Stallion Behavior, Part 1

"He's supposed to act that way.....he's a stallion!"

Oh, I've been confronted with stallions that are just plain mean, and DO intend to "get you". But I've also had to deal with geldings who would just a soon kick your head off, too. But it all boils down to the way you treat them......treat them like they are supposed to be mean and nasty, and they will be more than happy to become the animal you have wished for.

My first experience with stallions came from a Standardbred breeding farm. There were four very high quality stallions that (with a lot of black type) and four distinct personalities. There was the "I'm really a gelding in disguise", an absolute gentleman.....you could change lightbulbs by standing on his back. There was the bored old man who liked to keep you on your toes by taking a nip when you weren't paying attention....always with that gleam in his eye that made you think he was laughing at you (he was). There was the awesome "in-my-prime" guy who would try to bully you, but once you stood your ground he didn't try anything stupid. And there was the "I-hate-you-all-and-want-to-kill-you" guy that came at you teeth and hoof.....all the time. Only the farm manager was able to work with him, and most of the time he was muzzled when handled. He never did get any better.

Later I dealt with TB stallions, and again, found that they were individuals. Some were fine, as long as there wasn't a mare in heat close by. Some were, well, dangerous. It wasn't until later that I learned the "one-finger" rule. But more on that later.

Eventually came the time when we wanted to breed our Percherons. My husband had seen a colt that he really liked, but the man wasn't interested in selling him as a weanling. It wasn't until the fall of his yearling year that the man called and asked if he was still interested in him. My husband went down to look at him and decided to buy him. He didn't take a trailer......the horse was in Amish country and the roads are, well, rather narrow in that section. When they say "make a left at the pig trough" they mean it! We had to wait for several bicycles to find drives to hop into before we could get past them!!

My first view of Charlie was in a low-ceilinged bank barn. He was in a calf pen. And he wanted nothing to do with humans. He did not have a halter on.....it seems that this "crazy horse" wouldn't get caught, so his youngster halter had grown into his skin and been cut off. He had a really nasty, pus-filled gouge actoss his poll.....just beyond ear to ear. They had been treating it.....sort of.....he wasn't real cooperative. So while hubby and Amishman talked man-talk, I went to sit on the pen and try to figure him out (yep, too many Disney movies seen). Several times he "chased" me off the pen, and then turned his butt to me with that "go ahead, make my day" look. I had his halter in my hand.....a big one with sheepskin on it to protect his cut.....and eventually his curiousity got the better of him and he came over to check me out. It took a few tries, but at last I got the halter on. I was going out to get the lead so we could get him on the trailer, when the men (a few more had shown up) came in and they said, "ready for the rodeo?" Now, I was stupid.....I just figured that they meant getting him into a trailer would be, well, ugly, at best. I nodded and asked if Roy had brought the lead shank (which he had, of course). "No, I mean getting his halter on."
"It's on," I blurted. They looked at me like I was nuts. But there stood Charlie, head over the rail, with his halter on. "How did you....." But I just took the lead shank and attached it to the halter.. To be honest, I don't remember much about the going on the trailer part......I know it took a few tries, but it wasnt as bad as I've seen. Ultimately, Charlie acted like a gelding when being handled, but trumpted like an elephant when it was time to breed. Yes, he let his ladies know he was coming!!! This "crazy" horse let a 16 year old girl show him at a major show.....and was the perfect gentleman even with four other obnoxious orangutans leaping and kicking in the show ring. Charlie also tended to be a "ham" in front of an audience. Once when being judged for Supreme Stallion, the judge went to point to the Belgian, and Charlie stomped and picked up a stance that sent the crowd (and the judge) into fits of laughter.

