For a first time stallion owner....

Miniature Horse Talk Forums

Help Support Miniature Horse Talk Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

roxy's_mom

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 14, 2006
Messages
417
Reaction score
3
Location
Waterfal, PA
Hello all! This may sound a little goofy but I want to know. I've really never owned a breeding stallion, just a coming 2 y/o colt (sold him before he turned 2). I'm not new to owning horses, had them since I was 16 and all the control of their care, just to owning a stallion.

So want I want to know from all you breeders and stallion owners is, what good advice would you give to a newbie(first time stallion owner) about owning a stallion?

Here's the scenerio:

I'm looking to possibly buy a stallion so I that I can breed my own mares and not have to go to another farm to have this done. I'm just not completely sure on how to deal with stallions. I've heard of those stallions that act so much like a gelding that it's nice to own him and then I've heard of those stallions that are just to hard to handle. I know you have to have the space to be able to separate horses and all that good stuff. What would tell the new owner if they had the space for that stallion? Should I just wait and breed to an outside stallion so that I don't have to deal with my own stallion?

I would just like some help in making my decision. Is it worth it or isn't? I'm just worried with the way things are right now in our economy that maybe I shouldn't worry about getting a stallion or even getting my mares bred.

Thanks for any help and info!

Becky M.
 
I think it all depends, and partly on if "one" stallion could be a good match to "all" your mares?

Personally, I wouldn't want to not own my own stallions. I enjoy them so much. Not as much as my geldings, but more than my mares.

Also, I know some people can have stallions in with geldings. It may work on some farms for a long time or forever but the thing is -- it will work until it doesn't. Last year, we had to take our then 2yo stallion away from the geldings he grew up with because he was playing way, way too rough. They're much bigger than him and I don't think he was fighting them but he was playing mean and it wasn't fair to them to have to keep trying to get away from his rough (so rough) play. Hope to let him stay with a couple brides this year so he's not alone in his paddock. We shall see
default_yes.gif
 
I agree with Jill, and a few things you pointed out. I have only been in Minis for going on 4 years, but have been into horses all my life. The horse market was poor when we got into Minis, but they were strong. It has since gone done hill very fast. I think everyone should be very responsible in their breeding and selectively choose the stallion with the mare to get the best quality foal. Jill made a good point. Will 1 stallion be the best match to all of your mares? And yes even the "good" ones can be unpredictable. I know that it is a pain to have to find a stallion. Especially since we don't have it shipped like the big guys, but definately think it is worth it. Also do you have kids? I know that always crosses my mind when I think about having a stallion on the property. So my suggestion, pass on owning one for now. Keep your eyes open and see what the market does. I am sure others will have a difference of opinion as there are many pros and cons to having your own stallion. I guess it all depends on your setup.
 
I think it is well worth having your own stallion but as mentioned just because you pick a stallion that will cross well with some of your mares may mean that he may not cross well with other mares. We only have 9 mares and for that we have 3 stallions because we felt that certain ones cross better certain ways
default_smile.png
I think an easy to handle, well mannered stallion is the most important thing -- you would never know that my stallions were stallions (well 2 of the 3) unless I told you -- I can turn them in with foals, mares, geldings, full sized horses and goats and they never act any different... Now the 3rd one gets riled up pretty easy around the mares -- which is to be expected -- but the other 2 are old enough they know what is happening and that if it happens it happens no need to do more than a little talking -- haha
default_smile.png


If you do get a stallion good luck in your search -- and if not good luck in the search for a breeding as well
default_smile.png
Either way I am sure you will get lovely foals
default_smile.png
 
Good morning,

Regarding your question on stallions, behavior and how to handle them. My experience has been that you must teach them manners. They must lead, whoa on command, stand. Leading - means with all four feet on the ground at the same time and at a even, controlled walk, no screaming at others.
default_smile.png


This will become harder to accomplish when your mares are in season. If you have one or more stallions they will want to challenge each other. When all of this happens they become agressive or at the very least ascertive in their behavior. All of them will do it, even the "gelding tempered ones", when mares are in season and when their are other stallions around.

