# Boarding with stallions



## phoenix heartbeat

Hey guys. I dont allow boarders unless their horses are in training with us (which I guess makes our place a boarding facility in a way lol) We currently stand 5 studs. They have their own little 6 stall barn and are separated from where my clients horses are kept. My question is for those of you who board your horses. Are you comfortable keeping your horses at a stable who allows stallions?

Ive herd some pretty bad story's from other BO's who have opted out of allowing stallions due to some pretty bad incidents that have happens with a clients stallion and another horse, or another client.

I board two of my horses currently at a place that dosnt allow stallions but I dont mind there being studs on the property just as long as they arent "crazy" (horse and owner 

So what's your opions?


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## Poseidon

My current barn doesn't have any stallions..actually there's only 3 geldings out of 12 horses. Before I moved her due to her health problems, she was at a place that stood two stallions. 

I was kind of annoyed by it because they were kept in kind of roundpen-like paddocks that were right next to the road leading away, so I if I wanted to go riding out, I would have to ride my mare by them. They would whinny and snort and just be obnoxious. Abby was spooked by it often.

That was my only issue with it, really.. I would have been impressed if one had gotten out and gotten to the mares because there were so many gates and fences separating them. I would have been very upset if that did happen though and my mare was bred because one of them was one of the fugliest stallions I've ever seen and I am not sure why they bred him..

But I didn't really have an awful experience with stallions..just a little annoyed.


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## TKButtermilk

The place I now board at (used to have my horses at home) has an Arabian stallion. I was NOT informed of this before I moved my mare there. I found out because he got out! Lovely. I wasn't there, I was just told about it. I knew there were two Arabs and I just assumed(and was right) that they were left over from the owners old breeding buisness. I never even thought of one being a stallion. He's 31 and doesn't do anything, is separate from everyone (unless someone forgets to properly latch a gate..) and you'd never know. I personally would not choose to board there had I known before I moved there that that was the case, honestly. I think it should absolutely be disclosed immediately that there is a stallion on the property. Then again I wasn't informed of the helmet rule till I went to ride either.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## FoxyRoxy1507

at one of the facilities i used to run was a breeding facility, we had including myself about 4 or 5 boarders, 3 stallions and the rest of the 20 horses were mares or fillies.

the stallions i worked with were trained correctly from the beginning and i kept up with their training as well, they were kept in the same barn with the mares and we never had problems, w all the stallions unless u looked u would have thought they were geldings. 

ive never had a problem w it as long as the stallions had manners and were handled by knowledgeable people..


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## mls

FoxyRoxy1507 said:


> ive never had a problem w it as long as the stallions had manners and were handled by knowledgeable people..


DING DING DING.

This is the reason we do not board or stand a stallion. Too many people THINK they know a whole lot more than they do.

They are a liability and the insurance rates reflect that.


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## BackInTheSaddleAgain

No way. One of the first questions I ask is "Do you board stallions" It's a deal breaker.

My facility even made a rule that pregnant mares aren't allowed, either, because we had a problem with people waiting too long to geld their colts. Good riddance.


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## gypsygirl

i would depending on the barn. the place i board at now does not allow stallion because the barn owner is not a horse person and we dont have good enough fences.


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## mooney

I can't and wouldn't board at a place that has stallions near or on the property, Mooney is a huge flirt in season and just the way she acts around geldings I can imagen what she would do with a stallion around. If the stallion wasn't temped to jump the fence Mooney would more than happily come to him. And she in no way needs to have a foal! 

On the other hand I have worked at a place that had up to four stallions at one time, I refused to work with them but two, because they didn't behave and were down right dangerous to work with. The other two I was more than happy to saddle or harness and work. Than again alot of their horses were dangerous to handle without a stud chain!!


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## Arksly

I think it all depends on the facilities and the people there. I have, in the past, boarded at a facility with a stallion. The stallion was in the main barn, but in an special "stallion" stall, was in a special paddock (probably two to three feet higher than all of the other paddocks) that was very sturdy. At my current barn, I would be a little leery if a stallion was brought in because I don't trust the fences. 

But as long as there are extra precautions to make sure that the stallion(s) don't/doesn't get out and are handled properly, I don't see a problem with it.


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## AlexS

I can't really answer your question without knowing more about your facilities and fencing and staff abilities (if you have them).


