Those of u with stallions, or stallions on ur yard...

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Lucy_Nottingham

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Those of you with stallions...... do you find it difficult to find a livery yard to take them? I know some just flat out say NO due to suspected risks with having them on a yard etc.

And those with them on the yard, do you find that they cause a problem etc?

Only asking as, when I come to find my future horse! I do NOT get on with mares, at all! (no idea, just am yet to find one I click with! and all the others we just battle until either I get fed up or fall off!
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I get on with geldings 9.9/10 and have got on with most stallions as well! (obviously i am just a big tart and get on with men better!)

so was just wondering if when i look it should just be geldings for ease of finding somewhere to keep him, or whether a stallion could be on the cards.

Thanks!
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On the yards I've been on with stallions they have been kept in most of the time, only out occasionally in pens or for a little while in the school.

Unless you intend to breed I think having a gelding will be much easier in terms of finding a yard and the horse's quality of life.
 
I used to be at a yard with a well behaved stallion most of the mares and geldings would come in of a night time and the stallion would go out of a night time with his gelding friend for company
 
We have a 2yr old hack colt where i work. He is such a sweetie. He is turned out everyday and comes in at night. He is even turned out next to mares. A few weeks ago the dartmoor gelding got in with him. What did the colt do to the dartmoor? Well he stood in the corner of the field saying Don't hurt me, Don't hurt me. He is staying a stallion and hopefully he will stay sweet. We don't let him get away with any coltish behavour so hopefully he will stay nice.
I would look for a place to keep a stallion before buying one though as places that will except stallions are few and far between. All the people i know with stallions keep them on there own land.
 
ahh, it is interesting that you say about hte turning out as I know most of the stallions I have heard of (and worked with) have been, as you say, in more than out!
This is normally because they pace and try to get the mares attention etc.

However, the only reason I woudl want a stallion is because I really enjoy my showing (and aim for county level or higher when I get the horse) and some people say that geldings don't always have that "spark" about them that makes them special and stand out in the show ring. I don't 100% agree with this, although I do agree that stallions can look much more impressive!
 
Unless you have plans to breed from a stallion I think the kindest thing to do would be to have him gelded. Or buy a gelding in the first place.

Very few livery yards cater for them. And you hear such horror stories of them being shut up all their lives. That's no life for a horse just to have a "spark" in the showring.

Sorry to be blunt, just my opinion.
 
O god no I wouldnt want to shut them away, hence why I would want to know about if a yard would have turn out for them etc as I know some are very good at having special turn outs etc. but again I know they are few and far between!

If I wasnt happy with teh quality of life I could provide I wouldnt go there!!!! don't worry that won't be an issue from me!
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Laura - I do show hunters and cobs mainly, (more maxicobs as I am a bit tall on little show cobs!
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When we had a stallion we had our own land, and I think that is about the best way to do it, I know we cannot all own our own land so..
You could either rent a small private yard to yourself or a piece of land.
In my experience alot of livery yards simply will not and cannot cater for stallions, and where they do they seem to be stabled most of their life, which is terrible in my opinion.

So if you do want a stallion I should look to rent somewhere on your own, because unless you are extremely lucky you will struggle to find a yard that will take you and offer your stallion a good quality of life imho.
 
I always had stallions in Spain and every yard had stallions on, it is a way of life. I was and remain rather shocked by the attitude towards stallions over here but I respect them - for instance you don't have DIY yards in Spain! Anyway, when I imported my stallion over here I gelded him as they just do not lend themselves to livery yards and I wanted him to have as normal a life as possible, plus I was never going to breed from him. If you cut them late you still have the attitude just less of the probs, it has worked for me on a few horses and is deffo my preferred horse!
 
You can't show a stallion in a hunter class ridden and i think it's the same in cobs but not to shore. You only show stallions in open breed classes.
 
ahhh, never realised that laura (as Iv only shown geldings, so never really had to enquire!) but I know my friends who do M and M etc (and i have ridden some! but again, im a bit tall for them!
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) have stallions and they are beautiful and just have this prescence in the show ring.

