Performance Horsemanship - Handling Stallions

Good horsemen and horsewomen know the importance of establishing a balance of trust and respect in the horses they handle and train. Having an unruly, ill-mannered horse is unpleasant and can even be dangerous. When it comes to stallions, this is doubly true. A disrespectful mare or gelding can be a handful. When this attitude is mixed with the ever distracting testosterone that stallions posses - it can be a recipe for disaster. We’ll assume that you are qualified to handle stallions. Not everyone has the experience, feel, timing, and the leadership skills necessary to deal with stallion behavior.

Pictured right is a 2 year old stallion who is learning to mind his manners around other horses.

Here are a few tips and suggestions that can help stallions be honest equine citizens.

My daughter and I are riding 3 year old stallions who are on their way to becoming good citizens.

1. Start behavior training early. Teach your weanling and yearling colts good ground manners early on. This means they’ll understand to respect your space and yield away when asked. They know how to tie, lunge, and be handled in general. As they get older, they get bolder. If you establish these expectations early on, before the testosterone starts flowing, then you will have a frame-work of training to rely on when behavioral issues flare up later on.

2. Do your best to keep your stallion socialized. This can be difficult to balance. However, if your stallion is always sequestered away from other horses, he’ll over-react when he again comes in close proximity to them. Many of us are limited by facilities and availability to other horses that are also under our supervision. You need to consider your stallion and think creatively about how you will create a healthy social environment for him. I’ve known of owners who have turned their stallion out with bred mares. These mares generally don’t tolerate a stallion’s foolishness and can help him want to act more gentlemanly. Being turned out with some geldings is also a great way to stay socialized. Perhaps it’s something as simple as allowing him to live next to one quiet gelding. Anything you can do in this regard will help your stallion with his equine social skills.

3. Know that the hormones flowing through your stallions veins can distract him and cause you to loose his attention in an instant. Every aggressive behavior must be nipped in the bud. I’ve seen people attempt to deal with this in unproductive ways. They will continually pick on their stallion in an effort to keep his attention. Perhaps they are constantly bumping the lead rope or stud chain. They might use a whip or crop with constant tapping on their stallion. This kind of handling only produces more disrespect and creates a stallion that will eventually lash out at his handler.

4. If you ride your stallion, you should be able to ride within the proximity of other riders. This goes back to the important idea of socialization. The more you avoid it, the worse it will become. If you are not comfortable dealing with your stallion in this type of scenario then perhaps it’s time for some professional help.

5. Preparation and due diligence are important whenever it’s time to haul your stallion to a show or any other event. How will you haul him? Are there other horses riding in the same trailer? In slant load trailers with dividers, leaving a one stall gap between your stallion and other horses can be helpful. Placing geldings in between your stallion and any mares is also a good idea. Where will you tie your stallion at a particular location? Will others, unaware, tie their horses next to yours? These are situations that must continually be monitored. At many shows and events portable stalls are used. I’ve seen over-eager stallion’s try to climb over eight foot solid walls to get to the horse behind or beside them. Often times these stalls have two to four inch gaps where each wall comes together. That might be just enough “sniffing room” for your stallion to get excited and start a commotion. Observing the situation for a few moments can tell you whether some stall changing needs to take place.

Stallions are an absolute necessity to perpetuate and promote the very best traits that each breed has to offer. Yet, stallions are not for everyone. An honest assessment of your own particular skills is important. With proper skills and management they can be handled safely and successfully.