How do you keep a stallion from going crazy with mares around?

Question

I won't geld him, he is 12 y.o. and been an excellent stallion, but I raised my other two stallions from babies and had very little problems, but getting one that has gotten away with some things at this late age, is more of an issue. Thanks!

Answer 1

Well, if he is draging you and such, I would suggest a chain lead rope. There is a stallion at my barn and we use it on him, he is pretty well behaved. If there are other problems such as him jumping pasture fences to get to mares etc., I would suggest gelding him. Keep in mind though, that if he is gelded too late, he will still think he is a stud and therefore still go a bit insane around mares. If you geld him though, he should be alot less hot.

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

As a matter of urgency you get a trainer who will not only put him back on the right track but teach you how to handle him too.

And yes if you can't do that - call the vet and geld him.

Answer 3

At his age, I dont think gelding him would have a great effect.

You can, if you havent already, get a chain lead rope and keep that over his nose or under.  This can really hurt a horse if not used properly but it is worth a try.

Answer 4

at twelve years old gelding may or may not help. He can still exhibit stallion like behavior because of the age gelded. He needs a job, and worked. Mares/stallions can smell each other from ten miles away, so mare/stallion being close to each other isn't the problem.  Give him a job, work him, tie him in the corner of his stall if his behavior is not acceptable, this works for mine. Of course, do not turn him out with a shared fence, that will only aggravate it, and don't turn him out with the mares. The vicks is a good idea, you can also get him a shot from the vet if you are not going to be using him for breeding. Talk to your vet and stable manager about your options.

Answer 5

I once heard that there was a cowboy movie star that had a horse that was getting old and wouldn't mind and the movie star got fed up with it and told the horse to stop but he didn't so the movie star had him stuffed and put in his living room next to the fireplace and then one day when the movie star got older his grand kids came over and were playing around and then one of them sat on the horses back and was playing cowboys and Indians and then the other grandson got on the horses back and the weight of both of them made the horses back crack wide open and both halves of the horse broke open like an egg shell and both kids landed hard on the floor and one of the kids said look at the guts and inside the horse was stuff like cotton and string and cardboard and he said grandad got ripped off because he wanted to see guts and didn't and when the movie star got home and saw the horse he asked his old wife what happened and she said she didn't know but she really did and then he got so upset that he got a bad case of heart murmurs and died and his old wife put the broken horse out to the front of the house with the trash and then the next day is was gone and she thought somebody stole it

Answer 6

you cant.

no matter how much training, he is a stallion. he smells mares in heat, or he just smells mares, and he wants to 'get them'

i would suggest gelding him, but since you wont do that, keep the stallion in a corral thats 9 feet high, sell your mares and other male horses, and but chain halters. see, thats awful, you have to geld him, the older he gets, the stronger he gets, and the more trouble you will have with him.

Answer 7

Well if you knew how to handle him you wouldn't be asking this question!!  Geld him!  If he was a great stallion you wouldn't be asking this question!!!! Geld him!! Ground work! Geld him!! He is toooo much for you!! My stallions DO NOT act that way with mares!!!! I can ride with mares & mine a perfect horses!!!! Geld him!! We don't need any more stallions making mid gread foals anymore!!!

*****EDIT******

If that is so...... Why are you asking this question?? You clearly can't handle this stallion. Which means he should be gelded be for someone gets hurt!!!!! Because you have not trained him correctly to be a stud!!!  It is more than balls! None of my show horse would act that way. Another reason for you to geld him. Or have a proper trainer train him!!!!!!!!

****edit****

No, you did not ask for suggestions.

You asked "How to keep a stallion from going crazy around mares." So to most of us that left it open. Then people answer & you shut them down. I was not rude- blunt! You did not expain for us to know more, so how are we to answer any more in depth?? With the way you asked this question, you are green & that horse has awful ground manners & needs to be gelded!!!! So don't tell me I didn't read. I did!! You did not say any of that be for. So don't get mad because people think your stud needs to be gelded because YOU have NOT trained him correctly!!!!

