stallions

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xxpippaxxevaxx

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hello im new
im posting about stallions

has anyone ever had one?
what are the like?
can you advise me if i should get one or not?

the reason why i am posting this is because i have recently found 16.1hh Andalusian Stallion

if you could advise me that would be great
thanks
 
Probably not ideal for an inexperienced horse owner, as obviously they have special requirements. I have known lovely well mannered stallions but unless you want to breed don't really see the point.

PS welcome
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something not to be entered into lightly - you are not allowed to some local shows, they tend to have to live alone and they can have the most fantastic temperments, but you can never forget that they are a stallion - I hack out with one regularly - you enevn have to think about pulling in for cars - is it safe to squeeze into a small layby together etc etc.
 
Hi,

Make yourself comfortable because I suspect you are going to get a lot of answers to this one!
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How long is a piece of string basically!

Right, a few questions you have to ask yourself.

Do you have experience with stallions?
Do you have the facilities to keep one? many livery yards won't take them.
What do you plan to do with him?
Why do you want one? Would it be easier to get a gelding?

I do have a stallion, I keep him at home, living out 24/7 with his own little band of mares. I don't show or compete therefore I don't have to worry about a few minor field lumps and bumps. If his first crop of foals do not come up to my expectations, or his behaviour gets unacceptable then he will be getting the chop. He may make a better gelding than a stallion, most do. He is on probation
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What are they like? Hormonal!
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With a stallion you ALWAYS have to be aware of them, I don't care how laid back they are, they are still all male and not a creature you take liberties with. Neither can you afford to let other people take liberties either. When you are riding you always have to be thinking about what other people are doing with their horses, there are some incredible idiots about who think it amusing to wind stallions up, even if the stallion himself is behaving impeccably.

I suspect that as you are posting this, you do not have a huge amount of experience with stallions. Honest advice? You did ask. Get yourself a good gelding.

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Have got a lusitano stallion at home but we're all very experienced, he's well natured and generally good with other horses and we're geared up for it here.
Most livery yards wont take a stallion and if you've never handled a stallion before I'd definitely give it a miss.
 
being honest no i dont have experince with stallions and loookign at what someone said you are not allowed to some local shows

is a bit of a pain because i want to compete and looking at a post on a chat room stallions attacking and a little boy dieing
and me not having much experince with them i think i will get myself a nice gelding

thanks for your help
 
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You'll have much more fun with a gelding for now.

Don't take everything you read about stallions being nasty as gospel, a mare or gelding could just as easily kill a person, purposely or accidentally.

Have fun. you will have far more choice going for a gelding or a mare too.
 
I have never had a problem with them but I have been around a fair few horses. One user here got one over from Spain eneded up chopping his nuts off within a couple days.
 
I agree with mat_b. if you really like the horse then just geld it. I have a few stallions and have a real soft spot for them but as some1 else said they r all on probabtion. I dont hink it is worth keeping a stllion if it is a) dangerous or b) good enough to breed from.
 
hi i wouldnt advise to get one inless you know what you are doing as they can be dangerous i use to work with one a 16hh bay thoughbred called spartan monach he is a stallion of many racehorses that go to john best at hucking kent he was dangerous when he wanted to be not for the inexperienced people they are very holmonal thinking about mares
 
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they tend to have to live alone and they can have the most fantastic temperments, but you can never forget that they are a stallion - I hack out with one regularly - you enevn have to think about pulling in for cars - is it safe to squeeze into a small layby together etc etc.

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I have to disagree with this. I have one mantra about keeping a stallion: "If you treat a stallion like a stallion, you'll have a stallion. Treat a stallion like a horse, and you'll have a horse." Basically, if you spend your time with a stallion expecting him to be bad, waiting for the "stallion like behaviour" etc. you'll be constantly defensive, and as a result, you'll be dealing with a difficult animal. If you treat him like a horse (albeit cautiously), then you'll have a much more normal experience.

Keeping a stallion alone is a terrible thing to do as well. The best way to keep stallions is in a situation which somewhat mimics nature. If you think about a lone stallion in the wild, it would be a stallion that has been cast out of the herd and is basically waiting to die, and/or to be eaten. These are truly miserable animals.

On the other hand, stallions stabled next to mares are settled, albeit dominant. Mares are not "unusual" to them, so if they see mares out on a hack, at competitions etc. then it's not such a shock and they don't get so hormonal.

The best way of keeping a stallion (in my opinion), is stabled with other stallions and geldings. This creates a batchelor herd situation, where hierarchy is "mutually agreed on" and research has shown that stallions kept like this have lower testosterone levels, and so are less "stallion-like" in their behaviour.

I'm not for one minute recommending that anyone keep a stallion, as they do need to be handled with care and respect. But equally, you should never expect a horse to be easy, and you should never really relax as stallion or not, they are animals and can be unpredictable.

In the case of the OP - don't get a stallion for the sake of it, and be aware about the problems you can have. We've had beautifully behaved stallions, who are easier to do than some of the mares or geldings, but equally, we've had some total bastards who have been poorly handled and "treated like scary stallions", and as such are a total nightmare to deal with.
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the reason why i am posting this is because i have recently found 16.1hh Andalusian Stallion


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I'm not sure how experienced you are, but a colleague of mine was recently involved (loosely - arm's length) in a PRE stallion that had been brought over from Portugal. Was fine there, where they treat their horses pretty firmly - more than I would ever treat mine - was brought to the UK and ended up nearly killing someone before they gelded it. Not that it was particularly nasty, just that they didn't have a clue how to handle it.

IME, people who project all their wish to have a 'wild and beautiful stallion' will wreck themselves and the horse.

and

I'd say the best way to keep a stallion was in a herd of mares and geldings, kept out as close to 24/7 as you can do - but not many people can do that. Lucinda MacAlpine does it and competes her horse at Intermediate (might be GP by now) - but you have to have the facilities, the time and the know-how to do it.

if in doubt, don't

E
 
AP I think maybe bex just meant that they usually have to be turned out alone, not that they have to be shut away on their own all the time!

I do agree with you though - my stallion is stabled on a courtyard with mares and geldings (and one other stallion), which seems the most natural way of doing things. He is nonetheless very 'stalliony', but I think that's just him. He's also extremely sweet and affectionate - the most affectionate horse I've ever met.

I think stallions are often deprived of any physical contact with other horses, apart from when they are actually covering mares. Mine doesn't even get this, as he only does AI (for safety reasons - he's too valuable, not just financially, to risk injury). Possibly because of this, he craves physical contact and affection and attention from humans - loves being groomed, always asking for kisses and cuddles or for people to play games with him. Fortunately the stud/training yard where he lives understand this, and they give him lots of affection and attention - so he is very happy.

This 'substitution' of human contact/affection for physical contact with other horses can only work, however, with a stallion who has been kindly treated by humans all his life, and therefore loves and trusts people, and will accept us as 'substitutes'.

In this sense, though, I suppose we are giving my stallion special treatment because he is a stallion - contrary to your mantra! But I think it is justified - he suffers certain deprivations because he is a (valuable) stallion, and we are trying to make up for this as best we can, so he gets extra attention, affection, contact, playtime, etc.

Does this sound OK to you?
 
I keep my horses at home and my mum has a pony stallion who is a lovely character but a total pain in the a@@. Even though he is sweet everybody else has to be accomodated field wise around him. He squares up to my 16'2 boy and although they are in separate fields he just can't mind his own business, and the squeeling noises he makes are awful. I can see why yards don't want them, they take a lot of management and I really think they are for the experinced only. I second everyone else and buy yourself a nice gelding and have some fun.
 
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