Horses: February 2014

The King of Stallions Zutano EDA saying hello to Arriero Cruz and Heroe de Honor LF

It is a proven fact that horses are very social creatures. By nature all horses in the wild depend on each other to find food, shelter, water, and protection from potential predators. Mares care for their young and call them with verbal commands when the foals get too far from the herd. Youngsters show submission and respect to their elders by opening and closing their mouths as if they were chewing gum. But what about stallions? Why do most writers or experts on the subject of the horse hardly ever talk about the stallions? Aren't stallions horses as well? The truth is that a large percentage of horse owners prefer geldings because they are safer, easier to maintain, and they live a happier life. Or so most people think. But is it a fact that geldings live a happier life than stallions? If we look at the way horses live in the wild, or in large herds even in captivity we will find that stallions do learn to get along with other horses. They find their spot in the hierarchy of the herd and learn to get along, by following a certain set of rules that nature imposes on these magnificent creatures. To start, it is typically an older mare who leads the herd and not usually a stallion. The stallion's role in the wild is much like that of a male lion in the Sahara, to procreate and nothing more. And while in large herds it is not at all uncommon to see several stallions, it is only the strongest and more mature stallions that get to produce their offspring. Younger stallions typically tend to challenge those more mature stallions to see if they can breed their own offspring and to try and become the leading sire of the herd. Most of the time however, this results in the discipline of the youngster, and having him being put in his place through a series of kicks, bites, and/or strikes from the hammer like front hoofs of his older, more mature, and stronger adversary. For this reason most horses that learn their place in the herd don't typically challenge other stallions except on rare occasions.

In captivity, in a stall, in a paddock. We should always strive to protect the laws of nature as much as we can. Why? Very simple, the more we stick to nature's ways the less we struggle with our horses. Have you ever heard the term, don't re-invent the wheel? This is also true with horses. Stallions must be given a chance to meet other stallions, sniff them and get to know each other. I always have stallions living next to each other and never have a problem with their behavior, on the contrary since they are social animals they make pals out of each other and they learn to get along. In the picture I show you three stallions in open stalls and one in a hallway. Notice how Zutano the bay stallion does not wear a stud chain, and the other two stallions, Cruz and Heroe don't have much of a barrier in between each other. Dangerous? It could be if you do not have the experience with stallions, however, these horses have been trained to get along and behave. Now the process of training a stallion to get along is very simple yet very timely. The dividends that the time well spent pays however is worth it. In the Spanish Riding School the young stallions learn to get along with each other and work together in harmony everyday until maturity and until the finest and best stallions are chosen to go back to the breeding farms and produce their offspring. At Classical Spanish Equitation we teach our stallions to tune out all distractions and focus on the rider/handler until it is his turn to play at the turn outs. Regardless of mares, and regardless of foals at play, and regardless of other stallions, nine times out of ten we are able to work with our horses without a problem, thanks to the time we spend allowing our horses to be social with other horses of any gender or age. We do not breed our young stallions until they have reached a certain level of maturity and only if they are true gentlemen, if they posses talent for under saddle work, if they have outstanding conformation qualities, and if their mind is sound for the stressful work of breeding a mare.

Geldings in effect do live a happier life, if they are not properly cared for as stallions in which case it is better to geld them and put them to pasture with the broodmare herd, or to stall quietly under the best conditions to be able to socialize with his stall buddies. Stallions that are too aggressive and will not settle down with training too should be gelded. Being gelded will help them settle down and will ease their minds. Stallions with bad genetic defects should also be gelded unless they have a happy life, the owner does not use them as studs and there is no danger of him covering a mare by accident, producing a badly put together foal with potentially fatal faults. Not everyone can own a stallion. Not everyone has the time, the money or the patience to train a stallion. Not everyone has the experience to train a stallion correct without danger to the handler, the horse, or spectators. We all however, CAN do our best to educate ourselves, to learn about the horse, to seek help when needed from an expert, and to try and keep nature without being violated. No what we do with our stallions. All stallions must learn to get along. Some have a gentle nature, while others must learn what nature has intended for them, but never the less, they must all learn to get along. Just my opinion as a stallion owner, trainer, rider, agent, and enthusiast. Thank you for visiting this page friends. -Antonio Topete Diaz