As far as buying a stallion to breed to your mares. If you buy a GOOD stallion you will need GOOD mares to breed him to. It is never the stallion corrects the flaws from the mares or VS for that matter in fact it is preferable as a good breeder to not have to breed flaws out of them or try to. Breeding is something to think about before you get into it. You must have a plan first! What are you breeding for?

Good luck in whatever your decision.

JMO
 
Be careful.

I was told over and over, to not get a stallion last year. I didn't listen. I had to know for myself. I thought, heck, it's a mini, what can he possibly do that I cannot handle?

I had everything prepared-or so I thought. I had a separate turnout area in case things went wrong, done with electric tape. I tried him in with my mare first. Everything was good. They ate together, groomed each other and played even. However on the second day, he decided he was going to breed my mare whether she wanted to or not. She was not in heat. He started pursuing her and when she said no and kicked him, he got more adamant. He chased her around the pen dozens of times, biting her neck, back and rump. He dragged her to the ground screaming. No one could get in the pen to stop him or he would lunge at them. Both were soaked in sweat. My mare was begging for help. It took me all of 5 seconds to realize that separating them would not work, this stud was so frenzied he would have gone through that tape anyway. I ended up finding a neighbor to help and she went in and caught the stud as he was flying past her, still in hot pursuit of my exhausted mare. The stud ended up tied to a tree and my mare in the barn, where they both continued screaming to each other.

I gave the stud away, just to get him off the property so I could let my mare out. It was a nightmare. I will never buy a full grown stud again. He had been spoiled where he was and let away with everything, so he had issues to begin with, but foolish me thought I could handle it. I couldn't.

If I ever buy anything intended for breeding, it will be a colt so I can teach it manners first. I will never buy a full grown over 30" stallion again. It was a costly lesson for both me and my mare. Now she is bred to him, but it was at his new knowledgeable home, and under controlled hand breeding conditions. I would rather go that route than to have y own.

Like I said, just be careful!! Good luck!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Great advice from all.

I'm a lucky guy, as I have a great stallion. He's not like a gelding, you know he's a stallion. But he's generally a good guy with a great heart. I've also not let him get away with anything that he's not supposed to do...

Having worked with both big and small stallions, the most important thing to establish is space and ground manners. ie. crowding me gets a whack with a crop on the chest, attempting to nip gets the same or me pinching their muzzle (I never hit around the face as this is a great way to get a horse head-shy). Whenever a stallion is on the lead he must behave. He must always pay attention to you. There must always be a mutual respect, and it's a fine line. Even the sweetest stallion, if he gets away with enough, will eventually start to rule over his handler(s). It just starts with common sense. I can walk my man past all the girls in the world. He can't sniff or even look at them. They are off boundaries. In his stall or in the paddock he can do as he pleases: jump around, chase things, be a general spaz. When he's with a human on the lead, he MUST behave. The only exception is this. When he is teasing and/or breeding. He, of course, is allowed to prance, squeal, and jump around a bit. I don't reprimand him for being himself when it comes to breeding (short of violence towards his handler). It's very important to let him be himself if hand-breeding. He's got to think he's the big man! LOL. If he does get a bit too ornery I just circle him. If one does hit or reprimand too much during this process, a stallion can lose interest in breeding, associating it with pain; become agressive towards his handler and/or mare; and other problems that are not easily correctable.

I guess the most important thing if you're a first time stallion owner is to take your time and find one that suits you. Go with conformation, of course. But also try to find a stallion that is well-trained already. A gentleman that knows the ropes and can give you confidence.

Just want to add too. My guy is turned out by himself. He is a very happy, well-adjusted stallion. He can see the girls in the barn but doesn't ever call or carry on. Some stallions are very happy alone with time spent with their handlers. IMO it's much safer to keep a stallion separate from everyone. There are exceptions, I know.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thanks everyone for the great advice! It was very helpful. I'm going to think hard on this one and maybe just pass on getting a stallion until I have more room to give him and have more experience. I'm just worried that I may not be able to handle one just yet. I think I'll just look towards the future and plan what I want to be able to do. Right now the two mares that I have show in halter and one does obstacle, jumping, and soon to be driving. Hopefully they'll both be all around horses.

Thanks again everyone! If anyone else wants to add to this please do, all opinions and experiences are wanted.

Becky M.
 
