Would you take on a 6yo unbacked Arab stallion?

hussar

hussar

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I have a friend who already has 6 horses, mainly ex-racer TBs, two retired, four rideable, of various ages. She is currently fixated on taking on a 6yo unbacked Arab stallion (she would have it gelded), that has spent the last few years on stallion duties and has been kept in except for one day's turnout per month. The plan is she would eventually do endurance with it.

I can think of several reasons why this could turn out to be a disaster but am interested in your views - I'd like to try and persuade her that this really isn't a good idea.
 
Well before anyone could actually make a judgement i think more background on the stallion would be needed temperment wise etc there alot of nothing for people to go on really.

I used to compete a stallion and he was the most well mannered horse i have ever ridden in my lifetime,they are not all nuts you know.
 
my instant reaction is Nooooo!
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gelded late, used to stud duties and not backed?
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Sounds like a real handful. i wouldnt want that kind of 'challenge'
 
Yes, Yes, Yes !!!! Send him to me NOW please! What a lucky girl she is. I think she is totally sane and I would do EXACTLY the same thing if only I could find a 6 yo Arab stallion that was suitable for endurance.

My friend had her monster Andalusian stallion gelded at 15 years old after a lifetime of serving mares and living in a stable except for a couple of days turnout a month. He is now used by children as a riding school horse.

All the Arab stallions I have known ahave been complete gentlemen - I find it's the mares who are more highly strung.
 
But the things you have to take into consideration here are the fact it would be used as an endurance horse once backed it would have a consistant work load.
As long as its mind is occupied and kept busy and it is controlable after gelding i dont see the issue.

She obviously feels confident enough to want to take him on and personally 1 less stallion to me is a blessing.
 
Every horse deserves a chance in life and so yes as long as she has the experience to back him.
 
Also, Arabs mature late, I wouldn't want to back one before it was four years old anyway - which is why I am peed off with only babies being available - or complete scroff
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I would want to question why it hasn't been backed?? Does she know the history? I know of a few horses that have been 'unbacked' and then prove impossible. If nobody has tried to back it before, then it would maybe be a good idea. I would just tread carefully. The fact that it is a stallion wouldn't bother me too much, as people have said they aren't all bad and in the right hands are brilliant.
 
i wouldn't personally i'm not experienced enough to cope with the fact he is unbacked, but i would support an experienced friend who wanted to if the said arab was half as loving/well mannered as my gelding x
 
Because people who know what they are doing with arabs tend not to back them young like other horses.In certain circles its not unusual for a 6yr old arab to not be backed yet,this is the age you would think about starting with them.
 
Nothing wrong with having them gelded late, we had our stallion gelded when he was 18.

If the horse is kept in the right environment, gelded and the breaking/training in process is done well and the horses attitude to work and learn is good then why not. If the horse is well handled/mannered on the ground, which they should be if used at stud/shows etc then the horse will learn to do this under saddle, extra care however must be taken.

Agree though, I guess it's down to what the horse is like, could be very difficult, could actually be a very good idea on the other hand.
 
Personally I would not because I have never backed a horse or handled a stallion so I think it would be a steep learning curve, but it depends on your friend's experience. If she has backed a number of horses, including more challenging ones, and has experience dealing with stallions, chances are she would cope fine.
 
Thanks, guys - a number of interesting points here, pro and con.

My friend has no experience of handling stallions, and to my knowledge hasn't backed a horse for 25 years. My experience of Arabs, having had two for the past 11 years, is that they need quite a bit of work to keep them occupied; whether this horse would get the attention it needs, being 1 of 7, is debatable, especially as the other 4 rideable horses are ridden max twice a week each. My own younger horse was a late geld, rising 4, and he still shows stallion tendencies at age 10.

I'm also concerned that standing in a stable for 353 days out of 365 might have affected the horse's physical development in ways that endurance, a demanding sport, might show up.

