Hi There, we have recently purchased a 10yo QH stallion who is a dream to handle and be around in a normal situation. He is very respectful and listerns very well. My problem is this, when it comes to serving mares (which he is a old hat at and this might be my problem) he becomes a screaming idiot and once a mare is presented to him he runs at her like a hungry lion and takes a flying leap! which is NOT ACCEPTABLE!!! The old owner told me she used to serve him in just a halter, which we tried and put a end to it straight away as we had no controll at all, now we use a chain over his nose and this controlls him right up to within 1 - 1 1/2 meters from the mares then it's all down hill as he races toward her like he is at the front of a battle field and some one screams CHARGE!!!!! It is very un nerving for the mares and i don't want to make them scared of beeing bred. I got to the point today of getting a riding crop out and every time he tried to move in too quick giving him a smack on the chest and backing him up and trying again but once he puts his mind to it there is no stopping him and this also just seemed to make him more determined and agitated him! I am a experiances stallion handler but i have always handled my own stallions whom i have brought up from colts to be patientand repectful of me at all times and to wait till i say they can mount. I am at a loss with this boy and he has obviously been let do this by his previous owners. So what i am asking is, is there any methods i can used to get him being a gentleman the entire breeding and also is there any way i can stop him yelling and screaming at the mares before he serves them as this is almost as un settling for the mares as the rushing. Any help on this would be grately appreciated as we have a full book of mares to serve and i don't want to continue on like this. Cheers!
Emma like you I have only handled my own that I taught their manners to. I really have no info for you except to say that Jos does work with teaching manners to stallions so hopefully he can help you. Good Luck
Posted on Wednesday, November 16, 2005 - 07:23 pm:
Hi Cathy, I think i may have sorted the problem out now. Every time he tries to rush i lunge him for a while and we try again. He eventually gets the idea that it isn't worth all the effort and starts behaving. I actually had two mares (both in season) tied up outside the lunges ring yesterday while i worked with him inside the ring and it took a few minutes to get his attention but i eventually got it and we made a lot of progress. I lunged him till i got to the point i could safley (and quietly) walk him past them without him missbehaving. So i will keep using this method for the moment and hopefully the sesions will start to get a bit shorter as he gets the point more!
I bought a naughty boy like that, but he hadn't been like that with his previous owner - the yelling is because he is nervous, they yell because they want to know at a distance whether the mare is going to be receptive or not, and to teach my boy his manners I put him out with my older girl, even if in heat she will not otlerate rudeness, no matter how sexy the boy is, so she taught him his manners easily, we have no probs with him anymore, and if you do lots of in-hand teasing and introduce them lots before the mare is in heat, that will help him too. Jenn
Thanks Jenn, Its funny we actually put a shy breeder next to him so we could see when she was coming in season ... we thought we would have had our hands full when it came to breeding him as he had had it flaunted in his face for 4 days prior to him breeding her. I am happy to say he was a gem. A complete gentle man. So the re training has helped and just having some one to chat to through the fence seems to have mellowed him some what as well!
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