This message is from: "Starfire Farm, LLC" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Hi Sara,
First, just what are your goals with your stallion? Do you plan to take
him out into public (i.e. shows, evaluation, etc?) Or do you wish to be
able to handle him safely and without hassle at home? You have to
assess where your stallion's "social skills" are at home, work on it
there, then take it further.
Second, what early training did your stallion have? Does he have work
experience and a work ethic well established? If not, I would start
there, at home. A stallion which has already bred mares but has not
established a work ethic can be a real challenge. He needs to know the
difference between when he is taken out for work and when he is taken
out for breeding. We have a specific routine for breeding here. The
stallion wears a "breeding halter" (which he wears during breeding and
at no other time) and the mare is presented to him through one gate, and
one gate only. The routine is NEVER changed. When he is turned out to
pasture, he can act like a stallion. When the mare is presented in the
"breeding routine", he can act like a stallion. Otherwise, work is work
and he is required to behave appropriately. If the stallion starts to
act inappropriately "studdy" he goes to work (whatever that means at
that time - groundwork - riding - driving.) Depending upon the energy
level of the horse, and the time of year, sometimes it might mean a lot
of "wet saddle blankets."
This, of course, is done recognizing that stallions are hormonally and
genetically programed to act like stallions. No matter what amount of
training you do, if you decide to take your stallion into public you
have to understand that you are taking a risk. Everyone and everyone
else's horse becomes your responsibility. You can't expect everyone to
recognize that you are handling a stallion and that they will behave
appropriately around your horse. I once had a 10 year old girl stick
her "in raging heat" mare's tail right under my stallion's nose in a
western pleasure class. The stallion never looked at the mare, but I
was aware that it was going to happen and made sure I had his complete
attention. Was it the little girl's fault? No! She was focused on
doing her best in a competition and shouldn't be expected to recognize
that she was riding in a class with a stallion. In a different western
pleasure class, a mare being ridden by a friend of mine was mounted by a
stallion being ridden by someone else. She was struck in the back by
the stallion's hoof and suffered a serious back injury. Was that the
stallion rider's fault? Absolutely. Things can happen, and if you are
not paying attention, they'll happen before you know it's actually
happening. That rider either wasn't paying attention to his horse, or
didn't have the skill to recognize that that stallion was planning to go
for that mare. That combination of horse and rider should never have
been in the show ring.
Putting some type of odor making substance, like Vicks, can be
beneficial, once you have established some appropriate manners and a
work ethic, however, stallions will also excite through visionary
stimulii, so you can't rely on Vicks alone. Most stallion owners, with
successful performance stallions, will tell you that it has taken them a
LOT of work to ensure that their stallions behave well in public. And,
it continues to be work on a daily basis. These people NEVER forget
that they are handling a stallion and NEVER take their attention off of
their horse. Depending upon the stallion's libido, it can be more
difficult during breeding season and easier in the fall/winter months.
What Gail said (thank you for your kind words Gail) is all true about
Romulus, however, he is no "puppy dog." Handling him requires constant
vigilance. That doesn't mean that I'm picking on him all of the time,
however, I am constantly watching to see that his attention is on me and
never 100% on something else (something like other horses.) When he is
fresh, I am constantly redirecting his attention back to me, whether it
be through groundwork or riding. When he is not so fresh, I can relax,
somewhat, but I'm more aware of my surroundings than he is, so I can be
ahead of any possible wrecks before they happen. Though it came later
in his life, the basis of Rom's success is in the work ethic that was
established by Brian and myself. Gail deserves a LOT of credit for
being willing to put the time and finances into this horse to help him
have a better life. Someone else might have given up on him long ago.
Consider this "stallion handling in a nutshell." There are so many
vairables depending upon the horse, the skills of the handler, the
environment and history, that one couldn't possibly cover it all in one
volume of a sizeable book.
My two cent's worth.
Beth
--
Beth Beymer & Sandy North
Starfire Farm, Berthoud CO
http://www.starfirefarm.com
