Not sure if this has been disgussed

[disneyhorse]

find a lot of Miniature Horse stallions just don't have that stallion "spark" and you can't tell if it is a stallion, mare or gelding being taken into the ring. don't want them coming into the ring like a dog.

Milo that is what I meant when I said our breed is a bit different I am not flaming you but for many large horses especially those stallions that are ridden that is simply not an option and they take pride in the fact that you can not tell it is a stallion compared to a mare or gelding behavior wise in and round the arena.

I think the "hotter stallions" are found in the breeds which focus on halter or the "prettier" breeds, and less in the "utilitarian" breeds. I don't think you can really break it down into stereotypes like that, but it seems more like that to me.

Draft horse breeds, Quarter Horses, Thoroughbreds... these breeds are shown more often in performance type arenas, and although may offer halter the focus is not on having the horses be pretty. So a lot of these breeds, the stallions are more mellow.

Hotter breeds such as Andalusians, Arabians, and now perhaps the shift for miniature horses... they are just plain "pretty" and let's face it... the stallion with the machismo focus and hooking his neck and flaring his nostrils IS a pretty picture. This is why in the Miniature Horse/Arabian/Andalusian professional photos they try to get the stallions around a mare to get them to look all hot and pretty. When I see most Paint Horse advertisements, the stallion is just standing there, relaxed and square.

Sooooo.... you combine that with the fact that, as Minimor pointed out, MOST miniature horse owners have no business owning a stallion, and you get some stallions that are a bit more out of control than perhaps they should be. The MAJORITY of horse owners in LARGE breeds do not own or show stallions. But because of the small size and thus reduced danger, most miniature horse people go ahead and own and show their own stallions.

I dunno, to each his own. I love stallions of all sizes. The Andalusian stallions in my barn are pretty fun.

Andrea

 

[MiLo Minis]

find a lot of Miniature Horse stallions just don't have that stallion "spark" and you can't tell if it is a stallion, mare or gelding being taken into the ring. don't want them coming into the ring like a dog.

Milo that is what I meant when I said our breed is a bit different I am not flaming you but for many large horses especially those stallions that are ridden that is simply not an option and they take pride in the fact that you can not tell it is a stallion compared to a mare or gelding behavior wise in and round the arena.

No offense taken!

I rode dressage and worked in a dressage barn for several years. There were 16 stalls on my aisle, 14 of which contained stallions. Stallions are quite often used for dressage because they have "that" presence. They are also well behaved and reasonably easily handled but you know they are stallions. I also worked in a paint horse barn for many years. There were several stallions there that were ridden as well as driven. They still had that stallion presence and when we were out at the shows they were kept away from the other horses because they were stallions. I don't expect to be able to mill about in a throng of people and horses while at a show and handling a stallion and no one should although you see it all the time at Mini shows. It doesn't matter how well trained they are you must expect the unexpected with a stallion. Different breeds of horses have different types of temperaments and I think, on a whole, people want and expect Minis to have very sweet and docile natures, as they are considered a family horse, which I do too but I do want my stallions to look like stallions, to be lively and full of themselves, while at the same time well behaved. A stallion is not a child's horse although I hear all the time people saying their Mini stallion can be handled by children. I don't allow my child to handle any of my stallions although I have had some that they likely could handle. I don't allow my stallions to scream and display and act like morons either. I want my stallions to have a masculine appearance in the same way I want my mares to have a feminine appearance.

 

[disneyhorse]

MiLo.... I have known quite a few high-level dressage horses that were stallions, and the riders said that the stallions are great because they can really get quite powerful and expressive in their movement. AND the bonus to those high-powered stallions in the dressage ring... only one horse goes in at a time

Andrea