There was a time not all that long ago when I was dreaming of owning my very own stallion and hence start my own stud but having had no experience with stallions I was soon talked out of the idea. I was told that stallions are hard to control, can turn at the drop of a hat from being merry to being furious and can sometimes attempt to kill you, they go through fences, etc etc.

I was curious as to your thoughts about the keeping of stallions - are they an impossibility for someone that has never dealt with a stallion before?

They can be a handful and dangerous for some one with no experience. My suggestion would be if you have truely found a stallion that you want and you want to use him for breeding because he is of that quality to find a handler to to manage him and teach you how to handle him safely. I handle a few breeding stallions for clients they do the daily care and when it come to breeding I take over. They have their everyday clothes and then their work clothes. There is a lot to learn about having them so you would be best to find some one to help you out for now.

Good luck and hope this helped.

There are MANY stallions out there that would make nicer geldings - it's a fact of life, just like the age old saying, "just because it's got the bits and pieces to be a broodmare, doesn't mean she should be a broodmare" - same with stallions. Some people see their colt and just can't call the vet to call them out to do the gelding job on them, so they stay as stallion's when they really do not have the breeding value there.

Now - if you really want to get a stallion and a nice one at that, be prepared to cough up a bit of money for one... it is a gamble. And if you really want to work with your own stud, then I suggest going out and trying to get a job with a stud and learning how to handle them and seeing for yourself what they are actually like to work around.

I have a stallion here, with a colt that will be staying a stallion for awhile to see how he performs etc etc. My guy has being well trained but still has his days when he can be a super handful - they are ALL the same. The worst time is of course at breeding season and when you're out and about and people walk mare's near them etc etc. You need to have the training at home with them and set the boundaries - ie: no screaming out when you're working with them, no hanging "their junk" out when you are working with them, all those sorts of thing, if you have a handle on it at home, then you will still be tested when you go out to a show, but you'll have half a handle on it at a show.

The best advice I got with stallions is; "You always need to be one step AHEAD of them" - thought wise.

EG: You're leading him from his yard to the stable - simple task yes? But, look ahead, ok, I've got two mares to walk past, one is IN season, the other isn't, and there are three geldings to walk past as well, so as you come up to the first mare, have control, make him look the other way, keep his attention - next mare, again, more attention is needed because she is in season, then keep ahead of him with the geldings and put him in his stall, LOCK the door, double check the lock then go away.

It's not just a *walk out, chuck a lead rope around their neck, walk in, throw them in the stable and walk off* again deal. Don't get slack around them, because the moment you get slack and complacent is the moment they take control and bugger off and then you've got a loose stallion on your hands.

Ok - I AM making them sound like a nightmare aren't I?

They are and they aren't. You just need to be careful and respectful of them and keep up with their training. Learn their idiocyncies too - my stallion? He is like a gelding to handle if he is in work, the moment he has a few days off work? He is a nightmare through and through. So I know... if he has had a few days off, then I may need a chain or bit with them - if he hasn't, then I can lead him around with a halter. Rules at a show though remember state (at least here) all stallions MUST have a bit IN their mouth when at a show etc etc.

I may get shot down for saying I lead my stallion around with a halter, but I have a handle on him still - and as I said, if there is a mare around or something new, then I know when I need the chain or bit. It's a matter of KNOWING your stallion knowing how they react, what they will react at and then of course, expecting the unexpected.

I do suggest getting some expirence with a stud if at all possible.

I hope that helps and doesn't frighten you off completely.

I agree 100%!! I have stallions, I love them but I also hate them at times. You need to be taught how to behave and handle them. There is always good & bad in everything. I have a stallion that I would prefer was gelded. He is not good quality. Lovely endearing horse, and well behaved for me, but really doesnt have the quality that he needs to have to reproduce. So we keep him in his own pasture and keep him from reproducing again. So good Luck!!

If you don't have the training experience I would not own a stallion. Most of them should not be stallions and most people are not equipt to handle them. A stallion or any horse for that matter will get away with whatever you allow but especially with a stallion you have to be very confident and able to train him.

Let me throw some things out there that I know you know... but maybe you haven't thought of owning a Stallion with these thoughts in mind.

In the wild the Stallion is the leader, the fighter and the lover. His goal is to maintain and increase the numbers in his harem through breeding and fighting to steal mares from other herds. He will not tolerate other stallions breeding his mares or challenging his position. In this stance he is much like an African Lion! Mares that are unruly get put in their place quickly. In "our world" geldings may be tolerated, but they may also be perceived as competition.

