Re: RC: stallion owners/vets

[Linda Cowles <lindac@gilroy.com>]

> april battles arabnracer@aol.com
> Would like to get feedback from stallion owners/vets on putting a ring on my 2yr stud colt. Have had feedback regarding not breeding till stallion is working and know his job-endurance horse

Hi April,

Your colt sounds nice! I haven't campaigned any endurance stallions, but my training buddy rode one successfully. I have experience working with stallions.

Regarding stallion rings; I've only known two horses that had stallion rings used on them. One of the horses became so apprehensive that 5 years after the ring had been removed and he had been gelded because he wouldn't perform, he still wouldn't drop to urinate. He had to be tranquilized and cleaned frequently by a vet. That may be an edge of the universe case!!! The other horse had behavior problems which could have been caused by a number of unrelated things.

Regarding competing stallions, geeze, you didn't ask for this advice but here it comes. Even if you know this horse is excellent material, even if you have had him evaluated and rated highly by qualified horse people, campaigning a stallion is a pain in the butt! Even if he's got a wonderful temperament. You may already know this! His temperament may be great now, and may continue to be great conditionally, but he also may be more than you bargained for on down the road, even with great training.

My friend who campaigned a stallion had very strict rules for when "day dreaming" (an erection) was allowed, and even *looking* like he was about to begin speaking stud-speak to mares or geldings was prohibited unless he was actually breeding. This stallion was so well behaved that he was stalled between two mares, could follow mares on the trail that were winking and stopping suddenly to urinate immediately in front of him... he had excellent manners. The fluctuating testosterone levels didn't seem to be an issue.

My friends training methods? Easy. Ask - promise - deliver. If he started dropping or looking like he was going to talk, she'd warn him. If he didn't listen, she'd grab a lead or crop and tell him to control it. If his response wasn't instantaneous, she whacked him hard on the penis if he had dropped it, on the ass if he hadn't. The "ask" was all it took after few lessons. Is it cruel? Depends on how you define cruel. He was able to enjoy the activities involved with staying intact, and my friend was extremely consistent, so he knew what to expect and respected the rules.

When he was in his stall or corral, or tied in front in his tacking area after a ride (not before), he was allowed to enjoy himself all he wanted as long as he didn't talk or come-on to other horses.

What happens if the training isn't there?

On a recent endurance ride, I was riding with a friend riding a mare, and another friend of hers was riding a stallion that fixated on this mare about 7 miles into the ride. The mare wasn't showing heat that we could see, but this stallion either saw signs or didn't care... the result? It was damned scary for all involved.

I thought we were going to have a catastrophe. The stallions rider had never dealt with him when he was ardently focused on sex under these circumstances, and didn't trust herself to discipline him sternly. This poor women was wrestling to maintain control, and was scared to death. The stallion was screaming and erect, and was ready to consummate the relationship in spite of all of us. We got the mare well off trail and put a few riders between the mare and stallion, and the stallions rider managed to get him past the area and on down the trail.

The stallions rider later said she'd never been so scared in all of her life and wanted to bail off desperately, but knew she couldn't, that she would jeopardize other horses and riders. She had the guts to hang in there and ride it out.

The lesson I learned from this? If I ever compete a stallion, I'll make sure he has impeccable ground and group manners before breeding, and will set up a scenario where he's regularly trained to behave around  mares he desperately wants to breed to ensure that he'll respect his training in competition.

Good luck with this fellow!!

  -- Linda
      Gilroy, CA




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