# Socializing a Stallion



## waresbear

I wouldn't risk it, but stallions that have fenceline contact with mares is perfectly fine from what I have seen.


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## NBEventer

I worked on a farm that had their stallions turned out with geldings no issues at all. I even worked at one farm that had their two stallions turned out together in a large field and there was never any problems at all. Not something I would personally want to do, but it seemed to work for them. 

A stallion out with geldings if they are introduced early enough in the stallions life in a large field can work. This is something I would introduce early in their lives though. As in I raised the colt and kept him out with others. Then he doesn't know any other life. Something I would still watch closely though.


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## toto

The gelding we now have used to be out with a stud another 2 geldings and 3 mares.. oh he was out with babies too.. a colt and 2 fillies.. lol. 

its all about the studs demeanor.. i wouldnt put a highstrung stud out with them but a calmer easy goin stud-yes.. and yes- id put him out in the herd as a young colt.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians

Jalter said:


> In the future, I am debating on starting a horse breeding stable. I understand I have a lot to learn, so please don't assume I am starting this tomorrow with still so much to learn haha.
> 
> I understand that stallions are destined to live a lonely life. They tend to be aggressive towards geldings, and obviously can't be kept with mares a majority of the time. In my opinion, horses should have as much social interaction as possible; separated from other horses by stud proof fences doesn't seem to be enough to make the horse happy in my opinion.
> 
> Basically, I'd like to be able to turn all of my horses out at one time. The turnouts will separate the stallion from the mares. If at all possible, I would like to have at least one other horse in the stallion's turnout. Then again, I do not want to endanger the gelding that is put with him.
> 
> What would it take to have a stallion get along with a gelding? If I bought a stallion as a young colt and turned him out with an older gelding, would he grow up to be 'nicer' towards other geldings?
> 
> How would I go about introducing a grown stallion to a gelding?
> 
> Thanks.


My stallion(s) are in the barn, right next their mares and if they get along with each other (through the wire separators) they can stall next to each other. Most of the time, I keep them right next to the mares, open or not. They go out to pasture with whomever is in foal until the foal arrives. I don't put more than one stallion in a pasture at a time but I might put one in with 3 or 4 bred mares. When open the mares and foals hang out together, and if I have a gelding, they hang out with the open mares. I can keep at least one bred mare with a stallion 97% of the time. 

Right now, I'm only standing one stallion and he's out in a small (2 acre) pasture alone for the time being. My first mare goes for a preg check tomorrow and if bred, she'll go right out with him. The 2nd mare will be bred in a few days and as soon as she's confirmed in foal, she'll go out with him. That way, he'll have company for the next year at least. I also have a very young colt that is out with him right now, the stallion doesn't mind him a bit because he's just a baby. The stallion is keeping the baby happy while he's weaned, baby is keeping stallion happy til there's a bred mare. This stallion is extremely gentle and plays with the babies, so I'm lucky there, not all stallions are this good natured. 

Stallions are a PIA. They require a lot more security, really awesome ground manners and can't be allowed to get away with things that you'd let a gelding or mare get away with. That's the down side. The up side? They're fun to have around, have more fire than most geldings, are braver than most geldings when ridden and tend to like to show off more than most geldings. So, I'll qualify the PIA statement with, They're also worth it, if you have a nice one.


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## waresbear

I heard of stallions being turned out with geldings, but sorry, if it were me, I wouldn't risk it, chances are it wouldn't turn out nicely.


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## apachiedragon

My stallion has been going out with geldings all his life with no issues. His sire, who we got as an older stud and had for several years, was eventually able to go out with geldings as well, even though he had not had the opportunity earlier in life. It very much depends on the personality of the horse. It is always a risk, turning any horse out with another horse. 

There are some farms that have separate turnouts for mares and geldings, and some have mixed herds. Some only do individual or pairs turnout. I even knew one place that turned out according to color. There is no proof that any of those arrangements worked any better than others, but it is what worked FOR THEM. I think that if you know the horses, take precautions, particularly while introducing them, and can lessen the risk as much as possible, that it comes down to a case by case situation.


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## dbarabians

With the mares in close contact with Star he is much calmer.
I would put him out with a bred mare or young colt but there are other horses nearby. He is quite protective of his harem.
I even know of one place that keeps the stallion with the mares in pastures surrounded by barbed wire.
If I ever enclose more than the 3 acres I have for Stars pen at the farm I might turn him out with a couple of mares.
Here at the place in collin county the pastures are fenced with barbed wire.
Something I might change while I am here. Shalom


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## TheLastUnicorn

We do it.