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## Countrylady1071

I board my horse at a barn with two studs, and i've never really had a problem. There are two aisles with the indoor in between them, with one stallion in each aisle. Unfortunately one is blind  and doesn't get outside much because of that.. and you wouldn't know he was a stallion except that he screams once in a while when horses are being let in. The other stallion is an Arab who belongs to the barn owner, and he's on my side of the barn. He's well mannered outside his stall and his best friend is one of the geldings there. The only issue is his stall is right next to a set of crossties, and he squeals and kicks occasionally at your horse if you have him in the crossties. It doesn't faze my boy but it has definitely made me jump a few times! I don't mind boarding with stallions as long as they're handled appropriately, I can imagine how it could be a bad situation depending on each individual stud and his owners/handlers. Also I would probably feel differently if I had a made.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## haleylvsshammy

I currently board my baby with a stallion. He boards where there are three stalls, and two large pastures. The stallion and my gelding are best buddies. They are about the same age (about 2, the stally being slightly older than my boy). We have had issues, because the stallion did try to mount my gelding a few times, but then my boy kicked him in the face and there is no longer a problem . You could consider it annoying that the stallion is always whinnying to my boy when he leaves and is out of his sight, but my boy doesn't even care. Now the bad part is that I board in a neighborhood where no stallions are allowed, I wonder if they'll get caught...


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## AllegroAdante

I guess it would depend on how things were set up. 

I was very upset with my last BO when he accepted a boarder with a stallion and mare. He proceeded to put them both in the pasture with my 2 geldings (as well as his 2) without telling me about it! Who does that? 

My boys ended up with some scrapes, but luckily nothing major. 

Subsequently that was one of the main reasons I moved. I found a place with some land and got them out of there.

However, if there was appropriate fencing and a way to keep them separate from my horses, I probably wouldn't mind too much. I don't know if having a mare would make me feel differently though.


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## Hali

Our stable has 4 stallions. My mares paddock is a couple paddocks over from theirs and I've never had issues with them. During breeding season they are moved to an area of the property that is inaccessible to the boarders. They are very polite, well mannered horses and the fact that they are stallions doesn't bother me (or my mare) in the slightest. The do like to wicker and whinny at my mare sometimes when I walk her past them to the barn but never more than that and she doesn't care much for them. 

Now, had they been unruly studs, or had the facilities have poor fencing (ours are 6 ft metal piping - they could hold stampeding elephants) then I would probably be concerned, but as this is not the case, I'm quite happy where I am.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## SEAmom

I've never had a bad experience boarding with a stallion. In fact, I couldn't have gotten my horse if my current barn didn't allow stallions. There are currently 2 stallions and a stud colt at my barn and they're all better behaved than any of the other horses in the barn. My 5 year old daughter has been leadlining on the 12 yo English pleasure Arabian stallion since she was 3. She even leads him around. My horse's best friend and favorite playmate is the stud colt and they're a couple of weeks apart in age.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## WesternJake

My barn has one stallion. He used to be kept away from the mares when outside, but now his paddock is down the same path as their's. He's still two paddocks down, though, they're not directly across from him. 

He respects fences VERY well, and the fencing is strudy and quite high, so there's no worries about him getting out. Heck, his previous pen was just 2 strands of hot wire and he never got out of that. This other fencing is like, 7 or 8 strands of wire (not hot). 

He isn't kept with geldings or anything, but there aren't any issues with him at all. He is very well mannered and behaved.

Emily


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## OneHotFuzz

I personally never will again. Where I am right now there are 4 studs on the property. Not well broke, have nothing to prove they are worth breeding too. In my own opinion they should be gelded... It's not so much i've had bad experiences with the horses themselves, but if they have stallions hat shouldn't be stallions in the first place, then you get into the questions like "Why are they breeding more rubbish?" "what other things do the BO have bad judgment about?" and if they are breeding back to their own mares, are they going to train those babies and sell them or are they going to end up being pasture ornaments that cost a lot of money? Those are my issues with barns that have studs. However, It's a completely different thing if the stud on the property are working, well trained, have good conformation, decent lines and can actually DO something to prove they are worth their stud fee. I would have no problem being at a boarding facility that had a proven stud with nice conformation that worked and was good at his job. By all means breed to anyone who wants his babies! But when the stud hasn't even earned the equivalent of his own stud fee, thats where I draw the line because it's aggravating watching horses get bred when no one is going to ever buy or train the foal, because the stud or mare shouldn't have ever been bred in the first place.


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## apachiedragon

I think it very much depends on the stallion, the facility, and the people handling him. As long as there is full disclosure up front, and I can see that things are handled properly, it wouldn't bother me at all. I have been both in barns without, and barns with. To be honest, I had more problems with the geldings at the barn with no stud getting out or being aggressive than the three studs at the barn that had them. They were well-behaved and properly trained, and in appropriate fencing.

I have one of my own, and he is turned out with geldings daily, with no problems. Would I introduce a new horse to his pasture, or even the one adjacent? Not without some serious pre-work first. It's all about being a conscientious owner, or BO.


