STALLION MANAGEMENT

Lesson Seven

HAND BREEDING THE STALLION

Hand breeding stallions is one of the most potentially dangerous endeavors you can under-take. The unpredictable nature of these thousand-pound plus athletes can create havoc. Nice horses can turn into vicious foes, loathing humans anywhere near during courting rituals; stallions driven to rage by the presentation of an unwanted mate; and stallions that lull their handlers to sleep by exemplary behavior only to attack at an opportune moment.

The most important rule in the breeding shed is safety. All procedures should provide maximum safety for the stallion, for the mare, and the handlers. This is accomplished most effectively by way of specialized equipment. Equipment being used on a single mare can be as extensive as double hind leg breeding hobbles (attached at the hind pasterns or by way of hock shackles) plus a twitch or lip chain and a leather wither’s cover over the mare’s neck and withers to protect from a biting stallion; or as simple as cushioned kicking boots attached to the hind hooves of the mare. Ideally, this will protect the stallion and the stallion handler from receiving debilitating blows.

While the goal of the breeding shed personnel is to bring the stallion to a mare that is ready to receive him, you can't always be sure that she will agree with your opinion. And if the mare doesn’t agree with you, it is hard to imagine (unless you have seen it) the uproar an uncooperative mare can make even with hobbles on.

Still, in spite of the odd mare, the creator of most of the problems in the breeding shed is the stallion himself. Because of this, it is very important to require discipline and control during the breeding routine.

You should expect the stallion to enter the presence of a mare in an orderly manner and he should be trained in this manner. There will be some calling, prancing, and dancing by the stallion….this is acceptable…but should not be allowed to get out of control, and any misbehavior should be corrected immediately.

The stallion handler is extremely important in this situation and must have the stallion under control at all times. If the stallion gets out of control by mounting before the handler is ready or attempting to mount in the wrong position, he should be pulled away immediately and brought back under control. In other words, he should not be allowed to get away with anything.

His job is to mount and breed the mare while under the handler’s control.

It is best if hand-breeding routines closely mimic nature.

The stallion should first approach the mare's head. Sniffing, snorting, screaming, and striking the ground are to be expected, but upon command the stallion should back away. The handler should then direct the stallion to approach the mare at her shoulder. More sniffing, licking, and nipping will occur as the stallion works his way to the hindquarters of the mare.

During this entire procedure, the stud is expected to back away from the mare upon the direction of the handler and should never be allowed to take advantage of the restrained mare. At the completion of the teasing routine, the stallion is allowed to approach the mare from the rear and a cue to mount is given.

How do you get a stallion to behave like this?

Start him young. First-time breeders are easier to train.

To make the job easier, it would be nice to let a group of old pasture-bred mares teach the impetuous youngster some breeding manners. Pasture breeding will teach even the most overzealous macho stud not to take mares for granted.

There is a natural code of behavior for mating and most mares can get quite angry if they are not treated accordingly. They expect the stallion to declare his intentions and tease her until she hits a breeding stance. Without the proper social amenities, a stallion is likely to be fired upon and rejection will continue until he learns to court the mare according to her wishes.

Unfortunately, with the high cost of quality breeding stock, the inherent risk of permanent damage to the inexperienced stallion is too great, so the lessons designed by nature to be taught by the females of the herd fall solely into the hands of the stallion manager. He is the individual who must provide the rejection or punishment that the mare normally does when a rowdy youngster steps out of line.

Fortunately, the young breeding stallion's genetic program sets him up for reprogramming, but it takes force, usually the kind and amount of force a mare would use. The task is not easy or for the faint-hearted, but done right, it won't take too many sessions to convince the young horse that the handler is not his enemy trying to steal his mare. Instead, he will quickly figure out that responding to the direction of his handler will enable him to satisfy his biological urge to breed. Camaraderie soon develops as the handler and the horse begin to work as a team.

The positions of the mare and her handler and the stallion and his handler are very important for reasons of both safety and control.

The stallion should be led at an angle toward the mare’s head. Upon the exchanging of breath, many stallions strike out, so it is important that both handlers be positioned out of his strike zone.

To move the stallion from the head to the shoulder, back him away from the mare and then walk him back to the mare at her shoulder. If all goes smoothly, the stallion is backed off again and led to the flank position.

It is at this point that most stallions become even more excited, and if the mare is in good standing heat, she will start to lean toward the horse. The stallion must be under control and must not mount the mare prematurely.

For the third and last time, the stallion is backed away from the mare and returned at a slight angle to her hindquarters. After receiving a cue to mount (such as laying the lead shank over the mare’s hip), the stallion rears and mounts over her hip.

