RC: Was: KARAHTY-STAY OUT OF HIS WAY! Now: Stallion management

["Maryanne Stroud Gabbani" <gabbani@starnet.com.eg>]

I'm sitting here picking the sand out of my ears after managing our 50 km
ride yesterday. All my horses were sidelined so I got the job of being Boss
Mare to about 104 riders, of whom about 80% were riding stallions.

One of the main things that I see from posts is that most people have
limited experience with handling stallions in bulk. In Egypt, due to the
lack of good vets, sterile surroundings and a truly macho attitude in the
general population, stallions are very rarely gelded. A gelding is usually
an ex-stallion of little breeding value and truly dangerous hormone levels.
On the other hand, mares are considered too valuable to use for endurance.
Hence, we could almost call our rides "Boys Clubs".  In over ten years of
riding (mostly mares who go into heat regularly every month year round...no
rest for the wicked here) in very close proximity to stallions, I have had
my mare harassed exactly once (by a stallion some moron let loose in an
arena...said stallion stopped chasing my mare and I when Dory ran behind my
back and I screamed at the stallion. He stopped in his tracks and was led
away). And I have seen exactly one stallion fight on the trail between two
guys that have had a long-standing feud and whose owners thought (foolishly
as it turned out) that they would pay more attention to galloping over rough
ground than each other. Again no damage incurred, although it did provide
some lively entertainment.

Our stallions play polo with our mares, trail ride with our mares, do
schooling lessons with our mares. Yesterday, I worked a couple of water
stops to check on how the horses and riders were going and I sponged down
and watered stallions who were standing no more than 6 feet from other
stallions and mares. In Egypt, stallion equals work horse and they are
expected to be exactly that. Those who have been taught from day one that
they are nothing special and will get away with nothing are perfect
gentlemen no matter what the circumstance. Most of them know that sex only
happens when they are naked so as soon as a saddle is on their back, it's
work time. The personality of stallions is, in my opinion, and with what I
can honestly claim is a lot of experience, is 98% management. Treat them
like the adolescent toads that they are, and they are good boys. There is
that 2%, no doubt about it, and both my boys (at 2 1/2 and yearling) have
been told that if they look like joining it, they'll lose the family jewels
in the blink of an eye. They are both delightful, mannerly  young fellows.

Maryanne Stroud Gabbani
Cairo, Egypt
gabbani@starnet.com.eg
owner of 2 mares, 2 stallion colts, and a gelding who can be a complete PIA

In addition, it casts a shadow on the
> quality of management of those who ARE obnoxious snots

Could be the management - or lack therof - which is a whle
> OTHER problem - innept ownership!
> san
>