Horse question

[Alpo]

Will a stallion pick a fight with geldings, and try to kill them because they are males, and therefore a challenge to his status as top dog?

 

Or will he ignore them, because he can tell somehow (smell, maybe?) that they are not going to try to breed his mares?

[Home Range]

Every horse is different. I see lots of stallions in with geldings with no problem. I see more alpha mares who run the show than stallions.

 

I know people who will put a young stallion in with a dominant gelding to teach the stallion manners. And I have seen lots of stallions in wth stallions. There will always be a pecking order. Sometimes a stallion is at the top, many times they arent.

[Marshal Dan Troop 70448]

Will a stallion pick a fight with geldings, and try to kill them because they are males, and therefore a challenge to his status as top dog?

 

Or will he ignore them, because he can tell somehow (smell, maybe?) that they are not going to try to breed his mares?

Yes. In 1984, me and BlueJeans were taking a 9 weeks vacation to Germany to visit relatives. We decided to board our horses at a well known friend and horse breeder. Out of our 5, 2 Geldings and 3 mares. BlueJeans mare, Linda, a Pinto was pregnant. When we got back, Linda had been attacked by one of their Stallions, when a new helper accidently let the stallion into the pasture were our horses were. Of all the horses, he repeated attacking Linda, tearing her chest open, with bites on neck and face. Non of the others were attacked. They finally got the stallion out, and had called the Vet for emergency surgery. She came through and delivered a great baby, but the scars left kept her from Halter and western pleasure competition from then on.

Somewere we still have the photos from this attack and results. Linda, lived to be 33 years old. MT

[Tango Mike 20653]

Home Range got it right. They are all different. The only thing you can be sure of is this: if you have a stallion, he is capable of attacking any horse for any reason. Many never act up .... but I've learned never to trust one when another horse could be at risk.

[Home Range]

I will tell you I had a female client who had a stallion horse. Not because she wanted a stallion she just kept putting off gelding him. Finally she got the Vet lined out and the appointment made. Well, this time the Vet canceled because of an emergency. That afternoon the stallion caught her in a stall and attacked her. I asked because I had a hunch what happened. She was on her period and wearing shorts. The horse smelled the woman and went nuts. This horse she raised from birth out of one of her mares. I saw her handle this horse many many times with no problems. I never had a problem You just never know with live animals.

 

My Black Angus bull is out in the pasture now digging a hole to china because he has bred all my cows and now he wants to breed the neighbors cows a 1/2 section away. They are lowline cows and my bull is over 2000#, so it would be a bad bad thing. (they have all been bred by a lowline bull anyway)

[Trailrider #896]

I hope the lady was alright. I don't mean to be indelicate, but taking a human female anywhere there could be an encounter with an animal while she is having or a few days after her menses can be downright dangerous, if not fatal. Years ago, when a grizzly bear attacked some young employees who were camped out in Glacier National Park, in "The Night of the Grizzly", it was reported that the young woman was...well, you know. The young man with her attempted to defend, and was also mauled to death! In talking with a number of guides and outfitters up Montana way (I was stationed up there at the time), they warned about the possibilities for disasters like that. (That was right after the "Night".)

[Guest Grass Range #51406]

I have seen stallions beat up mares and one damn near killed a gelding of ours so my dad pulled his 94 out of the saddle scabbard and shot him on the spot. Had some good colts out of him before that. Some of them really get excited when women are around. Riding a mare once through the neighbors when one of his stallions jumped her so I got off and let him do the job but he sure beat up my saddle.

[Alpo]

So, apparently, there is no "they react this way". They are all different.

 

Book I'm reading, and he put the stud horse in a separate paddock, 'cause if he put him in with the geldings he would try to kill them. That brought about the question.

 

So while MY stallion might not care, YOUR stallion might try to do it. And HIS stallion would try it.

 

Thank y'all.

[Elk Creek LeMieux]

Horses are as predictable as people.

 

Which is to say, some very, some not at all.

 

We have a couple geldings that are great friends, until there's a mare around. Then they fight over the mare.

[Home Range]

So, apparently, there is no "they react this way". They are all different.

 

Book I'm reading, and he put the stud horse in a separate paddock, 'cause if he put him in with the geldings he would try to kill them. That brought about the question.

 

So while MY stallion might not care, YOUR stallion might try to do it. And HIS stallion would try it.

 

Thank y'all.

yes, there is no allways with live animals or people. Alot of stallion behavior is taught by the owner/handler. Some dont handle them at all, some handle them but are scared of them and scared to discipline them. Some people work well with stallions and teach the horse manners from the start. Even then anything can happen at anytime for any reason or no reason at all.