***********EDIT************

I do not think you know what you are doing!!!!!!!  IF you did you would not have a stud act this way!!!!!!  That is all there is!! Your stud needs to be trained correctly & he is NOT trained well enough to be a stud!!! That is YOUR fault not the horses fault!!!!! Stallions that act that way should be gelded!!  It is your fault your stud acts crappy!!!!! This is my everyday me! & I'm the one who will tell you straight up. & This is what this is. You asked the question, now deal with the answers you get. I did NOT say you didn't know how to handle horses. I said a this STUD!!! & YOU can't if you could you would not have asked this question!!!! You would not have asked if your stud was trained corretly!! How did you NOT create his behavior??? You didn't train him corretly as a stud should be!! There for YOU  allow him to act this way!!

Answer 8

you geld him

Answer 9

GELD HIM !!!!

Answer 10

you train them. we have on average 5-8 stallions in our barn and you just work with them teach them it is unacceptable. if you are riding them and they are being ignorant make them work, lope them, turn them around, make them get busy so they know if they are going to act stupid they have to work until they want to behave. it may take awhile to teach them this but it works. also I wouldn't put a stallion next door to a mare in the stalls I would leave several empty or put gelding beside them. all our studs are right next to one another and we don't have any problems with them at all.

Answer 11

Take a big aluminum baseball bat, and crack it over his head, then feed him a carrot!

No, at his age, gelding him might not help because the life is engrained in him. He has gotten away with to much in life so far, I gleaned that from your comment, so it will be hard. But I agree with one guy, use a strong bit or harness, and chain him when necessary until he relaxes. If he is new then it might just be that.

Answer 12

If you are having problems...then why NOT geld him?

Does he HAVE to stay a stallion?  

Seems if the behavior is deteriorating...gelding him should be an option.  And before he hurts someone...or another horse.  Especially if this is his 'normal' temperment...

From my experience...temperment issues with dominance or aggressiveness, increase as a horse ages...not get easier.

Gelding this late, after being a breeding stallion...is going to require some intensive ground work and manners to 'retrain' his mind too.

He has crops on the ground I'm assuming from your additions...so why not stop with what you have?

American answered your question according to your question...the added details changed the 'meaning' and what you were looking for, of the question.

Answer 13

well snip snip would do the trick.....since he is a stallion he is not going to NOT act crazy around mares he is a mature breeding stallion. he can't focus on you at all. some stallions are "good" stallions and some are bad, a world champion don't mean he has a good attitude, lots of TOP trainers refuse to work with stallions unless they express that willing attitude..other wise people have been killed tossed and bit by angry stallions and if he does not behave his behavior might become worse and potetially dangerous

Answer 14

Well, obviously you can geld him, but if you don't want to do that try putting some Vick's vapor rub in both of his nostrils.  This can help to block the mares scent.  I used to do this to a stallion I used to ride on trails and in parades.  He never gave me much trouble at all with the Vick's in his nose.

Hope this helps!

Answer 15

Fighting nature and your horse's natural personality are two tough things.

A stallion is wired to look for mares, to fight for his mares, and to do what it takes to breed.  You obviously know that.  Some studs are less aggressive and less studdy from the start, and they are easier to manage.  There are many great stallions out there that don't show studdy behavior when properly handled.  Then again, there are many top stallions out there, handled by talented and experienced people, who are a real pain when around other horses.  I'm guessing your stallion is just naturally like the second group.

I read an interesting article on a top reining horse that won huge money.  His owners had tried for two years to keep him a stud, but he was just too much on "the prowl", even with his world class trainer and constantly professional work.  They eventually broke down and gelded him, and the horse turned over a new leaf and became much more focused and cooperative.  The article went on where someone asked the owners "Don't you now wish you had kept him as a stud?"  The owner said "If this particular horse had remained a stallion he NEVER would have gone on to display this talent so no one would have wanted him anyway."

I thought that was an interesting point.

Obviously you have tried lots of things yourself to help your stallion manage his hormones, and they haven't been the total solution.  In my opinion, you are probably making his life somewhat miserable.  He has this huge natural urge to reproduce, which isn't his fault.  And then he has to someone control that urge, and he can't.  It always seems a shame to me to have to smack and get after a young stud colt, when simply gelding them would solve almost 100% of their discipline problems!

You can try some minor ideas such as housing him away from mares.  Vics, short term, in the nose could help, but that is only a temperary solution.  You could keep him in a big turnout situation where he gets lots of excercise and find him a safe pasture buddy, if possible.  

But otherwise you are asking if there is a way to change both his natural personality, and secondly, his normal hormone level.  I don't think you can change "normal" without gelding him.

Answer 16

Gelding him should have an effect.