First experience with a wildly aggressive little stud horse

[Kim P]

Oh my! A friend came by the other day and was offering me a miniature 6 yr old stallion. I said no but called my sis in law bc she wanted my Annabelle. The girl told me that he was driving her quarter horses crazy and keeping them in heat. My sis in law said she would take him but wanted him gelded first. He got cut Monday morning. We went and got him this evening and brought him here. (They just live like 4 miles from us). I was planning on letting him play with my little group of horses and all my grand kids and their cousins. We have had about 10 kids here today from age 11/2 to 8 yrs old. The girl said to leave him alone and no kids riding bc he still was pretty high on testosterone. I was like okay. We will just pet through the fence. I have to geldings and they were stallions when I got them. I want everyone to know that I have the best horses on this earth! The girl was straight up about this horse! I guess my mind thought all horses were like mine. My 3 year old grand baby rode our bigger stallion before he was gelded, the other one is too small for for anything but a baby to sit on. When my husband pulled up and got this beautiful horse out I only had to tell those 10 kids to stay on the porch 1 time! He was rearing up and pawing at the fence at my horses! He walked him to the fence to meet my horses thinking it may calm him down some. I think he would have killed them. Of course my sweet tiny Peanut just wants to be friends and did not like how he was received. The girl said that if he did not work out she would pay my sis in law back for the gelding and take him back. My sis in law only has big horses. Wants this to be for her grand kids. He is gorgeous! But I would not let the kids near him or let him close to my horses. Will he ever settle down and be good for kids? She said that he also bites. I did pet him and he was sweet but I am leery of him. I don't know how long she has had him, but I don't think it has been that long. She says he has a few babies out there. It made me kind of sad that no one could go around him and that he could not even socialize with mine through the fence. We are taking him to my SIL Saturday. He is outside hollering now. Searching for a way out and pacing. Please tell me that he can reform his behavior and play with mine someday!

 

[FurstPlaceMiniatures]

I think next time she should really consider a good calm gelding or mare instead of a screwball stud for kids. Kids and studs (and sometimes former studs) do not, and should not ever mix without intense supervision.

My guy was like that, and yes, he did come around to a dead quiet once in a lifetime horse even without gelding - after 2 years or so. Now it's been 5 and he can be trusted (with me on the halter) not to have a 'moment.' Have you disciplined this horse? Worked him hard? Shown him his crap doesn't fly here? Day 1 minute 1 is the best time to do that.

Can he turn atound? Yes. All of them can. Will he ever truly be trustworthy and that 'golden kids pony?' I would lean heavily towards no.

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

Your sister needs to learnt to look at a horse before taking it and stop taking on studs :/ sorry but once bitten..

 

[chandab]

I'll be a bit different and say give him a little time, a lot has happened in a very short time. In less than 5 days he's been gelded and moved to a new location and will be moved again in a few days, that can be a lot to deal with for most any horse. Spring brings on hormonal stupidity, especially in a less trained stallion. It takes time for all the testosterone to be out of the system, and longer for personality to change after gelding. How much time you want to give it, is up to you. If your SIL only has geldings, it might help the transition not having mares around to stir him up. He will probably take quite a bit of work and training.

 

[Mona]

If that horse has been kept with a bunch of mares in heat, he will be very sexually oriented. That type of behavior is something I personally would NEVER tolerate! If he's that old, there is a strong possibility that he may never be transformed into a trustworthy child's horse. Truthfully, if I were your sister, I would cut her losses and move on to find a quiet gelding that has a good temperament NOW and loves attention NOW, and not wait and take chances on trying to transform a horse that may never be what she wants. Also, having to deal with that attitude may scare her kids into not ever wanting to have anything to do with minis or horses again. Sure wouldn;t want that to happen, but kids are pretty impressionable.

 

[SpringFlowers]

I'm like Chanda and my first thought, when reading your post, is he was just gelded and possibly in pain and feeling vulnerable with being brought to a new place, with new horses. He may be an aggressive mini, but it may also be that he is hurting and nervous over everything that has happened to him. Not sure if he will ever be a kids horse, but I do think some time needs to be given for him to settle in, and then decide, and that could take several months. I've had my new mini for 4 mons. He was gelded a couple weeks before coming here, and he is just now really settling in. It takes time.

 

[Cayuse]

If I read right, he has only been at your place one day? That is not long enough for him to settle in and I would expect him to be upset and stressed. As Chandab said, he has been through a lot. But he does not really sound suitable for kids at this point in his training.I would find him a home that could put some time into training him and find a mini that is already kid-proof.

ETA: Spring Flowers we posted at the same time!

 

[Jill]

Wow, I think he deserves TIME to dissipate the testosterone and to get used to an entirely new place with horses he doesn't know. Just too early to make a fair judgement on how he will fit in. Give him space and time, without kids that may scare him and he could hurt.