We currently have 5 stallions in the barn and are stalled next to each other. We own 2 of them and the rest are client horses. My advice is unless you are prepared for the 24/7 aspects of dealing with a stallion, it is far more economical to breed to outside studs especially if you have 1-3 mares. All of our boys are pretty well behaved. They can see and touch each other, see the mares, get handled/turned out daily, etc. They don't scream at the broodmares unless I happen to bring one up to the barn and for the most part respect me. But that respect is a 24/7 constant training. You can never take your eye off of one, never let them push you around, never let them test a fence, etc. I had a yearling shetland (44" tall) knock down a panel of fencing and get loose in an unfenced area. The fear of him running into the road, running through a wire fence, impaling himself on t-post, or jumping a fence and getting in with the broodmares was almost enough for me to geld every single one of them. And to this day, I still don't trust him not to test a fence. He's too big, too fast, and too powerful.

Stallions can be enjoyable to own, but when it goes wrong, it will go horribly wrong. So you MUST have the appropiate fencing and facilities to own one. Every day that we don't have an incident I am thankful for the amount of work we've put into our barn and fences, and TRAINING.
 
It doeas all depend. I have seen stallions act wild and others that act like geldings. I got a stallion that was well handled and shown all over so he was exposed to people. He know his limits with the mares and quite a few times he was taught by them and he knew what not to do. I would go to the farm over and over esp during breeding season. I live in NJ, if you want to come to my farm and check out my stallion and see how he interacts you can. He is awesome, he even plays with the foals. He is a gentleman and respects the mares. Good luck
 
I personally LOVE Stallions !! I've owned,shown and bred both big and small.

A mentally balanced,respectful,well behaved stallion is an absolute joy to own
default_biggrin.png


A psychotic,spoiled,anti-social,hormone driven monster
default_new_shocked.gif
....not so joyful.

When hand breeding,I had certain rituals that I never deviated from and it worked like a charm.My stallions always knew when it was time to tease,breed or chill out
default_rolleyes.gif


I would lead the stallion to the mare's stall wearing his "breeding halter"(it was a particular color halter/stud chain, that was NEVER worn except for teasing/breeding) The stallion would tease and talk to the mare between the bars of her stall.If she she was ready to breed,the stallion would be led back to his stall,he would be tied up until both the stallion/mare were washed and prepped for breeding and brought to the"breeding area" usually in the center of the indoor arena (more room to manuever if needed) At this time and at this time only, he was allowed to holler,dance and act like a stallion,he still had to remain under control and listening to and respectful of his handler.They were never allowed to rush or attack the mare.

If after teasing,the mare was not ready to breed,then stallion was brought back his stall,the halter was removed and he would instantly go into "gelding mode" and resume eating hay:BigGrin

My stallions could be ridden around these very same mares the same day w/out problems.

I always started my young stallions this way and had happy,well behaved stallions that knew when to be "Studs"

It didn't take long for them to figure out,even "rank" stallions that had just been brought in picked it up pretty quickly.They started behaving much better once they knew what was expected and the end reward
default_wub.png
.
 
I would definately shop around for a nice stallion. Take him out for a walk down the barn past mares and see if he's still a controllable sort or if he goes nuts. I had a great stallion that didn't do anything but whinny around mares. He knew when it would be time to breed. But everytime I put him in the cart at a show, he wouldn't listen and just go nuts. So I gelded him.

But you'll want to have a completely separate pen for them. I know some people who pasture all their horses together (not unbred fillies) and they all seem to get along. But I always kept my stallion separate just to keep things simple.

Also, I would try and find an older stallion. You'll know how they act, their ways, etc. Younger stallions sometimes like to play the domination role. And an older stallion might, but most know there job. Also, you have to be able to make yourself dicipline the horse if he decides to try and bite and kick. If you can't, stay away from stallions. They'll test you no matter what. They aren't kids horses and you'll have to make sure you're never liable for accidents around them.

Also, I don't have a stallion now. I just shop around so that I can pick and choose certain qualities. Like some have said on here, is this one stallion going to work for all your mares or just one???? I find it hard to keep one stallion in the separate conditions just to breed 2 weeks a year. Are you up to the extra work too???