Fab, that makes my life easier then, both in terms of horse hunting and yard hunting by the sounds of it!
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just got to find a nice gelding now with a stallions prescence!
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hehe NO PROBLEMS!
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mmm true!
i have just been working with an ex stallion who was cut at 8! (just because the woman who bought him had a load of mares and seemed to think it was a good idea even though she didnt want to breed form him........ hmm) but anyway! He was still his usual stallion self. but that was still very gelding-esk (if that makes sense?!) so very chilled and loving and easy going etc but had that bit of cheek and spark that reminded you he was (or used to be) a stallion. I really really liked him!
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Shame he was a sec d!
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Thats ok. Not many people realise because you can show stallions in breed classes they think you can show them in all classes. I agree find a horse that has been cut late. My new pony is 8 and he wasn't cut till he was 7 i have had to put him on rigcalm as he still thinks he is a stallion. He's more of a pain than the colt
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Good luck with whatever you get and keep us posted when you get something
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o you wont miss it when I do, iv been waiting 22 years! (im 22!) but coz of my career choice (vet) havnt really been able to get one due to all the stuf that goes with diong it etc. SO iv had to do riding lessons till I was 18 (starting at sitting on a horse at 1.5yo!!) and then riding lessons, plus helping people at uni with their horses, and this year got my part time job at a livery yard riding the YO's and liveries horses when needed.
Shown lots of the horses, and it just sucks when u do so well and then give them back to the owner like yup there ya go!
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Just all clarified HOW MUCH I WANT MY HORSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
I know how you feel. I've shown lots for other people and often the horse got sold from underneith me Or the owner took all the credit for my hard work
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One day i will be able to afford a nice pony of my own.
Hope you find your dream horse and do realy well. I look forward to hearing all about it. Sounds like you deserve it.
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We have a stallion on the yard at work and we are careful with him as there are liveries, children, visiting competitiors etc. His part of the yard is geldings only and he is turned out on his own in the mornings. We don't walk mares through his part of the yard or past him when he's on the walker, more because the mares are tarts and wind him up than because he does anything!

He's lovely to handle because my boss has had him since he was young so he knows exactly what is expected of him. He's only ever lead in a head collar and he loves being fussed and groomed.

If I'm honest I do wonder if his life would be better if he'd been gelded as he's never been used for breeding. Saying that I admire my boss a lot as she refuses to breed from him until he's reached advanced (dressage) and he is very nearly there.

Overall I'd say having a stallion is a possibility if you have your own place and can tailor things to their needs, however it wouldn't be practical on the average livery yard.
 
I have both run a small livery yard 10 boxes and have a stallion plus some of his offspring. He leads a very normal life, he goes out with all the others daily behind double electric fencing and lives next to mares and geldings No problems if they are managed right
 
ye, well the aim is to get own land with OH but right now being 22 and 24yo, its a bit difficult.

But hopefully once I have (finally) graduated life will be a bit easier!

thank you for all your help!
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Ive just brought a stallion home from spain this week actually!
He is exceptionally well behaved, is stabled next to a gelding and within sight of mares and geldings with no probs. He goes on the walker in the mornings with other horses, and is either hacked out or ridden in the school most days, plus he also gets turned out 1 1/2 - 2 days a week. Im obviously careful around him and everyone is aware hes a stallion, as a precaution i handle him outside his stable in a bridle or soretta (bit like a cavesson) but apart from that i dont treat him any differently to a mare or gelding. I believe he has a good quality of life, and is cerainly never going to be cooped up 24/7, there are lots of professional and competition yards where the horses never get turned out for risk of injuring themselves, so dont see whats different tbh.
Im also planning on doing showing, but even if i wasnt id probably keep him entire. The spanish horses are reknown for being very placid anyway and are used to being ridden, and kept next to other stallions and mares. Most of them never get turned out over there anyway, as the grazing is limited and used for youngsters and mares generally,although they sometimes have v small paddocks to go out in occasionally. The spanish dont understand why we geld horses so much over here, theyve always dealt with stallions like any other horses, and the horses generally respod very positvely towards that. They treat their stallions like any other horse, not like we do over here and lock them up, isolate and treat them like some insane monster, then wonder why they behave like one!
IMO as long as you know what your doing and handle them correctly, and find a yard that will have them and be able to offer good facilities you can use, theres no reason you shouldnt consider a stallion if thats what you want. I have and have no regrets so far, and this is the first stallion ive owned!
 
