I have a three and a half year old colt who will be bred to his first mares this season.
He is very well mannered with me, on the ground and under saddle. I have been his only handler since birth, and we have a very strong bond. Due to circumstances, he has only been out to one show. He was understandably excited, but listened well to me - I was proud of him.
I have worked as a stallion handler previously on TB and WB studs, and am confident handling experienced (and sometimes ratbag) stallions.
But this will be my first time 'teaching' a young colt. He has such a sweet nature and I am terrified of stuffing it up. So I have some questions.
1. Does reading the above send off alarm bells for you? Is it unreasonable for me to be considering taking on such a huge responsibility?
2. Currently, his season is shaping up to be one very experienced, darling of an old girl who will be 'the first', and a couple of maidens. Does this sound ok to you?
3. From reading some of the other posts here, it seems I can expect his nature to change long-term. Just how extreme a change is natural?
4. I expect him to go a bit mad after he figures out what it's all about (I hope to be pleasantly suprised though). How long (weeks, months) of regular handling and reinforcement is it likely to take for him to settle down? Understand this will be an individual thing, but on average?
5. He is currently paddocked with a colt companion (pony gelding), and over the fence from mares, and he is very well mannered of both, and very respectful of the fence. Post breeding will this still be a suitable arrangement for him?
6. My experience has always been to use breeding hobbles. However on one of the posts here I read about the possiblity of the stallion getting entangled in the ropes. Silly as it sounds I never thought of that before, and can imagine what a potentially deadly situation that could become. So now I'm confused. I don't want any harm to come to him, particulary with maiden mares in the mix. I'm not sure how to restrain now?
7. How critical would it be to get him out to more shows to reinforce that shows are not orgies, before commencing breeding?
Thankyou for taking the time to read this. I will really appreciate your replies, good or bad.
edited to add: Should have mentioned, am going with hand serving. }
My friend has a young stallion and his "first" was an experienced brood mare and was very patient with his inexperience. So it was a positive one. She uses only a certain halter and breeds in the same spot so that he knows it "business" time. She also keeps him very well excercised. So far it has worked for her. Good luck. I hope somebody with lots of knowledge gives you advice! Stallion behavior was not for me so we gelded
We always recommend that a novice at handling in the breeding situation seeks that advice of (with the person actually there, not via the Internet! ) a person who is a good stallion handler. Note that the fact that someone has handled stallions for years does not necessarily make them a good stallion handler!!
There are so many things that need to be learned and/or watched for that will make the difference between an "OK" and a "good" stallion handler...
Certainly starting off with a quiet older mare is beneficial, but there's more to it than that...
Hobbles are a mixed blessing. I know people that swear by them, but I've seen some colossal wrecks with them as well. The first thing to be aware of is that some mares will still kick with hobbles on, although they cannot kick as effectively as without them. Then - as you note - sometimes there is a possibility of a stallion getting tangled in them. Then too, some mares may panic with them on, which can be... errr... "inconvenient"...!!! My philosophy is that if a mare is bad enough that she requires hobbles, then she should be AI'd...!!! (Of course, we prefer to AI everything anyway!!! )
So... your first task is to seek the knowledge of someone who can actually teach you while you are doing the breeding (or explain what they are doing as they do it and why).
Thanks Jos. I wouldn't know if I am 'good' stallion handler - there is always more to learn. I wouldn't really be comfortable asking if I am a 'good stallion handler' via internet as it is a real-life skill that imho must be observed to be assessed. For the purposes of this exercise you may have to make an assumption either way and answer based on that. I should have elaborated a little - I have only ever handled stallions for breeding, and general fitness, daily care etc. Just never taken them out and competed them (all 'my' boys were retired from comp so I never had the opportunity to learn that). I would aboslutely positively have another experienced breeder there, I guess coming on hear I was just looking to hear some wider experiences.
Could you make any comments on the other questions? Thanks!
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