# Arabian Stallion questions



## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

It depends on the horse and how he's been handled. I was working at a breeding barn that had some of the nastiest, bad-tempered arab studs. Gorgeous horses with really good minds but they were in a stall most of the day so of course they were uppity. 

Other studs have acted more like geldings. These were ones that were taught they were to behave.

I love arabs. But I wouldn't have a stud unless I planned to breed it. They're more work than a gelding or mare. Some places won't let them in the arena, barn, etc. If they don't have a darn good reason to have their stallion bits, they get gelded in my book.


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## TwisterRush (Sep 8, 2009)

^ i agree with the above poster.

our first horses were arabs, but we had to sell them. 
We had one who was a stud and he was 5, we gelded him and he had the most hot and firey temperment, he gave a girl a minor concussion.
We had another one who was 3-4 and never been a sire, He had the best temperment we never gelded him. But sold him due to having back issue's when he was being trained for reining.

it really does depend on the horse.


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## Crimsonhorse01 (Sep 8, 2009)

No studs should be nasty in my opinion. Any that are should be gelded. Anyways, A very good friend of mine has an arab stud. 3 yr olds could ride him, she rides him with her 4 year little girl bareback and in a snaffle, you can take him around mares, very polite and well mannered. Hes still alive to at 26 with a body condition of a 16 yr old.
Have to add as well that my old child hood riding group also has a stud that everyone children to adults ride even around mares.


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## luvmyqh (Dec 10, 2009)

my girl friends arabin is not to bad and i show with them all the time but some times he has his days where she has to stuff in his nose i think is vicks. but i would not want to have to deal with it or mares!! lol


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## Eastowest (Mar 26, 2009)

I agree with the other post-ers-- it will depend on the stallion and the handling, training it has had, as well as its natural inclinations. (Some stallions, even with the most experienced training and handling, are tough to be around.)

I have owned several stallions including an excellent Arabian stallion, and some excellent Appaloosa stallions. I would not buy or keep a stallion around that was not gentlemanly (having a basic kind willing nature before training, and being mannerly after sufficient training-- I have experience handling stallions for both daily maintenence as well as breeding and some behaviors can be taught, refined, controlled, or if taught wrong, some things can be "undone"-- other things are part of that stallion's nature or have become ingrained habits and usually "go with him" no matter what training he is given) and my Appaloosas were every bit as nice to handle as the Arabian-- in some ways quieter. 

If you are not going to have your own mares to breed nor stand a stallion to the public, I would not keep an intact stallion around just to breed a mare or two for a previous owner. Even the nicest stallion has specific housing and handling needs, and even the mildest kindest stallion still has a strong built-in biological drive to seek out and breed mares..... IMO it would be more risk and trouble than it was worth to have a stallion if your main purpose was for a riding horse and trail partner. Plus, as others have mentioned, some events and trail rides do not allow ANY stallions.

As far as Arabian stallions being shown by youth-- meh, no biggie. Appaloosa stallions are allowed to be shown by youth in Open classes at Appaloosa shows as well. They used to be allowed in youth classes, but that was changed long ago mostly because there are a variety of ages and experience levels in a youth class, and not every youth should ride even a great stallion-- also other youth might not know what to do if their mare reacted to a stallion-- even if the stallion is totally mannerly, some mares KNOW a stallion is present, and the mare can be the troublemaker when she thinks a stallion is "available". 

There are other breeds where stallions can be shown by all ages as well-- the Arabian horse assoc. uses USEF rules to govern their shows, but not all other breeds use USEF, so saying Arabian is one of the only breeds that USEF allows youth to show stallions is misleading, since USEF doesn't make show rules for the majority of breeds anymore.


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## ScharmLily (Nov 23, 2009)

I truly believe that people either love arabs or hate them for a reason. First I'll say that I am a total arab person. I have 2 right now, and really can't see myself with any other breed any time soon. However, they are different from many other horses and if they are not handled correctly they can easily turn "bad" simply because they are so intelligent. You have to be smarter than them and treat them as individuals, not just follow certain guidelines that you may have learned from a trainer. People that have a genuine desire to bond with their horse and listen to them will usually do well with arabs. Those that are more workmanlike or just aren't as in tune to their horse generally don't. It also depends on what you want in a horse. If you want to show up at a barn, ride, put the horse away and leave, then an arab probably isn't for you, stallion or not. They NEED that interaction. 