Before attempting this challenge, be sure to invest in some good equipment, which includes a stout halter and a lead shank with a two-foot piece of chain attached to a snap. While the halter may be either nylon or leather, great consideration should be paid to construction of the lead shank. However, the chain and the snap are the most important part of this basic equipment.

Placement of the chain through the halter and the snap connection of the lead shank to the halter are the primary means of control; the chain and snap need to be stout – bull stout.

Another decision that needs to be made before the stallion is caught is how the chain should be run through the halter. Some handlers, especially on Thoroughbred farms, use the chain over the nose. Other handlers like to put the chain through the mouth. When you need to use an arm, you are going to cut the corners of the horse's mouth, again leaving visible scars and damage.

Chains are also placed across the gums, right above the top teeth, to achieve a war bridle effect. This is a very sensitive area and if you set a hand to that chain, I'll guarantee the horse will feel it.

The chain can also be placed under the chin. Pressure generated there will get the job done and cause less permanent scarring. It is best to try to use the least amount of restraint necessary to get the job done. Once the horse learns what's expected in the way of manners, there is very little to do except to let nature take its course.

The final preparation step before the training session begins is to arm yourself with the correct attitude. A stallion's behavior will be affected by the way that you feel about his inherent nature. A stallion treated as if he is a man-eating tiger will display more of the characteristics you fear, because your attitude will be expressed in the way that you handle him. Someone afraid of a stallion tends to snatch, bang, and yell at him for every little thing. This behavior is likely to make the stallion mad and therefore more aggressive and harder to handle.

A more productive attitude for handling stallions is to replace apprehension with a healthy respect for their power along with the confidence that you can deal with any situation that may come up. Combine this with the rules for coexistence and a clear-cut image of the breeding regimen and you have the foundation for developing a well- mannered breeding stallion.

Finally, don’t underestimate the importance of the time spent with breeding stallions.

Too often, because of the high cost of these horses, they get isolated in solitary padded-cell situations.

Their privileged treatment invites a glass menagerie mentality: look, but don't touch. As a result, these stallions tend to develop more psychological problems, which lead to undesirable behaviors.

The more time a stallion spends on the lead shank, being led to and from his paddock, being groomed, etc., during the entire year, the easier he is going to be during the breeding season.

You should have a plan of action to deal with potentially dangerous behavior such as biting, rearing, and striking.

Biting is probably the most common action of stallions. Prone to the use of their mouths by virtue of their sex, stallions use their teeth to fight and their mouths to tease. From the time they are little colts, they nip and nibble at each other and you if you will let them. By stopping this early, you will save yourself and others from this cute little trick that will turn into a painful, savage habit by the time these colts are ready for the breeding shed.

Acquiring an older stallion that already has this dangerous habit of biting demands an even more cautious approach.

A stallion like this can really hurt a mare, and a leather neck pad should be available to prevent excessive damage. There are also muzzles that can be attached to the halter, but both of these methods are gimmicks and serve to control the habit-not necessarily to correct it.

It is always better to fix a bad habit. But sometimes the vice is not serious enough to be worth the risk or commitment required to change it. This may be especially true of an older horse that has spent most of his breeding life behaving in a certain manner.

Pawing is another behavior stallion’s exhibit. They don't have to learn this, and a little can be tolerated because it is a natural response when approaching a mare. However, there are times when a stallion may get up on his hind legs and take a little punch at you. Usually he will rear up and paw like he is annoyed with you for being there. Some horses just feel that people don't belong in the breeding shed.

There are many things to do in this situation, but the one that works the best is to sidestep as he rears and give him a good boot in the stomach. This will bring him back down to the ground. Rearing can put a stallion in a vulnerable position, so be ready to turn his threat to your advantage.

Bolting and charging at, around, or past you are all behaviors that show a lack of respect. Once you get the stallion's attention, he must realize that you deserve respect by reason of whatever force is necessary and your attitude toward him. Remember; never take your eyes off the stallion. You have got to be ready at all times!

ASSIGNMENT (No Quiz)

Please submit a breeding program for the operation below. 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.

You have just been hired to manage a breeding operation of a Thoroughbred stallion that has been booked to 26 mares for the upcoming season. Describe the protocol that you and your employees would be expected to follow, step by step, in order to breed a mare that has been described by the veterinarian as being ready to ovulate within the next 12 to 24 hours. Include as many details as you can think of which will eventually be placed in a manual that can be used as a guide on the farm for the proper method to go about breeding a mare in heat.

Assume the stallion in question is moderately aggressive and does have a tendency to bite and occasionally gets out of hand when the mare is really showing strong signs of heat. Also assume that the stallion is a very valuable stud and any injury to the stallion or a mare would not be tolerated by the owner. (You will lose your job if any injury to horse or man occurs).