lead in just a head collar and only needs a bull bit when he is taken for collection. The other two have nose chains that are very rarely used. I feel as safe around those 3 as I do around the mares and geldings on the property.
 
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I was concerned about moving on to a small yard with my mare as there was a stallion there. Turns out he is the sweetest horse you could meet, my mare displays more stallion behaviour than he does! He is turned out with two geldings who he loves to play with, he is led in with others... Yesterday he was hacked and another gelding was led from him as he needed the exercise! Don't worry until you are given reason to! :)
 
My 3 stallions are turned out with 2 colts and 6 geldings. No fuss, no bother. Kids and novices catch and turn out. You can stand safely in the middle of the herd with a carrot in your hand. Like to see a herd of mares that size with no bullying or kicking!
 
i dont even think that any of the horses on our yard have noticed that Rio is a stallion, Taz (my gelding) is actually happy to be around him e.g. hacking out, schooled together and even grooming each other over the fencing. There may be more of an issue if the stallion has been used for breeding purposes and there is a mare about but other than that there should be no issue. Our yard has 4 mares, 1 gelding and 1 stallion. 3 of the mares are in season at the moment and Rio hasnt taken a blind bit of notice and his behaviour hasnt changed at all. Taz on the other hand has turned into a pilock over night.

Its a stallion. Not a monster, its still a horse its just entire. I have met worse behaved mares and geldings then i have ever had out of Rio but it depends on the horse and the handlers.
 
I'm on a yard with stallions, geldings, colts, mares, fillies and foals and all are variously stabled together (by which I mean next to or facing) with no issues. If there are any personality conflicts then the YO shuffles them around so everyone is happy. My old gelding was on part of the yard with 3 stallions and he was fine and my mare has been put near them too with no issues.
So long as YO/YM has the sense to spot if there is any stress being caused and to move horses around to deal with it then it's not a problem.
The only extra allowance we have to make is to not hang around on the yard when coming in and out with horses and we don't tie up outside stables because if a horse got loose and approached on of the stallions it could cause problems.
 
ChristmasSparkles said:
It *shouldn't* make any difference - providing the stallion is handled and mannerly with not a numpty owner.

We've never isolated stallions previously and have kept them in a mixed environment. Problems occur when they live the isolated life, or again, have numpty owners.

Baby coblet is kept on a mixed yard, stabled between a mare and geldings currently. Though come Spring, I'll move him up one stable not right next to the mare as a precaution. Though, you wouldn't even know he's entire in all honesty. He's a gem and knows his manners and will always maintain his manners. Time and a place for everything and just common sense rules. Obviously from Spring the hormones kick up, so it's just management and manners still. I always see it as, even though it is common sense from other peoples point also, the responsability lies with the owner ultimatly for keeping an entire in my view...and the YO for keeping facilities 'safe and suitable' if they're allowing entires on the yard as livery.
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^ This.

We have 3 at the moment - well 2 colts and a stallion. Probably going to cut one colt and one stallion this year though as decided on breeding stallion (colt). 2 are kept together and one was in with a gelding but was moved out recently (left yard).

All have mares in the adjacent fields with a double fence.

My mare (has been in a field next to two stallions now) has yet to show off to a stallion and instead picks a gelding to go barmy over :rolleyes: and the geldings are more interested in playing with each other. They have their mad leg around but no more than your average horse.

Old stallion has had a loose mare (certainly not intentional) try to go through gate, stallion legged it away :rolleyes: had no interest unless it was time to do his job. Was always handled as any other horse and never once proved a problem. Turned out 24/7. He only had a single standard fence line.

The mare who was loose and nuts was just as nuts with mares and geldings.

Have far more of a problem with the mares that set other mares into season!
 
I have a stallion hes better natured than some of my geldings and a lot sweeter than some mares you would never know and he goes out with herd of geldings and hes the one who gets beaten up I have never treated like a stallion hes told of the same as the other hes tied up next to mares no problems i ride out with mares He is treated like a gelding except when mares are in season we are a bit more carefull not due to him but the mares try to jump all over him squashing their bum in his face and flirty behaviour Hes only a man after all offered on a platter there will be a time he dosent say no.
 
In my experience a good stallion is the best horse of all. Often as already said they can be the kindest and sweetest, but it can depend heavily on the knowledge and experience of the handler.

In the UK, we have tended to be a little precious in the past about stallions but on the continent stallions are expected to behave as any other horse. They know their job and when they are covering they do that and when they are hacking and schooling etc. they do that. Many stallions are hacked out with mares and there is no problem.

Whilst I understand your anxiety (especially if you have not had experience previously with stallions), but they tend to behave like 'prima donnas' if they are treated this way but a well handled stallion is IMHO fabulous.
 
