Raising a Stallion-Breaking a Stereo Type

[IrisGreen]

Ok, So I would like to here from people that have raised a stallion, there techniques, commands, insights.

I don't want the geld him comments or the why keep him a stallion discussion. Just how you deal with your stallion and insights, story's.

Muffin is still a stallion. I don't know if I'm going to keep him that way or not. But, I would like to know more of your experiences with stallions you raised. Not your friends crazy stallion that no one did anything with.

Muffin is about as Non-stallion acting as you can get! I raised him to respect people but be friendly and curious.

Another thread got me thinking about the stallion stereo type and how some people wont go near one no matter how well behaved they are. I have had a few "old timer" cowboys that wouldn't step foot in Muffins pen and you could see the fear in there eyes just because he was a stallion. :rolleyes:

Story:
So the other day a family comes over to pick up a trailer I sold them. They are out back hooking it up, it's kinda next to Muffins pen. There teenage daughter and little sis are in the SUV too. Mom and Dad are checking out the trailer and hooking it up.

They ask about other horse stuff that I might want to sell. I said no, I don't have anything else horse related...Then I remember a rain sheet I have that doesn't fit Muffin anymore. The guy wanted to see it so I go up to the front and get it out of the house. Normally I don't leave people out back with out me being back there but the kids were in the SUV and the parents were right there. I'm more afraid of them doing something stupid to Muffin then of Muffin doing something stupid to them! lol

I come back out and the Teenager and little sis (about 5 yo) are standing right next to Muffins pen. Muffin has his head and neck out through the rails, and low so the little girl can hug and love all over his head. Both of them are standing there petting and loving all over his head and he is just standing there not even flinching. He has his head snuggled up to the little girl and she is wrapped around it in a big hug and Muffin is as calm as a clam just loving it. His head is about as big as this little girl is! :eek:

I know Muffin is very lovey dovey and not at all afraid of strangers but he is extra careful around kids and shows he understands there babys. He moves very slowly with his head so he doesn't knock them over and tolerates them hugging and petting all over him.

I was just amazed when I walked out there. I know how he is with kids but I was so happy that he was the same even when I'm not there to make sure he is on his best behavior. Plus, I was a little shocked that the parents allowed there kid so close to a horse they don't know. If the Dad would have known he was a stallion I think he would have kept a closer eye on the little girl or told the teenage girl to not let her be that close. But, regardless you don't let your kids so close to a strange horse for this exact reason.

I try my hardest to teach Muffin how to properly interact with people but he sure takes the hint and runs with it. That little girl fell in love with Muffin!

My back neighbors little girl did too when I let her come over and pet him. Then they got there own horse and she wanted to name it Muffin but they kept telling her she couldn't so she named her plastic spring riding toy horse, Muffin! lol When she was younger the only English word I would ever here her say was "Muffin", She speaks Spanish mostly but is now learning English.

Please tell me some of your story's about stallions and how they surprise you in a good way. :)

[WashingtonBay]

Another thread got me thinking about the stallion stereo type and how some people wont go near one no matter how well behaved they are. I have had a few "old timer" cowboys that wouldn't step foot in Muffins pen and you could see the fear in there eyes just because he was a stallion.

I never had that happen with my stallion, really. That many people didn't realize he was a stallion was to his credit... and mine. And that's how I'd look at it if I were you.

Having a good stallion does not mean stallions don't need special handling, they do. That's how they stay good.

It's like guns, if I can risk an analogy. Some people fear them outright, smart people know they are not inherently unsafe as long as they are handled safely at all times. It's complacency and carelessness that makes them dangerous. And it only takes a moment.

[IrisGreen]

Good Post WB :) Yeah, most all of the people that meet Muffin just assume hes a gelding and I don't say anything unless they ask or call him a gelding. Then I will let them know and that's when the fear sets in after they have already been petting him and saying what a nice horse he is. lol I should just let them think he is a gelding and not correct them but I don't want them to look later and be mad I didn't correct them in the first place.

I've only had one guy actually look and was shocked that he was a stud. Then I got the hour long speech about it and he wouldn't go near his pen anymore. You should have seen the look on his face when he noticed Muffin was intact :eek: and he turned and looked at me and said, "Hes a stallion!!!???" with big eyes and a look of shock on his face. I said "yeah". He stood there for a few minuets in shock. This was all after he already met Muffin and pet him over the fence. I gave Muffin kisses and all that. Now the guy is in shock that he just found out hes a stud...and now has to convince me hes a killing machine. I find it's usually the older cowboy types that are shocked and afraid.

We have a few guys in my neighborhood that ride studs all the time in just a traditional bosal/hackamore. They train for the Mexican Rodeos and shows around here. There horses are better behaved and trained then most of the geldings and mares in this neighborhood. lol Very disciplined and trained and there young, 3 year olds. But, those guys know how to train a horse and there only as good as the horse they trained so they take great pride in there horses and how well behaved, trained, and in good health/condition they are in. Talk about a push button responsive fast moving horse, yet calm and can stand still while you are talking to them..They have some amazingly trained horses that spin, and dance..all in a hackamore and neck reining and usually they are studs.

