# Mares Running From Stallion?



## ButtInTheDirt (Jan 16, 2011)

I recently bought a wonderful, gentle registered stallion and I brought him home today. I put him in a paddock with two of my mares, neither are in heat, and all my mares do is run back and fourth in the pen. At first he was chasing them, but after two or three laps he is just standing in the middle. He looks at them when they run by, and slowly walks towards them when they stand still. He doesn't run with ears pinned, or with any sort of malice. Mostly he is staring over the fence looking at the horses he can't see. The mares he is in with are two mares that he has been pastured with/over the fence from. One he has sired two prior foals with. The mares have calmed down a little, and he is a well socialized stud, and not one that runs and covers the nearest thing that stands still. My mares have really worked up a sweat, and I don't want them to run too hard. Will it settle in a day? He is such a calm stud, and has done some of the general gestures a stallion will, but remains respectful. The way they are running you would swear he is an axe murderer. Do I just leave them be, or let them run their wild brains out? Thank you for the help, he is my first stallion and while he doesn't have me worried, I don't want my mares to run themselves silly.
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## ligoleth (Sep 9, 2011)

Are you intending to breed?


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## ForeverSunRider (Jun 27, 2013)

Unless you have the intent to have two baby horses next year I would take the stud out.


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## Drifting (Oct 26, 2011)

Most of the mares on the farm I'm at are not interested in the stallion on the premises unless they're in heat. They act a little like snobs and turn their nose and ignore him (or the younger ones try spooking away when they walk by his paddock.)

They're probably just not that interested in him, but I'm sure once they are in heat they will be absolute hussies. LoL

Maybe try throwing a few piles of really yummy hay out and see if that distracts the mares? I wouldn't want them running into the ground either, they should stop after a little bit. If they don't, you may have to separate and try again when they're in heat.


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## ButtInTheDirt (Jan 16, 2011)

Yes, I have full intentions of breeding these mares. :wink: I probably should have specified, but indeed this is my intention. 

They have caught their breath a bit, and now of course it is dark out. The younger mare still runs a bit but the older mare will wait until he's close before scampering away. I have a paddock right next to the paddock they are in that I intended to put the stud in if they don't figure it out, and I'd wait until they were in heat. Tomorrow I am making fence, so they'll have a bit bigger pasture soon. I just don't want them to trash the new seeding.

I am not sure what I expected, but I had hoped that when he figured he wasn't going to get any they'd all just go back to eating. He was actually just pastured with a mare that has not let him so much as look at her for the years they've been together. They really wanted to breed the pair of them, but she absolutely will not have it. They were pretty good friends, but he never got anywhere with her. 

As a first time stud owner I am just concerned about the mares. But like I said - he isn't so much as giving them a dirty look. If he was running them down he'd be out of that pen yesterday. He bit my younger mare in the excitement of their first row, but hasn't touched them since.
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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

All our mares have "on/off" switches that can change in a heartbeat. When they're ready, they're ready. When they're not, they will kick the crap out of a stallion expressing any interest. There is no in-between with them.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

PaintHorseMares said:


> All our mares have "on/off" switches that can change in a heartbeat. When they're ready, they're ready. When they're not, they will kick the crap out of a stallion expressing any interest. There is no in-between with them.


That's normal mare behavior. 

I'd separate them for now, then put him back in with the girls when they're receptive. Once the mares are bred, there's nothing better for putting a stallion in his place than a pregnant mare.


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## ButtInTheDirt (Jan 16, 2011)

I went out this morning and they were all standing around together. My younger, maiden mare as a few bites on her, but the older mare has not even a hair out of place. The younger lass is a bit wiley, and squirrels around when he does anything. The old mare just gives him a look, and he moves away! Hopefully she settles down and they can all get along peacefully.
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## Dustbunny (Oct 22, 2012)

I probably would not have thrown them all together without letting them get acquainted with a good fence in between first. 
I'm sure the girls would let him know when they are interested.


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

Dustbunny said:


> I probably would not have thrown them all together without letting them get acquainted with a good fence in between first.
> I'm sure the girls would let him know when they are interested.


That's how I feel too. I would not have just thrown a new horse into the mix (stallion or not) without them spending some time sharing a fence line first.


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## dbarabians (May 21, 2011)

the mares determine when they are ready to breed not the stallion.
Both my mature stallions know better than to approach a mare without her permission. Pregnant or not they tolerate no rude behavior .
When either of my stallions arrived they quickly announced their presence and every horse on the property got very excited.
The mares paced the fence and ran around bucking in their pastures.
Sounds as if your mares were strutting their stuff for the new king.
I would not worry. 
However if another horse is near their pasture and a male that stallion will defend his mares. In a herd situation he and those mares need their privacy. Shalom


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

op said they have shared a fence for a while. That's why op was kinda confused by the behavior.


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

KigerQueen said:


> op said they have shared a fence for a while. That's why op was kinda confused by the behavior.


Oohps, I missed that.


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## Dustbunny (Oct 22, 2012)

trailhorserider said:


> Oohps, I missed that.


 Same here. 
Sorry for the earlier post. Sounded like the horse was brought home and put with the mares. But they had been pastured next to each other for a time? Someplace? I need to spend more time reading......


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

She said the older mare has been bred to the stud before so its not like she has never been out with him. Think the mares where just being mares?


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## Palomine (Oct 30, 2010)

KigerQueen said:


> She said the older mare has been bred to the stud before so its not like she has never been out with him. Think the mares where just being mares?



Sorry but that makes no sense. I've taken horses off the farm and pastured elsewhere that the other horses knew well, and knew exactly where that one or two fit into pecking order.

When they came home, they acted like any horses will do, settling who was in charge....and who wasn't, all over again. If it was only for a day or so, or less? Than would put them back in. But if it was week or month or more? Let them get used to each other over fence. Throwing any horses back together still can need readjustment period, and separation too.

Saw someone said OP did have fence between them. So in this case, were just being horses.

But worth mentioning that the pecking order shifts every single time horse is moved in or out.


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## Remali (Jul 22, 2008)

I'd separate the mares from the stallion.


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## ButtInTheDirt (Jan 16, 2011)

An update for any who were curious on how it went. And a few clarifications.

All three horses knew each other prior to be put in together. I have owned the mares for a couple years before I bought the stallion, and the older mare was bred and pastured with the stallion for years. The younger mare was never bred by this stallion, but shared a fence line with him for a long time. Then I bought the mares and they were separated from him for a few years. When I bought the stallion they were put back together.

After a few days they all calmed down, but my youngest mare would go out of her way to chase him down. The stallion and older mare would sniff noses, and the younger mare would come running over and give him a wallop. He of course was interested in the mares, but when I bought him he was somewhat lame due to lack of farrier care and did not chase them, but followed them. Within a week the younger mare came into heat and she was covered several times and finally has been holding herself back from running up and giving him what for. A few days later my older mare came into heat, and she was covered several times. 

Farrier and vet looked at stud, he got his hooves trimmed and he is walking, trotting, and cantering like a new man. Both mares and stud all get along like one little family, and now that the mares are coming out of heat most people who see him standing around think he's a gelding. My farrier even thought so, until he looked underneath. He is an absolute gentleman, and I cannot wait to start retraining him. Everything is going well now, and I will observe the mares to see if they come back into heat. If not, the vet will be out to preg check both of them. Very exciting.  Thanks everyone for the replies!


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