For example, my trainer is GREAT with thoroughbreds. She can make them do anything and keeps them safe and sane. She also hates arabs...she thinks they're just crazy and hot. I'm definitely not a tb person, but put me on an arab and everyone is relaxed and happy. My friend was great at making lazy horses go, but would make an absolute basket-case out of any arab she sat on. So I hope this gave you a little more insight into arabians, but I also want to point out that like any breed, all horses are individuals and there are always exceptions. If you have little to no experience with arabians though I would not suggest that you start with a stallion however.


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## kevinshorses (Aug 15, 2009)

I think most people should not own stallions. If you are a beginner then you deffinately shouldn't own one. Keeping a horse a stallion is not a great way for the horse to live for the most part. They need to stay seperated from mares and often times geldings as well. I have a 5 year old stallion that I will geld this year if I don't get enough mares to breed to him. 

If you want an arab then my advice would be to buy a good one. Don't buy the cheap ones, they are cheap for a reason. Buy a broke gelding or mare. That way you will know what you are getting and you won't have to do a lot of work on it.


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## heyycutter (Sep 26, 2009)

ive trained several arabs, and trust me, they can be a handful. i wouldnt recommend getting a stallion unless your very experienced with arabs and riding and training in general, you have the extra time, the extra space. most barns wont even alow stallions on their property. buy a broke gelding or mare. their just as pretty but much easier to handle.


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## Tasia (Aug 17, 2009)

Any stud can be very clam and gentle, then they see a pretty girl...
I have rode three studs. I will stick with mares and gelding


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## qtrhrsecrazy (Aug 2, 2009)

I agree with above posts. Stay away from studs, especially a 2 year old. You'll have more grief than enjoyment with an arab colt


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## EllaEnchanted (Dec 31, 2007)

I didnt read any other posts so forgive me if this has been said but Id aim for a gelding if you want a nice clam trail buddy. We had an arab stud that we got from a woman who seriously never touched him and when they moved him from paddock to paddock they used a lungeline with a shank on it, and let him have as much of it as he wanted. Hed rear and spin and show off and they just let him. Then the abonded him and he was my problem. I never once had to put a shank over his nose, or give him tons of slack, but he did get very high strung around mares. I broke him as a stallion but there has to be no other horses in sight. This might be different with a younger guy thats socialized, but I would still shoot for a gelding instead. Even a year after we gelded our man he still thinks hes top dog. All 14.3hh of him ha ha


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## mom2pride (May 5, 2009)

Arabians in and of themselves are one of the most spirited breeds there are, and having worked with and handled so many Arabs, and a few studs, they are certainly not the calmest there is! That's not to say they are mean, or so hystrung you can't handle them, but I would prefer to work with a QH stallion than an Arab, if I had to choose between the two. 

I would recommend, especially, if you don't have prior experience with a stallion, that you keep looking; find another gelding, or a mare. Stallions, no matter how calm they are, should not be handled by those who are inexperienced in how to handle them, and certainly one who is not experienced in dealing with a stud should not own one, especially if they are going to be riding where they may encounter mares in heat; no matter how calm the stud, that can all go out the window if there is a mare in the vicinity.


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## SmoothTrails (Oct 1, 2009)

I would not recommend a young stallion of any breed. We have a 5 year old QH stallion who is very well mannered, even when mares are in heat, but he has been worked with intensively since he was young to get him used to being around them. He only breeds in his field, and he is expected to act just like our geldings would anywhere else. He does get a little antsy about girls or other stallions, but my geldings do as well to a point. He has learned to stay calm, not squeal and kick or exhibit "himself." It makes for a nice ride, but on bad days he is strong so it takes a strong handler who he trusts and respects to work him in stressful situations since he is still in training. 

I think with the right handling any breed of stallion can be a good riding companion, but you need to have experience with stallions or someone very experinced in training stallions to be like this. We have one gelding that is a gelding because he couldn't keep his mind straight. Ours keep their mind and their manhood, or they lose their manhood. We refuse to have a crazy mean stallion.


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