Stud problem?

Question

well i dont exactly have the problem yet, he is still a yearling so i have been thinking about it alot and i would like to keep him a stud, he is in the naeric advantage and is the grandson of hollywood dun it which is a huge reputation to live up too. i will be sending him away for professional training and he is a very athletic looking horse and my favorite events are barrel racing and reining so i would like to train him in those areas....so what are some tricks to keep a stud calm and collected when he is going to be around alot of horses ( such as MARESlol) somebody told me that you can put vicks or vasoline in there nose and it prohibits them from smelling mares.. so what are you tricks techniques? thanks it will be very helpful

Answer 1

Our stud colts never got studdy til they were almost 2.  By then we had handled them alot and they had great ground manners.  They would get a little jiggy but with a quick tug we got their mind back on us.

By the time they were 2 1/2 they were sent out to training where they took over.

One of our stud colts stayed with us til he was gelded at 4 and he was never studdy.  He had great manners and I could walk him passed the mares and he just walked behind me (ears pricked but still a gentleman).  It's because he had ground training daily....so I believe :)

I would think you just want to keep going with ground work and respect.  Keep his mouth away from you and make sure he stays out of your space.  No hand feeding at all!  If you give an inch he is learning to take a mile when you aren't looking (dangerous with the stallions). Never let him walk ahead of you or go his own way.  You should always be the one to choreograph his moves.  

Stallions are just so smart and always looking for a way to one up ya.  I love them to death!

edit:  I forgot to add, if you don't show any respect to the stallion then you will have a fight.  He will not respect you and will end up looking for ways to get you.  He needs to feel like he has a say in his progress so to speak.  Listen to him, talk to him....feel him...then tell him that your way really is the best way for all involved...maybe next time he can choose. :)

ex.  small tug...wait....bigger tug....HARD YANK...praise  :)

"I think we need to do it my way"..."you don't think so?"...."I REALLY think my way is how we do it"...."WE DO IT MY WAY RIGHT NOW BUDDY"...thank you big boy.

next time around there is no discussion of "i think" you shoot right to the "REALLY think..." and then the next time go right to 'RIGHT NOW BUDDY'.  Otherwise every day he will test your thoughts on that subject :)

Answer 2

I like the Hollywood dun it "get" he defenitly could stamp a foal, Ive seen alot of his grand-get and some are excellent and some are not. If you are going to send him out for training I would say either pick reining first and see how he excels, I myself wouldnt train both of those disciplines at the same time, way too confusing, My sister showed barrel racing for about 10 years when we were younger and she was in high school and collage rodeo and all of the horses were so hot. I think if he failed at reining then move on to barrels, sorry just interjecting an opinion, I know you didnt ask. When I was showing halter in Arabians, even at the U.S. Nationals we used the vicks up the nose trick. Also subjecting them to that lifestyle, always being around all kinds of horses developing good manners Makes a huge difference.

Answer 3

I use the vicks stuff as well. My only problem mis that now the studly expects it so he makes it a little difficult to do :). If you are paying for stalls at shows, I always request either a box stall or a stall seperate from others so that he cannot contact any other horses. Normally if you let them know you are hauling a stallion they will be more inclined to accomodate him. The best thing I ever did with my stud before competing on him was ride him with a mare in heat right in front of him. This let me know how he would react and it helped me to teach him how to behave in these situations. Sometimes you get stupid people who park their mares right next to you, and you are still responsible for keeping him under control. When he is under saddle he has a job, and it does not involve mares.

Hope this helps!

Answer 4

Vicks is an old trick but there is no trick  that will substitute for good horsemanship practices in general.

With a stud, you have to be constantly on your toes for your safety and others.  Imagine the s*x drive of a 17 year old boy in a 1200 lb body.  This is what your dealing with.  I can stop at the horse camp with my gelding and get engrossed in conversation and he'll pretty much snooze through it.  You never know when a stallion will say, "Hellooooo Ladies!"

In new, unfamiliar territories, I would always use the stud chain.

Most folks who know me are probably shocked to see me not saying, "GELD HIM."  You're using a professional trainer, and you're going to actually use him in competition.  You don't have to go back 3 or 4 generations to find a champion.  You say he's nice and athletic, I'll take your word on it.  If he performs well, and is as nice as you say, then he meets what I consider to be the minimal guidelines a horse should meet to keep his testicles.  For awhile, anyway, until you see what he can do, and what he puts on the ground.

Answer 5

If you haven't had a stallion before you are walking down a very dangerous path. You need to try and get some working student time in with someone who is an experienced stallion handler to make sure this is the right decision for you and this horse. The life of a stallion is a very lonely one and some can't take it. I have seen stallions absolutely loss their minds. There is a point in a stallion's life where he can either make it as a stallion or not and they will quite literally take your barn down. I have worked with stallions since I was about 16 and been around them since I was about 13 with professional handlers, things can go wrong really quick. But if you insist on having one...

Treat them no differently then you would any other horse. Nothing gets to fly ever...no stopping to knicker and carry one to the girls, they will need to be worked more often only because most of the time they are confined. Never use their daily halter to breed them in, the mare smell will get buried into it and it puts the idea of breeding into their head when ever you are just taking them out for a walk so have two different sets of halter/lead ropes for them. NEVER EVER turn your back on them, no matter how sweet they are, that is the fastest way to get injured. Keep something for them to chew in their stall at all times, and don't black their stall out that is just a temporary fix to a big problem. If they have a paddock make sure the braces are in concrete other wise they will take them right out of the ground if they had to. Please I beg you if you have children do not let your children handle him, in most states it is law that no one under the age of 16 may work, handle, or a ride a stallion. It's good that you are sending him to a professional for the initial training. This will make you life alot easier in the end. You can use an herb called Monk's Pepper to help kill the libido, two tbsp twice daily in their regular feeding. There is also St. Paul's Salt, but the pepper is stronger. Good Luck!

Answer 6

Keep him a stud for now, but send him to trainer and see how he works out.  If he is a top reiner and can work as a stud then you have a winner.  Have your trainer evaluate his performance and as long he is is exceptional then keep him as stud, If his performance is OK but not top then you might want to reconsider, especially if his hormones are getting in his way  to being a better reiner.