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## SPhorsemanship

I used to board my horse at a breeding/lesson barn where there were about nine stallions and over twenty broodmares. There was over one hundred horses on the entire farm...it was large. I never had or saw any problems with the stallions. They were handled by experience people and always with stud chains. Most of them weren't very stallionish. They were kept separately in stallion runs with very high walls. At my new stable there is one stallion. He is in training to be a grand prix stallion and is handled by his two owners who are very experienced. He is kept separate from the other horses but he is really not stallionish and he has fantastic manners!! 
At one stable I was at, there were two young stallions (5-6 years old). They were very stallionish and they were kept in special pens with high fences and their stalls were completely closed in. They weren't aloud in the cross ties either. Luckly they had experienced handlers to. It could have been much worse with inexperienced people. 

It depends on the stallion, the training and most especially the handler.


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## Lolamae

I don't take stallions at my barn and that is because I have my own stallion, he has his own paddock and his own walkway. He's a pretty mellow chap who has weanlings for company in the winter and a mare or two with him in the summer.

One of the first things I tell prospective Boarders is that I *do* have a breeding stallion on the property, and that there are certain rules in place to keep everyone (horse and human) safe, it is then up to them whether they choose to board here or not.


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## equus717

I also have a breeding stallion. We aren't breeding at the moment. I boarded before and they also had a stallion I did not like theirs at all. He would nicker and kick whenever a mare walked by his stall. My stud was always quiet. Even now at 9 years old no one even knows he is stud when they come by. People ask us all the time is that a gelding nope he is a stud. We don't use a stud chain on him but he is handle everyday. I think it depends on the owners and the stallion itself if I would agree to have another one on the property.


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## crimsonsky

my first boarder ever (when i did board horses) was a stud and he was fine to have. if he didn't have such nice manners i'm not sure i would have taken him on but it worked out for me. i have a colt now and i know i would have issues finding a place that i could board him if i needed to solely because he is still intact and people have their opinions on such things. other than that i've never boarded at a facility with stallions.


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## masatisan

I board at a breeding barn, so of course, there are stallions. The three stallions spend the majority of the time in their stalls, but usually only the old one is noisy. If I had a mare I might be a little more nervous because I know there are at least two accident babies there, and a baby is not something I would want.

Sometimes when I go to put Caleb in the crossties people look at me like I'm crazy because they are right beside Lucifer's stall, and he could reach over and bite Caleb's bum. Nothing has happened yet though, so I don't really worry, if it was really dangerous the B.O would take the crossties down.


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## phoenix heartbeat

hey guys let me start by applogising that I'm just not getting back to this thread! I completely forgot I had started it! Anyway!

@AlexS sorry im just not getting around to answering your question but I totally forgot I started this thread until I was going through my email and deleted junk! What exacly are you wanting to know? We have 15 acres. Thats completely fenced in. One string of hot wire on the outside (to keep the neighbors dogs out and coyotes) and 3 on the inside. Top middle and bottom. We have two barns. The stallion barn which has 6 stalls each with large runs that also have 6ft wood fencing with 4 strands of hot wire. Then our main barn which has 15 stalls. Both barns have feed rooms, hay storage, tack rooms and an office.

We also have a large outdoor arena that we will be covering this spring/summer. So I can finally RIDE all winter without trailering!

My mom and grandparents trained, bred and showed horses so I was kind of born into it. My uncle handles our boys in the breeding shed and I or my mother handle the mares. Our staff consists of me, my mom, my hubs and my grandpa and three stable hands/students (they DO NOT handle the stallions unless i'm there.) 

If you want to know more just ask. I wasnt sure exactly what you were looking for.


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## JerBear

It would be a problem situation defiantly if someone put a mare next to him or a flighty horse..... I dont mind stallions though. Just as long as you really know how to handle them and keep their wandering minds on you and only you... haha I think there was a total of 4 or 5 stallions at Meredith Manor.... The ground manners they taught us there was an extremely effective way of keeping a stallion under control when they tried to get out of our control.... They were kept in the same barns as mares... We just made sure they werent RIGHT next to a mare but they were close enough. We had some pretty unruly stallions too.... My instructors Andalusian stallion was VERY unruly.... Had to be on top of your game when leading him around. But he never got to bad with the right maneuvers used on him....


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## back in the crosby again

I have a no stud policy at my place. I have boarded at places with studs and if I was looking to board I would look for a place without. It would not be a deal breaker, but it would be on my list of preferences. 

This is because I have seen a lot more places with poorly managed studs then well managed ones. 

The first place I was at had about 4 studs they were in the general population of horses. They were aggressive and dangerous to handle. All but one was stall kept 24/7. It created a lot of problems with some of the kids who had mares. This was one of the many problems and dangerous situations that this barn had, looking back I am amazed that there where not more injuries then there were. 

The second place had 2 studs in large stalls at the end of the barn. These stalls had full bars and large paddocks (~24x50) with 6 foot fences attached to the stall. They were rode regularly and shown a lot. They were both easy to handle and one was a little on the aggressive side, but not too bad. (Honestly probably easier to handle then my gelding.) This is probably the best stallion management that I have ever experienced first hand.