It works best with stallions raised "socially", and better still if there are no mares nearby to get them worked up (this is an issue more in the spring... In the winter we have had stallions with each other and geldings with the mares next door... But things get rough in that situation once the hormones start running) 

The other big factor is space.... There MUST be enough space for the boys to give each other "respectable room" because if there isn't real fights can errupt, rather than just play. How much is "enough" can really depend on the horse... But the general rule of one acre per horse has been working for us. 

Here are some pics of our guys...

Two stallions, these guys were good pals for many years... They sort of grew up together









Stud colt on the right learning the ropes from my "calming" gelding









Same colt a couple years later with his bestest pal in the world, Pilgrim, a late gelded Shetland X pony









I have others, but need to run for now...


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## BlueSpark

My BO has a lovely thoroughbred stallion. he is fine in with the mini donkey, young colts, geldings, bred mares. He is, however, in high demand for the next few months, and has several mares booked. To keep his energy up he is in a corral(large corral) that is completely separate from the other horses, with just a mini donkey for company. Other stallions may be different, but this guy will run, argue with the geldings over the fence and tease the mares until he's exhausted. Once things slow down(end of july/august) he will be back out with some bred mares again.


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## Golden Horse

When I got my stud I was told he couldn't live with anyone, but actually he was a real gentleman when kept with bred mares, in fact he turned out to be a real coward when kept with bred mares


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## SlideStop

You can always get some older barren mares, assuming your stallion won't physically harass and torment anything with 4 legs. I'm sure there are plenty older mares that could use a good home. 

... Or you could be the first to create the horse chastity belt!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## dbarabians

Slidestop one of those older barren mares that I know of foaled at 28. She was bred several times in her early 20's and did not take. her owners thought she would be a good companion for a 2 YO stud. She taught him more than manners it seems. Shalom


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## Joie

I have had several stallions. Personally, I always work to socialize them into some sort of a herd. 

It may take time, but I find that they are happier, healthier, and tend to work better when they aren't constantly thinking about BREEDING mares...if they are living with them, they tend to lose the focus on the mares as being ONLY for breeding. 

Now, this is MY experience, and MY opinion, but it's what I do. If I raise a colt as a stallion prospect, he is raised in a mixed herd. It can be difficult to make sure he's always in with bred mares, so there are no "accidents", but this is what works for me. 

When I have acquired an older stallion, whether he be right off the track, or a horse that has been breeding, they get acclimated into a social environment at their own pace. Some take to it faster than others. 

I have VERY good, old mares that know how to "teach" a horse his manners without being overly nasty (for the most part). I have had ONE stallion just "not get it" right away and he ended up with a pretty big hematoma on his chest. He didn't get the signals for a few days, and this was a horse that had been bred in hand for YEARS. He figured it out, and was none the worse for wear.


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## TheLastUnicorn

BlueSpark said:


> My BO has a lovely thoroughbred stallion. he is fine in with the mini donkey, young colts, geldings, bred mares. He is, however, in high demand for the next few months, and has several mares booked. To keep his energy up he is in a corral(large corral) that is completely separate from the other horses, with just a mini donkey for company. Other stallions may be different, but this guy will run, argue with the geldings over the fence and tease the mares until he's exhausted. Once things slow down(end of july/august) he will be back out with some bred mares again.


Yes, this can happen.


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## stallion19

My stallion Storm is verry gentle and loving!!!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## cenproweb

I raised a colt and had him gelded. Then bred his mother again and had another colt when the gelding was 4 years old. The second colt was a beauty so I didn't geld him. The gelding and stud colt played rough together for years and I kept them with his mare and foals and a new colt. No injuries or problems until one day I saw the stud chasing the gelding and colt and they had fear in their eyes so I slammed the gate on the stallion and kept them separated thereafter. But I did put the mare in with the stallion and she had another colt. That colt and the stallion would stand together and groom each other real cute. But I took the mare and colt out of his pasture when she was about to foal again. I kept his 3 year old colt and yearling colt together in a large pasture where the younger colt could get away from his brother. But when I moved to a smaller area I had to separate them because the younger stud colt was tenderfooted and couldn't handle the rocky soil and got picked on by his bigger brother. So it all depends on the horses and things can change rapidly so watch for problems.


