[SportPonyCrayzi]

I'm a groom, and at the barn there is this very nice little Arab/Trakhener (sp.?) stallion by Granat (I think). I think for a stallion he is very nice. He's not an unkind horse--he loves attention, listens to you, and tries very hard under saddle to please (although his rider never has his full attention %100 of the time). He is ridden every day right by a pasture with broodmares and he behaves just fine.

Now, I haven't been able to find any books on handling/training stallions, so I was was wondering if people could tell me as much as possible about them--particularly how to handle them because there is another one coming for training and I've heard that he's not exactly how Khat is (the little stallion). I know they react differently to certain things, but how and why? What are the rules of owning stallions? How do they view things differently from a gelding? How should your body language be when around them? What precautions would you always take and how would you discipline them? Etc. etc. etc.

I don't mind if the posts are long (I'd actually expect them to be long lol, it's a very broad topic) because I'd like to know as much as possible. I'd like to someday become a professional trainer and own a stallion of my own, so I guess it's never too early to learn. Even if you have a small tip or story to share, I'll be very happy to hear it!

Thanks in advance!

[touchofdandy]

I dont know much about stallions, but my farrier that we use owns a QH stallion. he's 2yr or 3yrs, i think 2yr, and he's 16hh, he'll mature to 16.1hh. He needs alot of work. Hes very protective of his stall. His owner has nearly gotten kicked by him. He's hard to control to. But I think if his owner had enough time to work with him daily he'd be much better. I need to get picture of him cuz he is HANDSOME! He started out a chestnut color but hes turning into a roan. He's is also well muscled to. Last time i saw him was when he was a yearling, as the Congress show in Ohio. He was smaller then, i couldnt believe HOW big he had grown!!!

Something though that I know, is never turn your back on a stallion no matter how kind and sweet he may be. Rather be safe then sorry. When we went out to our farriers house, he brought the horse out into the isle cuz he's too protective of his stall and it wouldnt have been very safe in there. But I dont know alot about stallions, I know that I wont ever own one, cuz i know i couldnt control it, the highest I'll do is a mini stallion lol. But they are smaller.

[PiaffePony0412]

Stallions get too much of a bad rep! If you are always tiptoeing around them for the simple fact that they have an extra something down there, and letting them get away with things on that excuse, thats when bad behavior comes in and only develops more.
Stallions are still horses. Each is different. At my trainers barn, her 5 year old DWB stallion (Time Square) is a perfect gentleman. When you are leading him, and a mare is near *which, he ONLY gets excited when mares of Jeuventus breeding go by... its odd* he might start passaging while I'm leading him, but he isn't being 'unruly', and he isn't trying to kill me and then go breed, so I'm fine with that, I let him do it, he gets over it, and we move on.

CD on the other hand, 9 year old Holsteiner, wasn't handled as much as Time Square, and got the *hes a stallion, stay away from him* treatment- he bites, kicks, and you have to always keep an eye on him.

Meet him as a horse. Not as a stallion. Have the same gaurd on as you would when meeting a new horse. I've met some mares who would rival a stallion for nasty behavior ANYday.

-piaffepony0412

[oldhag]

Main rule - Never take your eyes off them !

Other than that, keep a safe distance from other horses, leading and riding.

Don't turn them out with a gelding or stallion.

It annoys me that people blame lack of handling/discipline for stallions temperaments.

It's supposed to be the amount of testosterone which makes some so difficult. I don't know.

I do know that some colts become nasty and some don't. They can be of the same breeding, and have the same training on the same stud.

These are usually gelded, but not always. They need professional, experienced stallion men.

Some breeds throw quieter entires than others. But there are no guarantees.

[Idrivetrotter]

I have been around colts and breeding stallions and all are different. In general you just keep a closer eye on them, we turn our colts out with geldings and some of our colts are turned out together it just depends on the horses.
Training wise, colts have a "5th" gear it seems, that is why we try to keep colts entact on the track as long as possible. Just keep them minding their own business (males seem to be quite nosey) and focus their attention on you. I treat my colts same as all other horses and do not punish them more ( they do seem to sulk a bit, just like men ) and seem to get their feelings hurt easier (also just like men ) just be his mom and let more experienced handlers show you what to do and never show fear and you will be just fine.

[PiaffePony0412]

oldhag- what im saying, is that I think its unfair to say 'Oh he's a stallion, so you better watch out!', and yes, I think handling/training, as with any horse makes a big difference. Am I saying its the only factor? Certainly not. In a stallions case, testosterone only feeds the fire. If you were to raise a gelding the way some people raise their stallions (lock them in a stall 24/7, yell at them, smack them for pacing/whinnying etc.) your going to have a very sour tempered horse- gelding or not. You should meet a stallion for what he is- a horse. I'm careful around any new horse I meet, stallion or not- nobody gets the benefit of the doubt for being castrated.