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## Beauseant

I would not board my horses at a place that had studs. Actually i should rephrase that to COULD NOT ......

My 6 yr. old OTTB gelding has severe alpha aggression. 












He's a total love bug with people, but does not get along with other horses well. Before we bought him, he was turned out with other geldings and a stallion. He fought the stallion day by day....he would not back down......how it ended was that Beau, my OTTB, was removed from the herd and put in a pasture with cows ...to save his life. He was badly mauled and injured by the stallion and STILL he would not accept his place in the herd as anything other than top dog. Despite huge hunks of his neck being bitten out, so many, so deep and so large we thought the hair would never regrow...he fought on. If we boarded him at a place with a stallion, I would not trust HIM not to go after the stallion....he has proven that he has serious alpha aggression and will fight to the death (his or otherwise).

His temporary farm we moved him to after we bought him, he was put in with mares and geldings mixed....a herd of 8. He had taken over the herd within weeks...fighting his way to the top. And he ruled with an iron fist. Most of the horses refused to be caught anywhere near him.....and when he herded them about the pasture, they sure did gallop without hesitation. All 8 of them. He herded them like a boarder collie. :lol:


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## Shenandoah

Normally I wouldn't board anywhere with stallions. Too many people just don't know how to handle them, and even a series of visits and interviews with the barn manager isn't always enough to get a feel for how experienced they are with stallions.

However, that said, I did board with a stallion once. The place came to me highly recommended from a previous barn manager/trainer/friend. She had decided to get out of boarding due to starting vet school, and thought this other place would be a good match for me.
Turned out great, the barn manager truly was highly experienced with stallions, and the stallion was the sweetest thing. I never once saw him acting "studdy" towards people, even when I watched live cover breedings.

But in general, I wouldn't do it.


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## ButtInTheDirt

It would really depend on the fencing and how the stallions behave. If the stable is built like a fortress and the studs behave like royalty, then I wouldn't mind. I have my horses on my own family's farm, but there is a farm down the road from us that breeds Ponies of the Americas. They always had one stud there, and he was very well behaved. The fences are decent, two panels with two wires that are hot. That stud died a few months ago, but since they had a contract to breed back some of their mares, they have another POA stud there. He is sort of crazy, and whinnies all the time, but is decent to handle. He actually is probably way to short to jump any of the fencing, poor little stallion. xD (They have had issues with the other, taller horses jumping fences, though.) As long as fences are compatible with ALL of the horses, things should be fine.


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## ilovemyPhillip

I board my gelding at my work, they have a no stud policy. (They have well over 20 mares on the property) geldings can break fences, so stallions could. My gelding actually jumped fences for mares (he loves ladies, doesn't mount them).

At my place, I would allow a stallion if I kept my mare stalled, and he was in a secure area (round pen/stall).


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## thesilverspear

I've boarded at a few places with stallions and never had any bother with them. But it depends on the horse.

One was an ex-Arab breeding barn and by the time I was there, the stallion was in 20s. Never a more gentlemanly horse have you met. Just a lovely temperament. 

At another barn where I worked for a little while, which was mostly full of the trainer's German imports and a few boarders (most of whom worked there), there was an American Warmblood stallion owned by a boarder. That horse was far better behaved than the trainer's fancy Hanoverian geldings. If you got to work with him and saved one badly mannered Hanoverian that day, you were having a good day.

Then at another barn I was at, the owner let a pal of hers attempt to keep her Highland stallion there as an experiment, to see how he got on at a busy yard with lots of people, mares, and geldings about. The experiment didn't last very long, as the horse started getting a little nutty every time a mare went past his stall or field, and the girls who worked at the barn were having a harder and harder time handling him. 

This horse had spent his life on his owner's farm, with his own little herd of mares, and had never been away or surrounded by horses which weren't "his" 'till she brought him to the stable in Edinburgh. The two horses mentioned above had spent their lives at stables where lots was going on which didn't involve them or breeding.


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## hunterjumper2011

when we moved the barn I ride/work at, the only place that was open was a private barn that had a total of 4 studs. 3 of them were pretty nice to handle... but the 4th, the youngest one, was very difficult to handle - sometimes he was downright dangerous. They stood in stalls all day and only got out in the indoor for an hour or so and that probably contributed to the 4th stud's wild antics but either way it was kind of nerve wracking. 

However, another trainer I worked with has a stud and you would never know he was one unless you took a look between his legs, lol  I really think it depends on the owner and the behavior of the stud.


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## Tasia

I have boarded at 3 barns and spent time around a few others and they always have more than one stallion the last barn I worked and boarded at had 8! Another one had three and the other had four. There has yet to be a incident. 
I did get kicked my morgan stallion though, that horse should been gelded ages ago.


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