[JetLagaside]

I could write a book about all the stallions I've worked with over the years. Some are just better than others.
One of my favorates was the best behaved boy - I spent a lot of quality time hand walking him - he would talk to the ladies as we went by but that's all, now once that chain went over his gum and you showed him a mare he was a diffent boy ;) he was quite the gentleman and still respectfull but that's when you knew he was a stallion.
I'm a beliver that just because he's a stallion doesn't mean he should be put in a dark stall in the back some place and never get to see other horses. I'm also a person that takes no garbage from my horses it's black and white and you really don't even want to go to gray :) - and for those that don't know me no that doesn't mean I hit or abuse my horses a strong growl works wonders.

[Lakota's Pet]

My dad's draft cross was a stallion till he was 6, and the only reason he was gelded then was because we were having some serious dominace issues with one of the geldings, and we can't use stallions for what we do. He was taught from day one that you respect people, and that you are expected to behave as a gentleman at all times. My oldest son, who at the time was only 3 or 4 years old, would walk out in the pasture with him, or right in his stall, and I was never afraid of what he would do. Willy was bought as an 18 month old colt that ran with 10 other horses and had never even been halter broke till the day we picked him up. All the years he was a stud, he was never allowed to behave as the stereo type. He was treated the same as the geldings, was in the same pasture with them all the time, and if any "studdy " behavior showed, it was corrected immediately. The only problem we had with him was at about 4-5 years old he decided to take on the alpha gelding, who was a 15 h 900 lb TWH cross. Willy is 16.3h and weighs about 1400lbs, so you can imagine the outcome. Finally the old man realized he was not king anymore, and the trouble stopped. I believe there is no such thing as a bad horse, at least not by nature. They are made that way by bad handling along the way in one form or another.

[IrisGreen]

Jetlag,
Your story reminds me of a few others I have read about. The stallions are great but know when it's time to get to business when they get there special halter on. :)


We have a thing called Trail Trials here. Where you get a number and fallow a preset trail with markers and signs along the way. At each sign you have to do something like, go up a hill, back up, turn around, go around a tree, through a water crossing, or anything that you would run into on a trail. There is a judge standing there that grades you and your horse on how well you did the task, stayed in the seat and helped your horse through it. The trail ride is usually an hour or more long through the mountains or woods and has several stops along the way with a judge and a task. At the end you tally your score and see who did the best and get prizes. It's supposed to be a fun thing to do with friends.

Well, they used to let stallions on there practice rides. There was a vet in town that had an amazing cremello stallion that was so well behaved around mares, didn't call out or fuss at all around them. They stopped letting the vet ride the stallion in the practice fun rides because they had more issues with the mares acting up and the riders not being able to handle there mares. Even though the trail ride was so spread out along a few miles and all the horses were spread out along the ride that there was plenty of room between them. So, the Stallion got kicked out of the fun rides and he was amazingly behaved because the mares were harder to handle.

You can enter a Stallion in the sanctioned Trail Trials but you put a yellow ribbon on his tail to warn people. They also put red ribbons on horses that will kick another horse. But, You just can't have a stallion go on the practice runs because those are for fun and no one wants a stallion messing up there mares concentration even if he is a 1/2 mile or more behind them.

I can see why they don't want a stallion on there fun runs but I find it funny that it's not the stallion that's acting up it's the mares.

[alittleoffkey]

I have to agree with WB 100%. We gelded Legacy when he was 3 because of his Houdini ways. :rolleyes: I was perfectly content keeping him intact... but aside from not keeping his muscle tone as easily, he hasn't changed one single bit - and now he gets to run around with the other horses.

It's in the care, the training and the knowledge. Legacy was expected to behave 24/7, he was expected to ignore mares - in heat or not, whenever a person was anywhere near him, and he never once let me down. :cowboy:

On edit - Once horses came into my life I "grew up" around stallions who were held to extraordinarily high expectations. Legacy's sire was extremely well mannered, but it wasn't really a celebrated occurrance, to me anyway, because that's how he was supposed to act! I didn't realize the social stigma attached to stallions until I got older and talked about working with/riding stallions as a relative beginner (granted, I was supervised until my cousin knew I knew what I was doing).

[Cat]

Well we all know what a crazy, vicious beast my Willie is, don't we? He's still intact and it looks like it will stay that way a bit longer due to the lay off.

[twofingers]

we imprint all our foals. And treat them alike regardless of sex, When we wean them we don't separate them until they are yearling's. at that point we are a bit more lenient with the fillies. We do handle the colts more and expect them to behave. If we are going to geld we do so at three years. I am not the main handler or trainer but I have no problem handling any of the studs on the property.

[moka]

Well we all know what a crazy, vicious beast my Willie is, don't we? He's still intact and it looks like it will stay that way a bit longer due to the lay off.

I was just thinking about you. Didn't you have a vet appointment coming up soon? Lay off? I guess I missed something - sorry.