Some stallions are perfectly fine when being turned out next to or in with geldings. Some aren't. Some flip when a mare walks by their stall. Some don't. That's something you can decide after meeting them and getting to know them well. They aren't just love-making machines. They have a thought process as well.

-piaffepony0412

[cd_horton]

Studs should be handled just as gelding, only with more emphasis on respect. I will work them the same as geldings and mares and get respect on the ground, by making them move their feet. But I will continue to work at it everyday, everytime I lead or handle them I will make them respect my space, as they tend to forget when the hormones get going. But you must alway be on gaurd because they can change in the blink of a eye, even the most docile of studs.

[SaddleUp158]

I havent been around studs much but my friend had a yearling stud colt at the barn for a couple of months until he was shipped home to grow up before he came back for training. This colt was really sweet, but one day when my friend was messing with him in his stall he tried to mount her! He reared up and tried to put his forefeet on her shoulders. Needless to say he didnt do that again for a couple of reasons! discipline first than the vet came out and took care of the "extras!" The vet was in shock cause at a year old he had "jewels" the size of a 6yr old stud. Now he is as placid as any gelding.

[ThisIsMe]

I have 2 full boys here, both have brilliant manners and are able to be turned out in mixed company. No matter how quiet they are I always have one eye on them, and one eye never off them.
The mini has served mares, he does get excited sometimes but all it takes for him is a quick jerk on the leadrope to get his attention back.

If I had an aggressive or hard to handle stallion, he'd be 2 stones lighter very quickly. A good stallion can only make a brilliant gelding.

[emmanuelequine]

Back in 2001 I had 6 stallions in my barn at one time & a couple of others that passed through that same year. Some to board, and some to train. Arabians, Tennessee Walking Horses, Andalusians, Spotted Saddle Horses, & Quarter Horses made up the breeds. All had great dispositions minus 1. It just had to be my Arab colt--from the time I bought him as a yearling, showed him successful in Halter futurities, and finally, showed him under saddle to 3 firsts & Championship [Qualified for Regionals in both Junior horse & open at HP as well as Stallion Halter] at his first time out under saddle--that horse had a nasty disposition. I even took this horse out on the trails. He got turned out into a 2 acre paddock. So it wasn't like his life was boring. He mauled my husband (not long before I wanted to enter him in the Egyptian Event). So I refrained from showing him until he was sold. Then right before he was sold, he got me by the side of the neck with his teeth & down on the ground I went with him jumping over me. Needless to say, he was gelded at the time of sale & I never bred him.

All the other stallions turned out to continue to be just fine & a couple of them became just pleasure riding horses. The other Arabian stallion had lots of energy. No matter how many classes in a day, if there was a time-lapse between classes, he had to be ridden 1 hour before each class. That horse qualified for Regionals & East Coast Championships in Open HP & Reserve Championship in Open WP at the same "A" show. Then went on to win 2 Top 5's in WP at the Buckeye Sweepstakes. But he never bit nor kicked at anyone at my farm.

Then almost 2 years ago, a very large Tennessee Walking horse (3 yrs.) came to board & stand stud. He had been started under saddle already--nothing mean or inhumane done to him. However, when he decided to try to stomp someone (he came at me at least 7 times)--it was quite a scary ordeal. He almost got my husband cornered in the stall one day too. As soon as he opened the stall door to put the halter on, that horse was all over him. Needless to say, when he tried to stomp my barn help, and I asked the owner to seriously consider gelding him, that plea was ignored. So I had him removed. The next trainer that worked with him said the same thing--geld! The trainer before me said--geld! She finally did it this past summer. And he makes a wonderful gelding now! I walked right into the paddock and pet all over him (at the owner's house) and he was great.

And guess what? That Arab gelding I sold went on to Texas for a year with his new owner & she did great with him at their first Dressage show.
Well, she moved back to VA last year & boarded him here. She wanted to sell him & advertised all year. Only 3 calls, no buys. So she gave him back to me! Although he still needs an experienced handler, he makes a great gelding!

I know this isn't much help, but I hope you can get an idea of some extremes. I treated each as an individual just like I do the mares & other geldings. However, when working with each stallion, I seem to spend at least 2 hours in their training sessions compared to an hour with most mares & geldings. The boarded stallions had regular 20-30 minute round-pen or lunge line sessions--depending on age & amount of energy.
The regularity of sessions kept hormones under control--with the exception of the other (2) mentioned above. Regardless of regularity in their schedules, they never gave warning when pouncing, rearing, bucking, striking, or biting.