Mac was our second stallion. He was an awesome young man, again pretty much a gentleman. Except in the show ring. His first show was Ohio State.....and he was the usual gentleman. His third show was Indiana State...and something happened. We were on the way to get him his bath before the show, when we passed by the stall of another stallion his age. This stallion was one of those "He's a stallion, he's supposed to act that way". This stallion charged at us. Although it startled me, Mac went balistic. He reared up and threw himself at the other stallion, nearly taking the stall down. I had never seen him so riled. He quieted down while we got his bath done, and he was fine in his own stall.....even though a Clydesdale stallion stood in the next stall.....in fact, he and the Clyde seemed to take a liking to each other. He also took a real liking to the two foals who were next to him. Then, in the show ring, with three other orangutans, he saw the stallion that had gone after us. He pinned his ears and watched that other stallion. As the stallion made his run, Mac was waiting and tried to rush out and get him. He was easily controllable, but he did NOT want that horse anywhere near us. Nor did he want to take the chance that any other horse might hurt his human. Although I was not aware of our bond at that time, there were several horsemen, who's word could be taken as law, who mentioned that fact that Mac always put himself between me and whatever he considered danger.....and if that meant the judge, then he made sure that judge gave us a clear berth. Yet, this same horse, who did airs above the ground in halter class to keep between me and who/whatever, was broke to drive and I drove him in a ladies class where he was an absolute gentleman. That was one class where those same horsemen said, "you really won that class" although I got a 4th. (It was nice that several of them really went to bat for me by screaming at the judge who said, "women should not drive stallions" yelling "he did everything he was supposed to". It was this same horse who, while waiting for a Supreme Champion class, slipped his show bridle (well, it really kinda fell off.....he had a head set that made it hard to keep any kind of halter or bridle on him), and stood there like "Mom, something ain't right", while 20 4-H horses, stood in tie stalls not 15' from him (and at least half had come into heat that week).....and he never made a wrong move.
It was Mac who taught me the "one-finger" rule. Just like a stern mother or grandmother, who shakes her finger at you when you've been bad....and you know you're in big trouble.....Mac responded to the wagging of a single finger by putting his head down and standing still. Eventually, I didn't even have to wag it, just hold it up. It was a fluke discovery......but one that has proven itself over and over.

Slick came to us as an older horse. He had been labeled "crazy".....in fact one of his previous owners was going to shoot him he was so crazy. But his bloodlines were wonderful. We had been told that he could only be led with a bridle, that he was too crazy....you needed a bit to control him. So we used the bridle.....and he behaved "like a stallion"....prancing, trumpeting, basically being "on the muscle". Getting the bridle on was difficult.....until I held up one finger. Sure enough, he dropped his head and stood still. Then, one day, I forgot to put the bridle on. And I discovered the gelding inside the stallion. Even though I lead him right past Mac, he just kept his head down and plodded along beside me...."I'm a gelding". (Mac, of course was not happy that he was not between this "new guy" and me). Slick was great for traumatized mares......he wined and dined them. He was the first horse we allowed to pasture-breed, and he definitely knew what he was doing. It was a comedy show in some ways. We had a traumatized mare (we didn't know it until we tried to breed her).....but he was able to snort, shnuffle and gently convince her it was ok, then did his thing. I don't think she even knew what happened....and when it was all over she had a real funny look on her face.

Now we have Bo. Bo was bought young (a yearling) and bred as a 2-yr-old. When we bought him, he could have been labeled "crazy". He had rarely been handled, and while getting him ready for the sale ring, he behaved "like a stallion"....rearing, bucking, trying to get away from (or get) the man on the end of the leadshank. He's awesome and is, once again, the ultimate gentleman. He has his third crop on the ground now. Yes,he is a stallion and he can become quite obnoxious. But the one-finger rule works on him, too.

So why did my "crazy" stallions turn into gentlemen?
Well, it's not because I'm such a wonderful trainer.......(I'm not).
Part of it is due to horse listening (although Charlie and Mac were really before I got serious about it). But another part is due to really understanding horse behavior....of waiting for them to come to you.....and because I never subscribed to the myths we have about stallions.....which I will go over in "Part 2"