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>  No flames, just replace HORSE for stallion and I'm agreed.  Gender is no
> excuse for poor behavior from ANY equine!!
>  Maggie
>   >>
>
> I agree Maggie, but an out of control stallion is aggressive and can do a
lot
> of damage very quickly. I've seen stallions get loose, trying to mount
> anything and everything in sight.
<snip>
> Yes, any horse out of control is dangerous, but which loose horse would
you
> rather try to catch, a mare, a gelding, or a stallion?
I've worked extensively with both stallions and mares, and can honestly say
that the few horses who have ever flat-out been intent on doing me bodily
harm have been almost exclusively mares.  I'll use different methods to
catch a stallion than a mare, and it does pay to note the gender of the
horse if it is being unruly, as stallions and mares tend to react in
different manners.

That said--I will shamefacedly tell you about the night that one of my
stallions got loose in ride camp, and you can tell me just how much one had
to fear in catching him.  I had hauled several horses to a farm close to a
ride, not in my trailer, so had no living quarters.  The weather was nice,
so I opted to just take "Junior" along for the ride, and do the ride while
there--and camped by just throwing my sleeping bag out on the ground.  Now,
"Junior" is "itchy"--he rubs on everything, and is a past master at rubbing
open spring snaps.  No problem--just always tied him with bull snaps.  But
this once I didn't pay attention.  And you guessed it--he rubbed his snap
open and was free to go roaming.  Not even enough racket or rucus to wake me
up, and I'm a light sleeper where my boys are concerned!  I was awakened in
the middle of the night by the ride manager laughing his head off, holding
"Junior" by the halter.  It seemed that "Junior" had wandered into someone
else's camp and was calmly eating his feed--and the other person had been
awakened by HIS horse nickering at the stranger invading his campsite.  He
had nonchalantly taken the stranger by the halter (didn't even bother with a
lead) and gone off to the ride manager to see if the RM could ID the horse
and return it to its rightful camp.  The RM knew my horse, and said, "Oh,
that's Heidi's stallion."  Despite the fact that "Junior" had not once made
a sound and had trooped quietly along with this unknown person to go visit
the RM, the man nonetheless (according to the RM) threw his hands in the air
as if he'd grabbed a hot wire, and shrieked, "STALLION!!??!!"  FWIW, the RM
didn't bother with a lead rope either, and thought the man's reaction was
hilarious.  While I was horrified that my stallion was loose, in response to
your query as to which I'd rather catch, a stallion, a mare, or a
gelding--I'd still have to say, "It depends."  I'd rather catch Junior or
several other really nice stallions that I know, loose in ride camp, than a
fair number of unruly mares and geldings that I know.  It still boils down
to HORSES with manners and adequate training, regardless of gender.

Heidi


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