STALLION MANAGEMENT

Lesson Five

VARIOUS TEASING SYSTEMS AVAILABLE

The management of the teaser stallion is critical.

You must develop a “teasing” procedure that is efficient and effective, and addresses the problems commonly associated with the “teaser.”

INTRODUCING THE TEASER TO THE MARE’S COURT

Obviously, all mares are not going to show the same degree of receptivity to the rather explicit suggestions made by an equine Casanova. Choreographing his introduction into the mare band must be done in a manner that provides protection to the human handlers as well as to the “objects of his affection”.

Mares can protest violently upon being exposed to an amorous stallion. Biting and pawing are common behaviors, but the most likely response is wheeling, kicking and squealing. These behaviors can be dangerous and even lethal to human handlers. An effective teasing system must provide for the protection of all participants.

THE COSTS IN LABOR AND FACILITIES OF A PARTICULAR TEASING SYSTEM

Being able to tease large numbers of mares expeditiously saves time and reduces costs as long as the facilities are not more expensive than the labor savings. When designing systems with such savings in mind, it is important not to lose sight of the delicate nature of the event taking place.

Exposure without distractions and allowing for quality time between the mare and the teaser are the primary elements in any good teasing program. While the point has been made that not every system will fit all mares, it should also be noted that not every teasing system is right for every farm. Individual management situations call for specific solutions to this generalized problem.

The basic cage system houses the teaser is a safe, secure 6 to 8 foot high, 12 by 12 enclosed cage or stanchion. This cage is located within a paddock or pasture where mares are kept. The mares can have free and unlimited exposure to the aggressive male in a safe and secure environment.

If the paddock is a half acre or more, 20 mares can be exposed to the stallion at one time. And, since no one has to hold the stallion or the mare, there is a tendency for the manager to leave the horses to court for a longer period of time.

The major disadvantage of this technique is that one or more dominant mares may hog the attention of the stallion, driving the timid mares away. This problem can be circumvented by removing those dominant in-heat mares from the pen as soon as they react.

The way the cage system is managed ultimately determines its effectiveness. The following is an example of how this type of system could be used for a large number of mares in a very efficient way. The system would work like this. Mares are brought in, 20 at a time, from outlying fields and paddocks into a 150 by-250-foot holding area. Adjoining this holding area are two smaller corrals, each 50 by 125 feet. Mares in groups of 5 were moved into the first corral, where they were able to move up to the cage housing the teaser stallion. If a mare didn't show any signs of estrus, she exited through gate number one, which returned her to the field. If a mare indicated that she was interested in the attentions of the stallion, she was moved through gate number 2, into the adjoining second corral. There she would be observed further as she could continue to respond to the teaser. Within two hours, as many as 125 to 150 mares could be moved through the pen system and the mares that needed additional evaluation could be housed in the second corral, located closest to the barn and the palpating stock.

While the cage system is quite popular for exposing multiple mares to a single stallion teaser, the equine breeding program at Colorado State University uses a variation of the traditional chute-teasing technique. Here the mares are run head to tail into a chute, and the stallion handler leads the stallion along the chute checking the receptivity of each mare toward the teaser's advances. This system is a group adaptation of the more traditional teasing chute, where a single mare is placed in a stanchion and the stallion is brought into her presence.

Other farms turn the tables and instead lead each mare, one by one, to the stallion's stall so that he can nibble and communicate with her through a peephole in the wall. If the mare rejects his overtures or if he becomes too unruly, the door can be closed and relations severed. The method does have the drawback of having to handle each mare that is being teased.

Another method commonly used in Kentucky that reduces not only the need to handle each mare, but also eliminates the need for special teasing facilities is to lead a well-mannered teaser into the paddocks and pastures where the mares are turned out. This technique usually demands the services of 3 people: one person with the records to note the actions of each identified mare, one person to handle the stallion, and the third, a very important person with a buggy whip, to direct traffic around the male.

This teasing procedure requires a well-qualified team of participants, since mares in different stages of their reproductive cycle along with mares with foals tend to have a broad spectrum of emotional attitudes toward this male intrusion.

Some mares may want to be close and affectionate, while others may wish to drive this uninvited guest from the premises by charging, wheeling, and kicking. The size of the paddock where this interaction is going to occur will play a major role in determining the intensity of the horse talk.

Large fields will give antisocial mares the opportunity to move to another spot where they will not be intimidated by the presence of a stallion. Even so, if the stallion handler and traffic director are not adept at their particular task, they will be in a high-risk situation.

This idea of mares not being forced to respond to the stallion is the principle behind one of the systems used at the University of Maryland. In this situation, the stallion has his stall, paddock, or run adjacent to where the mares are kept. Handling both the mare and the stallion is the most labor intensive and costly system for a large operation, but may work well for the small breeder.

The fence or wall that separates the two sexes must be horse high, bull stout, and hog tight, because both the mares and the stallion are free to run and cavort with just a thin retaining wall between them. For best results, the time period that this free exposure exists should be limited to a part of the day when the animals can be easily observed; otherwise they may use the cover of darkness to express their amorous intentions and during the light of day seem to be uninterested in propagation.

This highlights the final problem associated with the development of a workable teasing system. No matter how well a system may work for the horses involved, unless the information is observed and translated for the rest of the breeding farm crew, the efforts in design fall by the wayside.

Remember, the ultimate objective of all this surrogate matchmaking is to keep the breeding manager apprised of any peaking interest a mare may have in becoming a mother.

ASSIGNMENT (No Quiz)

Please answer each question as completely as possible. Resources other than the written text are encouraged as well as personal experiences. Please site your resources – include the link if you used the internet; book title and author if you used hard copy.

Send your report to Dr. Sales at jsales@horsecoursesonline.com

Include your full name and email address on the document.

1. Describe, in detail, at least three (3) different types of teasing programs that might be utilized on a breeding farm.

2. Describe in some detail which teasing method would you use if you were responsible for breeding six (6) mares to a single well mannered, seasoned stallion if these mares are kept in individual stalls with adjoining pens? What would you change if the five (5) mares were kept in a four (4) acre pasture at all times and there were no stalls available?

3. Describe in some detail which teasing method you would use if you were responsible for the breeding of approximately 350 mares kept in groups of 70 mares per large paddock (Five (5) acre paddocks). These mares were to be bred using artificial insemination and there were a battery of four (4) individual stallions that were being bred to approximately 25% of the total number of mares over the breeding season, starting February 1 through June 1.