We have about 4 stallions on our yard, and a couple of uncut colts. Its a big livery yard with about 50 horses, and the stallions are treated no differently. One is an 18.2hh pure bred friesan stallion, they all go out, albiet in individual paddocks, for a full day and are in a field with other horses in individual paddocks. 2 stallions are next to each other, and there has never been any fighting/problems even though there are mares around in close contact. We have childrens ponies too, but no problems there either. The yard owner has no problem with stallions, as long as they arent hormonal raging idiots and have manners, so i suppose we are lucky in a sense that all the stallions behave themselves.
 
My stallion lives out 24/7 and i have never had probs finding a yard, i do tell any prospective YO that i own a stallion but he is so deadly quiet, you dont even know he is entire.
Yes you have to take a few more precations but i treat him the same as all the rest, most of the year he just runs with all the rest of the horses mares and gelding and foals, then in early spring and summer he moves in with a couple of mares who he is going to cover that year for company.
 
Well Merlin is a (nearly!) 3yo colt and he lives out with 3 geldings 24/7, and you would not know he still has his balls!
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Bless.... he will need to be gelded this spring though, thats the plan
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We got a stallion. He is perfectly behaved on the yard, can tie mares up next to him etc and he is no problem. He gets turned out all day everyday with a baron mare and they love each other, he doesnt hassle her and they get on really well, never have any issues. Plays with my gelding over the fence and is probably the most well mannered horse on the yard.
 
Cobs/hunters classes, stallions are not allowed to complete, though some unaffiliated shows may allow them but if you want to compete seriously in hunter/cobs/hack then these classes are only for mares and geldings. M&M and coloured classes do allow stallions. That said a good gelding, particularly in the ridden classes can hold their own against stallions and I speak from experience.

I would have loved to have kept Chancer entire as he has excellent breeding, temperament and conformation and would have been a good stallion to breed from.

However, livery yards in my area that take stallions are few and far between and often very expensive, so I had him cut at 15 months before bringing him to the yard I am at. To be honest even at 15 months you would not have known Stinky was entire he was so calm and good, and there are days when I regret having him cut. The balance is that he can go to just about any yard as a gelding and has a lot more freedom that a stallion normally does.

If I had my own yard, I would have kept him entire, assuming he stayed as lovely natured and easy going as he was at 15 months.
 
I work at a stud that has two resident stallions and liveries. One of the stallions is ok on the walker with other horses ( including a mare if she is opposite him) and the younger one is ok with one other gelding. There is no turnout in the winter so they also get ridden, lunged and loose schooled.

The stallions go out in separate paddocks in the spring and summer but always come in at night. They are both good to handle and they both have an end stables with a gelding next to them.
 
Theresa F - thank you, Laura also said the same thing, and I had not realised stallions were not allowed as (as I say) I have only really shown geldings and the show stallion was a welsh d!
I just hope that when I come to do my search that there is a gelding with enough "presence" as it were to hold his own!
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I love your horses! I can see both the pros and cons of owning a stallion, but I guess at the end of the day for many, it does just make overall life easier....

Ok, think this defo means I am going for 100% geldings then!
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but if I get my own yard.................
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hehe nah will all depend on the situation etc

thank you all for your help!
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