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## Sereno

cenproweb said:


> I raised a colt and had him gelded. Then bred his mother again and had another colt when the gelding was 4 years old. The second colt was a beauty so I didn't geld him. The gelding and stud colt played rough together for years and I kept them with his mare and foals and a new colt. No injuries or problems until one day I saw the stud chasing the gelding and colt and they had fear in their eyes so I slammed the gate on the stallion and kept them separated thereafter. But I did put the mare in with the stallion and she had another colt. That colt and the stallion would stand together and groom each other real cute. But I took the mare and colt out of his pasture when she was about to foal again. I kept his 3 year old colt and yearling colt together in a large pasture where the younger colt could get away from his brother. But when I moved to a smaller area I had to separate them because the younger stud colt was tenderfooted and couldn't handle the rocky soil and got picked on by his bigger brother. So it all depends on the horses and things can change rapidly so watch for problems.


Thanks for sharing. VERY lucky that you saw what was going on and got everything under control.

Our hired hand left the gate unlatched. BEST BUDS gelding and stallion got together ......... and ripped the wholly (fill in blank) out of each other. Being buds across the fence, where they can walk away is one thing, being in the same pasture is another.


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## rbarlo32

I have 4 entire males and a gelding living happily together most of the year, this time of year they play fight the worse they come away with is the off minor cut but these boys have lived with over ponies their whole lives. Maybe Shetland ponies are different in the way that they can live together as a shetland can rarely be kept on its own otherwise it freaks out.


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## Sereno

rbarlo32 said:


> I have 4 entire males and a gelding living happily together most of the year, this time of year they play fight the worse they come away with is the off minor cut but these boys have lived with over ponies their whole lives. Maybe Shetland ponies are different in the way that they can live together as a shetland can rarely be kept on its own otherwise it freaks out.


I don't know! I can only post what I have experienced and respect what others have. Our Stallion is not isolated. He is around the gelding and they "play" across the fence and stall divider. The mare IS kept a little further away but all can see each other in stall and pasture. We ride with others, gelding, mares and stallions and ours are taken out and groomed, saddled, walked and ridden as a group BUT with a little distance and eye on our stallion.


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## dbarabians

My boy as stated can touch noses with his harem anytime he pleases. I do not allow any other equine males in that pasture or near the mares.
Star was kept isolated for a good deal of his life. He was underwiehght and paced constantly.
he no longer paces and is in great condition.
If I did not have mares and there were none close I would allow Star and any geldings to run as a herd. Shalom


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## cenproweb

I was taking riding lessons on a stallion when my colt was born. So I decided not to geld him. I read a book on stallion management and it recommended keeping stallions two fences away from other horses. Where I used to live I just put up a hot wire fence about 8 feet away from the stallion pens to keep the herd from fighting or breeding over the fence. At another place I lived my mare was a pipe gate away from the stallion when I stopped putting her in with the stallion. But whenever she came in season I would keep her out of that area. But they can get sneaky when they realize they are being thwarted in their efforts to breed. So evidently he managed to breed her through the gate because I had one more unexpected beautiful stud colt born.


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## Sereno

cenproweb said:


> I was taking riding lessons on a stallion when my colt was born. So I decided not to geld him. I read a book on stallion management and it recommended keeping stallions two fences away from other horses. Where I used to live I just put up a hot wire fence about 8 feet away from the stallion pens to keep the herd from fighting or breeding over the fence. At another place I lived my mare was a pipe gate away from the stallion when I stopped putting her in with the stallion. But whenever she came in season I would keep her out of that area. But they can get sneaky when they realize they are being thwarted in their efforts to breed. So evidently he managed to breed her through the gate because I had one more unexpected beautiful stud colt born.


Nice to know that you could track your mare so well. :shock:  Yet your horses managed to get thru fences and? Never mind.


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## cenproweb

Well yeah he probably reared up on the gate and she probably backed up to the gate and the rest is history ;>


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## rookie

I think it depends on the stallion. Some studs can handle being around mares and not covering them, while others can not. Then again, the Bruce effect is well documented (where a female of a given species aborts/resorbs when introduced to a new male). It can be a matter of management/training but at the end of the day is a liability to co-house studs and other horses. If a person feels that its worth the risk than more power to em. That said, others feel its not worth the risk and thats also perfectly acceptable in my book. If I had a stud I would house it with mares or geldings for the pure reason that a stallion with his fighting dander up is not something I want to handle.


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## dbarabians

Stallions do not live every minute primed for a fight. When you introduce another horse into the herd or area he is kept in then you have his undivided attention. Proper training and handling though keeps his attention on the handler.
I only use rope halters and can walk Star through a group of mares or geldings.
He prances and talks the whole time but never tugs on the lead rope or attempts to mount or fight a horse. Even mares in heat squirting and swinging their tails toward him.
I would never keep a stallion that I could not handle safely. There are those that are not trustworthy. IMO that is a rarity not the norm.
I do know every move Star makes when I am handling him but that also applies to every mare and gelding that I have ever owned. Shalom


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