Housing Stallions

By: Dr Amanda Warren-Smith, NCAS(1G), BAppSci(Eq) Hons PhD

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Stallions are very alert to their environment and any changes that may occur, regardless of how subtle those changes may seem to humans. This is most likely an evolutionary trait that has resulted in their survival. Consequently it is particularly important that we make sure his environment is as close as possible to what he would ‘choose’. 

The ‘natural’ environment

Horses naturally exist in herds that usually comprise a stallion, approximately 5 – 7 mares and possibly a few offspring. The other type of herd structure that commonly exists in horses is that of the bachelor band which comprise males that do not have a harem. In these groups, the reproductive and aggressive behaviour is more subdued compared to that of harem stallions1.

Therefore, the key to housing stallions is to provide them with the environment that replicates that of the natural environment and this has been shown to improving stallion behaviour as well as ‘curing’ cases of serious sexual dysfunction and infertility1. This means that ideally stallions should be kept with other horses such that the group structure replicates that of a natural band e.g. about 5 – 7 mares.

A domestic compromise

This however, may not always be practical in some domestic situations i.e. you may not want all mares in foal all the time! but this does not mean that we have to lock the stallion up in isolation.

If he cannot be in with ‘his’ mares, then he should at least be housed beside them. In this instance, ‘beside’ may mean that he is only separated from them by a short distance of a few metres by a driveway, a laneway or a tree line. This way he can still see, smell, vocalise and run with the other horses and exhibit most natural horse behaviours which is important, because in the natural environment, he would interact with ‘his’ mares almost continually1.

If you have a rotational grazing system and the mob moves, then move him too, so that he is still with them.

If you are in the exciting position of being in the design phase of your horse property, you should consider having the stallion paddock or paddocks central to all other paddocks, so that the other horses can rotate around him. This way he can always have his mares near him, and he does not have to change his immediate environment. For the overall paddock management of the property, you should also plan to move the stallion.

To keep any horse in isolation is not conducive to that animal’s well-being, especially stallions, as it prevents them expressing their innate tendency for surveillance2. It can lead to them becoming harder to handle and this problem is only exacerbated when they do see another horse. Stallions kept in isolation are also more prone to developing stereotypies and self-mutilation3 which has been found to be in approximately 2% of domestic stallions4. Clinical signs of self-mutilation in horses include biting at the flank or pectoral areas and kicking walls/fences.

Recreating the bachelor herd

While stallions are often kept in very controlled conditions for reasons cited as ‘to prevent injury’, in reality horses kept in herd situations, including those with stallions, rarely suffer serious injury, provided the management of such situations is appropriate.

A European study showed that a group of stallions who had not lived together previously, were able to live as a peaceful herd, even showing signs of positive social relationships such as mutual grooming, after only a few weeks of being pastured together5.

There were a few key factors that contributed to the success of this study:

• There was plenty of room for the horses (5 horses on 4.5 ha)
• The horses were stabled next to each other for the week preceding the group release, enabling them to get to know each other
• The study was conducted after the breeding season
• The paddock that the stallions were in was well away from any mares.

Upon initial release there was about 45 minutes of exuberance involving squealing, rearing, bucking, kick and bite threats, although it is important to note that there was no actual kicking or biting, and soon after the horses began grazing. This would be normal behaviour of any group of horses regardless of whether the group was comprised wholly of stallions or not.

A practical approach

Whilst keeping stallions in herd situations is not compatible with the elaborate stallion barns that are common on studs today, it is relatively simple changes in the housing of stallions that can improve a stallion’s behaviour, reproductive efficiency and fertility1. If these outcomes are the types of objectives that commercial breeding enterprises aim for, then perhaps some consideration needs to be given to the way the stallions are housed?

A sound start

Including stallions in your herd arrangements is more easily achievable if the males have been well socialised from the day they are born, after all this is only natural. So instead of keeping colts separate, let them be together but make sure the paddock is large enough to allow them to be able to move away from each other if necessary.

More difficult cases

What do you do if you have a colt/stallion that has been kept in isolation?

You can find him a friend, this could be another colt, a gelding or an older mare, and let them become acquainted over a safe fence line for a while, e.g. a week or more and then put them out together in a large, familiar and safe paddock. Yes there will likely be some exciting play to start with, but they will soon settle down to grazing together.

If you are housing males together, then do not have mares in close proximity (especially if in oestrus) as this can increase harem-stallion behaviour1.

If the colt is particularly lacking in social skills, then put him in with a few older mares and he will soon learn how he should behave.

It should be noted that all these cases are likely to be more successful if conducted out of breeding season.

While all this might sound like a fairly crazy sort of thing to do, more and more studs seem to be profiting from the many benefits of keeping breeding horses in mixed herds, and anecdotally report very few injuries from housing males together or with mares and foals.

Some stud owners report their stallions are valuable guardians at foaling time, protecting the vulnerable foals from feral dogs common to many areas of Australia, and furthermore that youngsters raised in a mixed herd including a stallion and older mares are easier to train.

In regards to the stallion, housing him with other horses will also make him a great deal easier to handle for breeding because he will not be so overly excited at the prospect of being near another horse.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dr Amanda Warren-Smith is an Honorary Lecturer, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney and the owner of Millthorpe Equine Research Centre. She has extensive experience working with horses from all disciplines and her specific interest areas include applied animal behaviour and animal welfare. Having completed a PhD that focussed on training horses, her knowledge of applying learning theory to the training of horses is world-class. Amanda has conducted numerous studies which have been published in the peer-reviewed literature and have been widely cited. She has also written and edited several book chapters and is frequently asked to review manuscripts for international journals. Amanda’s most recent research projects include objective measures of performance and improving training of domesticated horses.

Did you Know?
Researchers found that the conception rates of in-hand breeding are in the range of 55 to 60%, while pasture-bred horses’ conception rates per cycle were 75 to 85%.

(Ref: Vesserat GM, Cirelli AA Jnr. Stallion behaviour. Equine Pract 1996; 18: 29-32, Source: Equine Behaviour a guide for veterinarians and equine scientists. Second Edition by Paul McGreevy). 

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