[Cat]

My vet appointment is suppose to be Saturday to get Willie gelded, but I was layed off yesterday, so we are holding off on it. How is your haffie? Did you come up with a name?

[GrungeEquestrian]

Well I don't have a lot of experience with regular sized horses, but I did take care of and work with two minature horse stallions. Both had their "moments" but nothing that screamed uncontrollable stallion. They were both neglect cases and both could pull carts while one was ridable and the other could do many tricks...including the spanish walk and rearing (no child was ever on his back). Chip was a lot calmer and acted just as the minature horse gelding at the barn...while the other larger one, Buster, tested you more and you had to demand respect. Neither of these stallions though were ever the stero typical hormone ragging psychos.

[firstlovesong]

Czar is a stallion. I bought him when he was a yearling and he was barely halter broke. I have done all his handling and training myself with no stallion issues at all. No aggresion, biting, kicking, talking to mares. He is the most laid back horse in the barn.. I would trust him with anything over any mare or gelding I have ever ridden and he isnt even three yet. I think part of it is the friesian/walking horse breeding but he is level headed and personable and a complete gentleman. I trust him in the pasture, in the stall, on the ground, on his back. I trail ride him with mares, he is stalled beside mares, and he has been shown with mares with absolutely no issues from him however the mares did make a fuss every now and then which is in no way his fault.

Everyone thought I was nuts not to geld him.. I was going to "get my killing done" were the exact words from a couple of people I believe lol. Its not surprising I suppose since I am young (21) but I have ridden and shown all my life with several stallions under my belt I felt I can handle him and so far I have had no problems. I am so proud of him. I am not keeping him a stud to breed I simply prefer stallions personality and physique they have more heart in my opinion and i really like the heavier muscled tone and thick neck they develop as stallions.

He is a real character. On halloween my mother and I decided to take a trail ride. The people up the road set up a haunted trail thing with scary ghost sounds playing on a stereo. My mom was riding my 16 year old TWH mare who has definitely been there and done that and I was riding Czar who is 2 1/2. We were leading the way and when we got to where we had to pass the haunted trail a bunch of kids came running out of the woods screaming with a guy in a ghost suit chasing behind them. My moms horse panicked and whirled to bolt but she kept her under control. I thought he was going to jump out of his skin but he didnt.. he just stopped and nickered at them like "OMG I need to help" and then started toward them as if he was going to save them. My mom still laughs and says "Czar to the rescue" making fun of him. My poor baby he is so brave! :p

[Dixie]

WB put it pretty well.

We used to breed QH's. Our stallion was so laid back you could ride him into a herd of mares(which we did with our broodies many times) and every one be in heat and he wouldn't pay attention. We took him camping and I'd ride him on trails, I was a kid then. Dad hauled him to a roping one time, no one believed he was a stud and had to look to be sure. Studs were not allowed at this particular arena. That changed when everyone met Peppy. Peppy was the only stud allowed there because he didn't act like a stud. We did in hand breeding with him, regular nylon or leather halter with a stud chain. He didn't start talking to the mare until he was told he could. Dad worked very hard with him from the day we got him to make him that way, we got him as a 3yr old. He was taught manners and respect. When we sold him, a ranch bought him and the guys wife that wasn't all that horsey is who rode him when she choose to ride.

I think most has to do with how they are handled and what they are taught, some is genetic too, but mostly it's how they are handled.

[Palogal]

Some stallions can handle being intact and some cannot, some of that is just the horse. The rest of it is handling. I assume that stallions are crazy because most that I've seen are. However, if I'm standing next to one and he's not screaming to high heaven and running around snorting with his head in the air I generally assume he's well mannered. I've handled more stallions than I can count at this point and they're all different. The one I presently own is a 2 year old and he's very sweet so far.

I think some of it is a point of fairness. You don't put your childs bike across the street and then tell them they can't go after it, or fill the pool and tell them not to swim right? So, common sense would dictate you don't dangle mares in front of a stallion unnecessarily.

My stallion knows he is a gelding around my mares if he's being led by one or whatever BUT, when he is stalled he is on the end next to the geldings. Stalling him next to a mare is just a little to much. You can cut the guy a break on some things.

So, to make a long story short - cut him some breaks, not behavior wise but environmentally as not to totally torment him.

[firstlovesong]

led by one or whatever BUT, when he is stalled he is on the end next to the geldings. Stalling him next to a mare is just a little to much. You can cut the guy a break on some things.

So, to make a long story short - cut him some breaks, not behavior wise but environmentally as not to totally torment him.

I am not stalling him next to a mare to torment him that is just how my barn is laid out.. there are three stalls.. three horses.. two mares and him. He has to be stalled next to a mare.

The wall between them is solid block he cant see through the wall and he cant smell or touch her and her stall door is on the opposite end of her stall while his is on the opposite end of his so where they hang thier heads out are nowhere near each other. I dont think that qualifies as torture.. I wouldnt keep him in a stall with metal bars where she could tease him but that is not the case. He acts as if he doesnt know she is there.