Know your Stallion
by Pat Wolfe
-----Original Message-----
From: Pat Wolfe [mailto:pwolfe@istar.ca]
Sent: Thursday, February 25, 1999 1:05 PM
To: fjordhorse@Mailing-list.net
Subject: Know your stallion,
This message is from: Pat Wolfe <pwolfe@istar.ca>
I've been very lucky to have owned and trained eight stallions, four
Morgans and four Fjords. I started seven of these stallions in training for
riding, driving and breeding. My fjord stallions have been Hostar, Marnix
and my present stallion, Felix. The fourth was Jullie Will's, Prisco.
Felix arrived from Norway at four years old, already started.
Every one of these horses has a totally different personality and each had
to be handled differently. The headline for this post is "Know your
stallion". You have to know everything about your stallion to be able to
train him. How do you get to know him? Time. You take the time. I'm
talking years.
You must know your stallion very well. How does he react in different
situations? Your next step is to figure what to do about his reactions.
You have to be ready to move immediately. And continuing, how does he
react to your reaction?
Handling stallions can be a work of art. It is a lot of fun for me but it
can also be very dangerous. A stallion is a very different animal from a
gelding or a mare. He can react quickly and you must be ready at all times.
Once you know how he is going to react under each situation you are able to
plan your approach. For example, if you know from experience that when you
introduce him to a strange animal, he will squeal and strike out with his
front feet, you must make sure there is a barrier between the two animals.
This will prevent an accident. The next thing to do is train him not to
strike out.
If you know he gets excited at a horse show, plan to use a proper bit in
his mouth so you can control him. And you can also consider arriving a day
early giving him a chance to relax and settle in. All my horses need that
extra day.
Keep in mind that when you have your stallion out in public, safety is your
number one concern. I feel in most cases if there is a problem with a
stallion, it reflects back on how he has been handled during his entire
lifetime. Also how he behaves or misbehaves can sway public opinion which
can make or break a future breeding program for your animal. If he is a
jerk because you have not prepared him to meet the public, people will
carry that impression in their minds and in the minds of all the friends
they tell and these situations tend to snowball. Sometimes he is sentenced
and convicted for life. And who is really at fault? Not always the
stallion!
Here is a good example about knowing your stallion and being judged by the
audience. I took Prisco when he was a two year old stallion to the
breeders' show in New York. This horse is one of the smartest horses I've
worked with. He learns very quickly. I had him trained at home to be very
obedient. He was a perfect gentleman to be around. I trained him to stand
quietly and not to move a foot while being judged (by my wife).
I arrived at the grounds the night before the show. I put him in his stall
and gave him a chance to get used to his new environment. Later I took him
into the arena and did a presentation in front of his owner, Julie Will.
She was impressed with his way of going and especially by his manners. The
next morning before his class I could sense that he was getting a little
tense. I kept walking him hoping he would settle down.
When I entered the ring he was flying. His trot was beautiful. But when I
tried to stand him up there was no way. He couldn't keep his front feet on
the ground. At one point he reared up and knocked the lead shank right out
of my hands. I had a very excited young stallion.
My biggest concern was the safety of the other competitors and my own
safety. In order to exit the ring, I had to pass in front or behind the
other competitors. I decided to stay down at the far end, out of the way.
I did get him under control to a point and finished the class. On the way
out of the ring, a few people in the audience (my jury) yelled out, "You
have a real wild one there." This was getting to know your stallion the
hard way.
I didn't have much time. The next class was in 45 minutes. I had a very
smart, excited stallion on my hands but I also knew he was obedient at home
and that I could train him to be quiet in the ring. I lunged him for 20
minutes and spent the last 25 minutes reinforcing former lessons, making
him stand still under any conditions.
The class was called and he entered the ring quietly and never moved a foot
out of place. He left the ring with the reserve grand champion ribbon. A
question came from the audience as we left the ring. "Is that the same
horse?"
The same year this horse was handled by his owner at the Woodstock Show and
Julie Will came home with the young stock championship and the reserve
grand champion ribbon.
My point is getting to know your stallion certainly pays off in the show
ring. The ribbons for a stallion are great but safety and audience
impression (your jury) are equally important. When a horse is in the show
ring for 15 minutes you want to show his best qualities and this is
dependent on your knowledge of him gained only through time spent with him.
Pat
PS I have only touched a small part of owning a stallion.