I'll certainly support my friend if I think she's making the right decision for the right reasons, but she's always been attracted to flashy horses, whatever their temperament, and I have a feeling that this will be heart ruling head!
 
see now you have given more useful info on the lady i can start to see your concerns and understand them.
 
Does not sound like a very good idea given her experience, but all you can do is suggest this might be a mistake now and support her when she makes it! Some people have to find out the hard way and she may even be lucky and find that it all works out in the end...
 
As other posters have pointed out 6 isnt an unusual age for an Arab not to be backed. Also a lot of Arabs are kept wrapped up in rugs and stabled more than others - my boy when I got him at 18 months had never not slept in his stable and never not been rugged, he now however lives out 24/7 with a field shelter in all but the worst weather. As to whether this horse would be suitable for your friend depends on the individual horses temperament, how much your friend is going to follow his routine, also I must question why she is wanting an endurance horse when her other horses are only ridden twice a week, the horse would not be fit enough to compete in endurance with that amount of excercise. Arabs are good at endurance but they do have to recieve the correct training and fitness levels which it sounds like he will not get.
 
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I must question why she is wanting an endurance horse when her other horses are only ridden twice a week, the horse would not be fit enough to compete in endurance with that amount of excercise. Arabs are good at endurance but they do have to recieve the correct training and fitness levels which it sounds like he will not get.

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She is an experienced endurance rider, having brought one of her now retired horses to Gold level. But as none of her other horses has proved suitable (flat TB feet, lack of enthusiasm etc) she hasn't done serious endurance for about 4 years. As most of her horsey friends do endurance, I think she's now keen to get back in, hence the Arab. But I agree, once backed and brought on, the horse would need much more serious training than she currently has time for.

We're both going back to see the stallion tomorrow, so I'll say nothing more just now.
 
hmmmmm, well after having several older unbacked stallions I would say proceed with caution. I would in no way consider backing a horse like this unless backing and schooling on is something you do on a regular basis and you are 100% confident in your own ability, both on top and on the floor and eve then you need at least a couple of people to help you. The first horse i had come in like this actually scared the living daylights out of me as it was wild every time it came out its box, but I soon learnt how to handle him and had good hands on deck at all times to help. I would def. do it again but it is stressful to deal with a horny stallion all the time, and you have to be so careful about how you keep them and handle them. Stallions who have been kept in this way tend to be rather fiesty when they come out the box, and are very very strong. You need to be firm but very fair and this behaviour will last up to a few months after being gelded if you choose to do so. Mine have all settled once they were brought in to a regular routine of going out in the paddock and regular work, not just covering every time they came out. A horse like this though needs daily hard work, and it's a big commitment, what your friend also has to remember is that she can't really ask anyone else to handle it if its difficult, and so its a very big responsibility. If i have a stallion I won't ask anyone else to do anything with him as it's too much of a liability, esp. one that hasn't been taught manners or just come out to cover. If she's serious then she must be totally prepared for all of this, as these are not easy horses to deal with.
 
The important question is - what is his temperament and behaviour like now.

If he's a polite, well-mannered stallion then he'll be a polite, well-mannered gelding.

If he's a total sh*tbag of a stallion now, gelding won't change him because he's LEARNED to be a sh*tbag! Removing the source of the testosterone won't change that!

When I was at the BHS, we had 3 Arabian stallions come in as rescues (via the RSPCA who couldn't cope with stallions). One was 13 - the other 2 were in their 20s. We gelded the lot. The 13 year old went on to an endurance home - the 20+ gentlemen went off to be pasture ornaments (together). But they were all pretty well-mannered before gelding.
 
We went to see the stallion tonight - and thankfully it's far too small for my tall and long-legged friend! It also had very straight hind legs with not much flexion, which I didn't like. And it bites. Apart from that, it's a pretty horse but without much Arab presence.

It seems to have good bloodlines but the seller was evasive when asked why he wasn't advertising it on Arab websites.

All in all, my friend has gone right off the idea. Thanks to all for your input.
 
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