Stallion management - how difficult is it??

[lisae]

While updating my sale ads for my two youngsters for sale, I happened across an advert for a stallion for sale, I am finding him hard to resist looking into! He is a Polish Arabian grey, 20 years old, 14 2", a Western reining schoolmaster and described as a perfect gentleman. Owners have had him 12 years and are only selling due to their retirement. Good home a must and price is not unreasonable. Owner's sister rode him for the first time in several years and he was perfect.

I have my two Haflingers mares and do love training and working with foals, but not every year. I could find homes for Arab pony crosses. This horse has been pastured next to his mares and remains polite and manageable.

How crazy an idea is this? It would be fun to have a horse to take lessons on, I ride Western now but could really use more instruction.

This is premised on selling the two under-three year olds.... anyways, what do you think? I will attempt to attach a pic sent by sellers. They say he would make an ideal 1st timer's stallion. Hubby doesn't know yet...

[Mehitabel]

with common sense and an understanding of how they work, it doesn't have to be immensely difficult.

you've got the basic horsemanship, you just need to be aware of the mares, how he reacts, and able to keep his respect. although our boys are marvellous, i do remember not to take them for granted.

if it were me, i tihnk i'd visit if possible, see how he is handled and kept, perhaps try doing a bit with him with the current owner there and see how you feel about it.

[eventerbabe]

we had a showjumping stallion come to our old yard to recover after an injury and he was an angel. i was only 9 or 10 at the time but even i could groom and handle him. i really think each case is an individual though and they do require more careful, thoughtful handling than mares and geldings. he's gorgeous by the way!

[Tootsie4U]

My first bit of advise is to look into the Polish Arab world. My best friend has a polish arab and through her I've got to see my fair share of the breed. What in him would you want to promote in the offspring you want to sell? Remember, you need to be a reputable breeder and the trend is to look almost solely at the sire. What does this stallion have to offer to your farm name? I know your most likely not looking to get into the breeding world big time, but your name will still be associated with the get.

As far as stallion behavior / management, his age and experience is on your side. Young up and comming stallions require much more from training and a handler than been there done that types. His respect for humans has most likely already been established (although don't let that assumption have your guard down the first few months). As a show stallion, he most likelly has gotten over the "ridden in company" issues. The young Morgan stallions at that barn I took you to took awhile to get themselves under control when an in season mare was in the ring with them. It definately took confident riders (yes, plural! The person on the mare had a bit of a struggle too!) to sit through that.

[lisae]

I am hoping to go see him this weekend. Some of the positives are: Monday (my mare what a stupid name she came with!) is very accomodating and stands for a stallion even if she isn't in season. (She had to be taken back to the stud a second time, after ultrasound, to get her '04 colt started!) So the mare side of things would be safe. Mara is only three and too young, I wouldn't breed her this year. We have the space to keep a stallion separate. We also have a 'closed environment', we don't trailer out to places at all, I only ride in the fields around the house. So no worries about handling a stallion out in public. My kids are not really interested and don't go into the barn and don't handle the horses. My horses tend to be underutilized but well cared for, and he'd be getting a great "retirement" home! And Jim has been doing more with the horses lately, so hopefully won't be too shocked at this idea.

If the horse is as nice as the other pics make him look (they had a toddler on him in one!) I might ask them to consider a lease towards purchase. If we get to the end and I am not 100% comfortable with him, he could go back and they would be money ahead....

[Wally]

I have never seen a really good Haflinger Arab X, they don't do each other good......but on the subject of management stallions are easy enough if you have freinds for them to play with and keep them company so they don't become strangers to their own kind.

[Mehitabel]

good point from wally about the cross - it's not one i've ever seen, but defintiely sometihng to think about. i wonder what would cross with a haflinger mare?

[lisae]

for mules of all types - Haflinger mules are really funny looking as they keep the chestnut with white mane coloration! I wouldn't do it, though, it's a six hour trip to the auctions and around here no one would be interested.

I should probably just stop the breeding at all as it is stressful - on the mare and on me! I really enjoy babies but finding them good homes is hard, Haflingers have flooded the US market and many breeders are cutting back or getting out.

I get into spring fever and start thinking about how fun a new horse would be, especially a well-trained one. My mare is also well-trained but strictly a direct rein horse and a very choppy trot. She wants to be a driving horse only and I want to ride because my groom is never available (crop farmer) and I'm hesitant to go out driving without a helper....

Well, I'll give it more thought.

[fiesty_filly]

Stallions are not hard to manage if they are handled properly. I work on a thoroughbred stud farm and even the studs that are used regularily for breeding are very well behaved. They need to be kept seperate from any mares in heat and turned out alone but that is the extent of it. All of our boys are generally very nice, some really like to bite (there is one who really likes to bolt... but he's a different story) and they are all throughbred race horses, so a 20 y/o arab who is actually trained to ride cannot be too difficult, if he is as much of a gentleman as they say. A friend of mine owns a polish arab stud that she keeps just for riding, she loves him to death and has lots of fun with him. She keeps him turned out with a gelding and everything but their are no mares on the property.

As for breeding your mares to him, you don't actually have to use him for breeding, if you want him as a riding horse then he could be just that.

Sounds like it would be a really fun prospect, if all clears out I would go for it!