Stallion Behavior, Part 2

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

AAAARRRGGGGHHHH!!!!

Every time I hear that, I want to clock the speaker upside the head.
Wherever did we get the idea that stallions are supposed to be uncontrollable, overly aggressive and otherwise bad mannered?

Well, after watching people who probably shouldn't have had a stallion in the first place, it becomes real obvious that many human males seem to think that having an aggressive stallion under their control makes them look just too cool .....that people will look up to them. And you might, at first.....until you realize that they are scared to death of the monster they have created.

Some people say its the testosterone. Well, yeah, testosterone does make them more aggressive, just as estrogen makes mares moody. But it's not just the hormones.....it's the way we humans treat them. A horse....any horse.....just wants to be a horse. If it has its "druthers", it would rather be out in a huge pasture of lush grass and just eat. And maybe procreate. After all, any creature with testosterone usually only has one thing on his mind.

But, he can learn. For all Mac's wild entertaining in the halter show ring, he was a first-class gentleman in harness. In fact, we could hitch him with a mare. And, Mac made many children friends at fairs, always bringing his head down for them to pet. Friends of ours had a stallion that they bred their mares to and then used all of them in their hitches. Ben was a lead horse, all the way, and when in harness, he was all business.

So what makes some stallions "different"? Horse handling. Well mannered stallions are expected, first of all, to be horses.....not some special kind of creature we are all supposed to ooooooh and aaaaaaaah about. They want the same consideration as the mares and geldings. I've known a lot of stallions that basically lived their lives in over-sized stalls.....only coming out to breed. It's amazing what daily turn-out can do for a stallions behavior and his outlook. And, if you think about it.....if you're just coming out to breed, well, every time a leadshank is attached, he's ready to go breed something. It's exciting for him....it's the highlight of his day. Finally! Something other than four walls!!! Of course he's going to be stupid!

Stallions are smart.....or at least they have a knack for getting into mischief. They need/want the discipline that goes with being handled. They want the guidance of another party to let them know what they are supposed to be doing.

Take a wild herd. We have all succumbed to the Disney Syndrome....where there is a fantasy idea about the stallion being the all-powerful, wonderful herd leader. Check out the herd. The stallion is only tolerated at best. He is only allowed into the herd if and when the mares "say" it's okay. It's not unusual for a mare to go out to him if the others don't want him around them. The Beta mare is the one who will "shoo" him out and make him stay out. It is the Alpha mare that is the leader.....a post that seems to be shared by the Maternal Mare, who is usually the last one in line. It is the Maternal Mare who "decides" if he's allowed in the herd, close by or kept away. (The Maternal is NOT the omega mare, although it often looks like she is. She has her own "job" to do and that is to keep the herd intact......that's not the stallion's job.) So how do I explain the "protectiveness" of the stallion. It's not so much protective as it is possessive. As in "these are MY mares and you can't have them."

We humans have a ton of beliefs about stallions. Somehow they are more noble than mares or geldings.....they have an "air" about them. And we let them get away with murder. Well, ok, maybe not murder, but you get the idea. A lot of people actually fear all that testosterone, and either allow the horse to run amok, or try to over-compensate by becoming brutal. I've watched people who I know fairly well and feel are very competent, suddenly become like brand new students afraid the horse will step on them when dealing with stallions.....I kid you not! And I've watched a trainer work with this stallion (that took 2 people to bring into the round pen) for 5 minutes and you could see that the horse was looking for that discipline to help him get himself under control. Because that's really what it is. If you leave a horse by himself a lot, he has no need to control himself. What he needs is someone to draw the line and let him know when he has crossed it. Surprise! This is no different than any other mare or gelding. We just seem to be more at ease with them, and more afraid of the response of that testosterone creature.

Stallions are no different from humans, in that respect. Put several 12-year-olds together with no supervision and see what happens. Ditto, 17-year-olds. Over discipline and you may have what appears to be a meek and scared boy, that will eventually turn on you. Under discipline and you get a bully.

The choice is yours......either your stallion becomes a gang member, or he becomes a respected, enjoyable partner.