I've had a lot of folks ask me why I made the decision to keep Baron a stallion. To tell you the truth, I'm not always sure myself. There are certain things you have to consider when you keep a stallion - I'll discuss those in a later post. Before Baron, I only had mares. Well, with the occasional gelding thrown in. I like mares. I like their moodiness and snappiness. I like how they think. In fact, standing in the yard right now, the number add up to look like this:
Mares = 4
Stallions = 2 (well, the Pony Colt doesn't really count - he will be gelded this fall)
Baron never went through the awkward ugly stage so many young Friesians go through. He looked young, but never gangly. This helped with my decision to keep him uncut.
 |
| Baron as a yearling |
I made the decision early on that I would try to keep him a stallion, based on three things:
1) His attitude or behavior
2) His confirmation
3) His usability
The last one was the most critical to me. I have seen stallions that have one purpose in life - to breed. They don't come out of their stalls, they don't have any interaction with folks or other horses. For Baron to stay a stallion he needed to be able to be around other horses, ridden by me and behave himself. I decided early on that I wouldn't cry if he needed to be gelded. It has taken a lot of hard work to make him the solid boy he is today and I have loved every minute of it.
 |
| Riding with my friend |
I have a lot of folks interested in using him as a stallion and so far we haven't committed to breeding him. You might ask me why at this point "What is the point in having a stallion you aren't breeding?" Would it make sense to just say that I like his fiery spirit? I love his attitude as a stallion? I think his stallion mind is a fascinating thing and I love watching him work out the challenges I set for him.
 |
| Seriously love this horse! |
I also don't want to breed just for the sake of making a little money or because he is a stallion and has the ability to do so. It doesn't make sense to me to put more horses in a market that is already flooded. He's only a young boy of six - I want him to have a purpose in life besides putting babies on the ground.
 |
| We are both long-legged things... |
Baron and I have also formed a funny little attachment. I'm convinced he would do anything I asked of him, just because I asked. He's careful around me and always mindful of where I am. He loves attention. ...and most importantly he is my friend.
 |
| Just hanging out |
Stallions do tend to be good around the ladies, and sometimes savage around men who don't treat them with the respect they deserve. I haven't bred from mine yet, as you know, and when the day comes, I think it will have to be AI as everyone seems to agree that actually servicing mares does make them quite a bit harder to handle. But they are amazing to be around, and to use!
ReplyDeleteVirginia - of the Percheron Stallion Vidock d'Albe
I'm with you - AI for Baron too. You've done so much with Vidock - I'm always waiting to see what you will be up to next with him.
DeleteI contemplated leaving Chrome a stallion, but I was afraid I would change my mind later and that it would be more dangerous the longer I waited. Also the lease land I had him on at the time had CRAP fences and I didn't feel safe leaving him a stallion. My decision wasn't based on his temperament. He was always fine. So far I haven't regretted the decision to geld him because he's great. I do miss his thick stallion neck though! He still has that deep stallion voice though which I love. :) If I ever get a purebred I might revisit the stallion thing, but as much as I worry it's probably just not a good idea. I don't get along with mares, so I'm probably better off sticking to geldings. Chrome's sire is amazing though! If I had a stallion like him I'd be thrilled!
ReplyDelete