 

[Kim P]

Today was better for him. My other brother in law, not where he is going, felt sorry for him too. He kept taking him for little walks to eat a little green grass and talking to him. Took him back to fence line and and he sniffed my horses and they all touched noses. He was more relaxed. Still anxious and nervous. Some of the kids talked to him. Had one picking up some grass clippings and throwing them over the fence to him. He liked that. The pen is by the swing set and playhouse with the sheds giving a good bit of privacy between the two, but there is a spot where he can see the kids on each side of the sheds. My SIL grand kids live in Houston and want be around everyday. I believe all of her horse are rescues. I don't know if any are mares. Just know she has 4 biggies. She also lives right by a small school so he will hear children playing too. There is probably 3 bus lengths between her fence and the school. Only like 30 kids go there and they are all elementary so no worries of anyone walking over to her little farm. She lives in a tiny little town about 30 to 40 minutes from me and it is mostly farms and real quite area. If you aren't breeding your stud horse, do they have to stay by themselves or do you just keep a stud horse with mares all the time? I am sure she will work with him and give him a chance. I will have to post a pic of him tomorrow before we take him to his new home. I am going to make my brother in law go with us to take him to his sister bc they have become friends and I really don't want to handle him and make him any more nervous. Thanks for everyone's input.

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

If he's gelded he can't go with them for 6 weeks or so. After that they can go together. If he's not gelded he can't be with mares if you don't want loads of foals

 

[Kim P]

So it sounds lonely to be a stud horse.

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

It can be for some but not all. My stallion is with my gelding and there is a fence between him and the mares. Ones pregnant so he doesn't bother with her and he's quite good friends with the other one and I plan to have them run together this summer. He is however a very calm gentle and socialized stallion. He's been around other horses all his life not been kept in isolation like some tend to be.

 

[SpringFlowers]

Aww, glad to hear he was doing better. Hope he continues to do so. He sounds like the gelding and the moving, all so close together, really upset him.

 

[Jill]

Our study guys are through the fence friends and groom each other However, they didn't have the smoothest start. We originally had velectric wire with great fencing. They were smart enough to ground the electric lines to reach each other and now they're friends.

 

[Miniv]

Just want to pop in and add a ditto to the advice about giving the New Gelded boy some time to settle before jumping to conclusions.

He's going to have hormones still active for a number of weeks....

 

Poor little guy! Gelded, moved and introduced to a new environment -- I'd be a bit crazy, too! I'm sure once the hormones are out of his system, and you and your family members take time to introduce him slowly to his new living arrangements, working with a firm hand to show him what you will and will not allow, he will come around. It doesn't sound like he had the best of handling in his prior situation, but with your caring spirit and with good handling, I'll bet he'll make a change for the better very soon.

 

[Kim P]

Took him to SIL today. He is actually in her big fenced in back yard. He can still be by her 2 big geldings and mare with a fence between. He was much calmer and seems to like it there. They were not scared of him. My SIL started scolding him right off for kicking cyclone fence. When we left he was being friendly to other horses and instead of pawing fence he would turn to the side and paw the ground. Chicken pen is in back yard and looks like a cute doll house, gate was open to it and he politely walked in and walked the little house sniffing and the chickens (7) politely all ran out! No squawking just all in a line fast! It was comical. It is going to be great for him! I was so relieved. Her husband just found out he has prostrate cancer again. Actually it was Wednesday. Maybe they will be good therapy for one another. He liked him! I will have to try to figure a way to get my pics from my phone to my iPad. I am not real techno and have my stuff all messed up and really could care less! Would rather have someone else do it for me. I want y'all to see him!

I am glad to hear that it is not lonely for most studs. I was really sad for them! I believe he has found the best home, just going to give him time and space. She also has some really big goats for pets about his size that maybe can be buddies with over time!

 

[paintponylvr]

Since it sounds like he isn't real socialized or trained yet, please be careful about the school kids! Kids do "stupid" things around horses and you've already been told that he bites. Your SIS IL needs to make sure her fencing is such that the kids can't reach in and get a hand or fingers removed.

As to stallions being lonely - there are many different management styles that can keep them from being lonely. Otherwise, yes, they can be. Since he is/was a mature breeding stallion, out running with the mares, it make take months to years for him to completely calm down around other horses. He won't be able to breed the mares and settle them in foal, but he may still want to guard them from other horses, animals and people. He could still get an erection and may mount and even breed them. He may still drive them "crazy" when they come into heat and for a while he may get very mad and aggressive towards them when he finds out that the "breeding thing" doesn't work anymore. Some are like that, not all. Depends on the horse's actual personality and disposition. NO, not every horse is LIKE YOURS, Kim!! Personally, yours were a rare and very lucky case!!

Just becoming quieter as the testosterone dissipates isn't enough. He will still need to be trained and it doesn't sound like he had any real manners to start with...

 

[Kim P]

I talked to SIL today. Rocky is doing great. She says that he has calmed down a lot and has been previously worked with quite well. She says he is very smart. I could not get my pics but she FB some pics so I got them. I may just love him so much bc I visualize my little old peanut maybe looking like him when he was young. Regardless I think he is awesome.

 

[Kim P]

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