Flakey123 said:
Hi all,

Just looking for a bit of advice. I currently keep my gelding on full livery on a yard where he is stabled over night.

I have discovered that a new livery has moved into the opposite stable, with a stallion! So far (only been a couple of days) all seems quiet and I've haven't noticed much difference in my horse but I feel a little worried as the stables all face each other and mares and are also stabled in the same block.

Does anyone have any advice to give me? Have you ever had your horse kept near a stallion? Should I be worried at all? Could his presence start to stress my horse or could the stallion try and get out and attack? How would you feel not being informed? would you expect to be informed if a stallion moved in as your new night time neighbour? Sorry for the million questions but I don't have a lot of knowledge about stallion behaviour.
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Hehehehe :rolleyes: sorry I do admit to having a giggle at your post!

Stallions are not monsters you know. We have about 14 stallions on our yard and all stabled next to mares / youngsters / gelding etc....you would never even know!!!!!!!!! in fact they all hack out / get ridden with other horses / travel etc all fine.

I tell you what.........there are more gelding and mares that are far worse behaved than most stallions!!

Mares are entire remember ;);)

The breed on our yard are spanish, which are known for being very well behaved (which is why they do not castrate them in spain for 90% majority).

I would not worry about it at all......unless they are wanting him to be turned out with your boy! then that is something different.

:)
 
I do wonder why people seem to think that stallions are prone to murdering other horses.

I have had stallions of my own, and I accomodate stallions on my yard. We currently have one, who is turned out with three other geldings, and is no problem at all.

They are just horses. He isn't going to climb out of his stable in the night and eat your boy, don't worry.

To be honest, if you hadn't been told he was entire, you probably wouldn't be able to tell as there don't tend to be vast differences in their behaviour to that of a gelding.

Mares are FAR more trouble if you ask me!

ETA - I wouldn't feel the need to inform any of my liveries if a new stallion was coming onto the yard. I'm not an imbecile, and I'm not going to put their horses in danger by having another stallion at livery with me. I have a seperate yard of four boxes surrounded by high walls topped with steel bars, so stallion owners can tie up and groom etc. without worrying about mares wandering about, so it wouldn't affect anyone anyway. Even so, if I were to keep the stallions in the same area as the other liveries I wouldn't go out of my way to tell everyone that a new stallion was arriving. As I said before, they're just horses.
 
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Have giggled and nodded at most of these posts. It's a shame people don't seem to understand stallions.
I have two that live together. They have had a colt, gelding and broodmare in with them and never been any trouble.
I think they tend to have better manners as they have strong boundaries installed from day dot (with good management anyway!) ;)
My two were marked as geldings when they were freezmarked as they were so quiet and well behaved (proud mummy). The lovely freeze mark lady actually checked when I said they were entire.
I also think people are treating them more like horses now with more turnout and social interaction which I think is great.
Op I'm sure the owner won't mind you asking questions and hopefully put your mind at ease.
Of course you might get the odd bad apple but you do with mares and geldings.
 
If the yard has the right setup, it's easy to do.

But with the wrong set up there can be issues, not so much with stabling, but with fields. If you don't have enough acerage and the stallion is next to a mare's field for example.

If he hasn't caused you any issues then I wouldn't worry about it :)
 
Mearas said:
In my experience a good stallion is the best horse of all. Often as already said they can be the kindest and sweetest, but it can depend heavily on the knowledge and experience of the handler.

In the UK, we have tended to be a little precious in the past about stallions but on the continent stallions are expected to behave as any other horse. They know their job and when they are covering they do that and when they are hacking and schooling etc. they do that. Many stallions are hacked out with mares and there is no problem.

Whilst I understand your anxiety (especially if you have not had experience previously with stallions), but they tend to behave like 'prima donnas' if they are treated this way but a well handled stallion is IMHO fabulous.
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Totally agree, but, I have found on a couple of occasions when showing/ dressaging my stallion, that some geldings do play up around him. He takes absolutely no notice of them. Just to show you what a terror he is............
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ChristmasSparkles said:
For worrying about him being in the stables? Pointless. No harm will come.
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That is true of any well-mannered stallion - but NOT of all! I bought an RID stallion about 10 years ago, he was stabled next door to an RID gelding (who was in fact his half-brother) and for 2 weeks the stallion showed no hint of agression towards the gelding. Then one morning, as I led him out past the gelding's box, he suddenly went into rapid reverse and started trying to kick his way into the gelding's box. He meant to kill him! He was wearing a Chifney - took NO notice of all my attempts to regain control - it was real 'red mist'! A solid stable door was split in two - the gelding was terrified - when I managed to grab a broom and break it over the stallion's head, deflecting him just enough for me to be able to shove him into an open stable and slam the door!

Obviously he didn't stay with me for much longer!:rolleyes:

ALL stallions must be treated with care and respect ALL the time!
 
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