Just my thoughts with owning stallions.
default_biggrin.png
 
We currently have 5 stallions in the barn and are stalled next to each other. We own 2 of them and the rest are client horses. My advice is unless you are prepared for the 24/7 aspects of dealing with a stallion, it is far more economical to breed to outside studs especially if you have 1-3 mares. All of our boys are pretty well behaved. They can see and touch each other, see the mares, get handled/turned out daily, etc. They don't scream at the broodmares unless I happen to bring one up to the barn and for the most part respect me. But that respect is a 24/7 constant training. You can never take your eye off of one, never let them push you around, never let them test a fence, etc. I had a yearling shetland (44" tall) knock down a panel of fencing and get loose in an unfenced area. The fear of him running into the road, running through a wire fence, impaling himself on t-post, or jumping a fence and getting in with the broodmares was almost enough for me to geld every single one of them. And to this day, I still don't trust him not to test a fence. He's too big, too fast, and too powerful.

Stallions can be enjoyable to own, but when it goes wrong, it will go horribly wrong. So you MUST have the appropiate fencing and facilities to own one. Every day that we don't have an incident I am thankful for the amount of work we've put into our barn and fences, and TRAINING.
I agree with Carin.
default_smile.png


Carin is great with her horses and stallions. I really respect her opinion.

Good luck in your decision.
default_smile.png
 
When I decided to get a stallion, I got a 4 month old colt and we grew up to know each other. That was easier for me. I was wary of getting a full grown stallion. There were some rough spots, but we worked through them all with a lot of work/training and I have one 100% full of personality gorgeous boy now.
default_biggrin.png


When he's not pastured with the mares, I worked extra hard to keep him next to the mares so he's content. He likes be able to see Gypsy at all times.
default_rolleyes.gif
He is always pastured during the day where he can groom with girls through a gate. On rare occasions when I'm not here, I leave notes about Jazz always being the last one out, and the first one in. It's sure be easier to work pasture arrangements without a stallion, but he's worth it.
default_wub.png
 
I think I know how you feel, because you sound like us a couple of years ago! My main experience with stallions was with Morgans in college, so I was a bit concerned about dealing with one. I figured we would get one eventually though, so our barn was already set up with a "stallion stall" that opens into its own turnout area away from, but still visible to the other horses.

Anyway, in 2005 a breeder contacted US, with this pinto colt he had that he thought would be perfect for us. Impeccable breeding, great conformation, small size, gorgeous head - nothing we could find much fault with. So we started with a weanling stallion, but I do think we got VERY lucky. The breeder visited him recently (stallion was 2) and he was amazed at how well-behaved and calm he was. Buckshot tried to bite once, was reprimanded, and that was about it. He bred one mare, and was a perfect gentleman, but got the job done. But like others said, we have a very strict breeding routine, special halter, one location only. Then (because we show) on the days we weren't breeding, we took him to another location along WITH THE MARE IN HEAT, and practiced behaving and standing for halter. Now we didn't let them get close, but simulated what might happen at a show - walking by, ignoring her, etc. He does halter obstacle (that's him in avatar as a YEARLING) and is in training for jumping and driving. I have never trained a horse that learns so quickly and with such a great attitude. We are so pleased with this guy, that even if he wasn't gorgeous, we would want to breed him to pass along his temperament. I hope you can find a stallion that pleases you as much as this one pleases us.
 
Well, we are really heavy on stallions here at our farm and have been for a little while. (The filly fairy didn't visit 2 years ago!!) (We took 7 to AMHR Nationals last year) The most important thing we do is to have separate stalling and turn out areas for the boys. They are all in the same barn, can see and touch noses but can't get into each others areas. We also let them know from the start that we are running the show not them. We are in no way abusive to our horses but these guys know how to behave. Stallions seem to feel soooo good, especially the yearlings and two year olds! You have to be real careful because they will try to mount anything they come near. And if you haul any you really need individual trailer stalls for the older stallions to keep everyone safe. We've been real lucky here and not have any of them get injured, but we've done our best to keep them in a safe environment.
default_yes.gif
Just leading them from the barn to the turn out lot can be trying because they are so anxious to get out and cut loose. When grooming, tie them up short and snug (as you would all horses) this will help them to stay out of trouble. Hope you find what your looking for....and good luck!
default_aktion033.gif
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Latest posts

Back
Top