Now step into the picture and see the problem. You are telling him that YOU are the leader. YOU tell him when to breed. YOU decide he must not fight - ever. See the conflicts? With Stallions we are constantly asking them to behave outside of normal horse behavior. For some animals/breeds, this is less of a problem than others. As an example, Andalusian Stallions have long been bred to behave. In Spain, only the stallions (and occasional geldings) are ridden, mares (generally speaking) are not. Arabian Stallions, on the other hand, are a huge handful as a breed. And of course it then varies from animal to animal.

So maybe thinking about it this way will help you to see what everyone is talking about.

I absolutely adore stallions. Yes, they can be more difficult to handle, but a partnership with a stallion is one of the most wonderful things you can have. Its like riding pure power.

Like that old saying 'You ask a mare, tell a gelding, but you must discuss it with a stallion'.

My advice is to get a young colt and work with him everyday. All the stallions at the ranch where I work are incredibly gentle and can be handled by children, because they are handled. Stallions need to be able to see what's going on around them, they like to know where their 'herd' is. A stallion in a small back pen will be harder to handle than a stallion who can see other horses and interact with them through a solid fence. A stallion needs to be lunged or worked nearly everyday, they get pent up energy and can be harder to control.

Stallions need to be taken out and brushed, especially during breeding season. Some stallions get it into their head that whenever they come out of their pen, they get to breed, and they can get really nasty. But if they're taken out on a regular basis, they don't know what they're being brought out for and look forward to it anyway. They either get to have sex, or they get a nice grooming.

A partnership with a stallion is amazing, and they make wonderful mounts. Good luck, and I hope this helped.

Everyone here has great advice about stallions. I especially agree with not keeping a stallion up. I would NEVER keep my stallion up unless some emergency called for it. He just acts so much more "normal" when out. I leave him out in the pasture with the mares to keep him happy, unless I'm working with him.
Last year while I was out in CO, the geldings somehow broke into the mare pasture and my stud was there too. My father called me and told me the deal but said that Amigo wasn't bothering the geldings at all. He ended up staying with the mares and geldings until halfway through winter. He is EXELLENT around both and doesn't mind the geldings buddy-ing up with the mares as long as he get's to "Sleep" with them lol (can I say that?)

A child could hand-breed him to a mare. He will walk by your side as you approach a mare and walk as slowly as you want to walk, keep his head to your waist-height if you'd like, and keep his eye on you in case you have another request for him, all the way up to the mare. When I let him go, he walks gentlemanly up to her and get's his business done.
I also ride him with mares and other stallions and NEVER get even a whinny out of him. He is awesome. But I know that is not the most common type of stallion. I would definitely say though to anyone getting a stallion for the first time, to let them be able to run in a pasture instead of being cooped up in a stud barn!

Cheryl while I agree with you on some points regarding natural instincts of stallions, please bear in mind that of the breeds Arabians are generally the easiest stallions to handle and ride. In fact they are the only breed that USEF will allow amateurs and junior riders to show in open classes with geldings and mares. They have long been known to be some of the easiest stallions to handle and be around. Don't get pulled into the hot, bouncing halter horse persona that so many people equate to the arabian stallion. Mine does that and loves it, then comes right down once we leave the arena and he's just a horse again

[quote=Cheryl624;4214]Let me throw some things out there that I know you know... but maybe you haven't thought of owning a Stallion with these thoughts in mind.

In the wild the Stallion is the leader, the fighter and the lover. His goal is to maintain and increase the numbers in his harem through breeding and fighting to steal mares from other herds. He will not tolerate other stallions breeding his mares or challenging his position. In this stance he is much like an African Lion! Mares that are unruly get put in their place quickly. In "our world" geldings may be tolerated, but they may also be perceived as competition.

I have to point out that actually, the stallion is not the leader in the wild. There is one "alpha" mare that leads the herd. Anyone that has several mares knows that they jockey for a position in the hierarchy, and defend that position vehemently. An alpha knows where the best pasture, water, and safe places to sleep are and SHE leads the herd. A stallion is there for procreation and protection, and that's about it. In the wild the stallion actually tends to follow the herd and guard the rear. A stallion may "chastise" a submissive mare or foal for falling behind, but a stallion will very rarely challenge a dominant mare because she will let him have it.

Now, I have personally assisted in several breedings. I have held the mare as well as the stallion. The stallion, Travler, isn't a normal stud. He actually waits for a command before he mounts and is VERY gentle. There are stallions that are vicious, just as there are mares that are. There are also stallions that are pussycats. I agree that you should definitely gain some experience before you take the plunge, and you also need to make sure the stud IS of breeding quality, but I'm not dead set against studs as some seem to be. If you do decide that you want to buy one, I would say buy him young(less than a year) and invest in a GOOD trainer. The stud I have handled was kept with several dominant bred mares from 7 months to 1 1/2 yrs and they taught him manners.lol. If you have the capability the mares teach them just how big and bad they aren't!