Paulo the Former Stallion update:
Well, Paulo's lapse into reasonable behavior after his gelding was somewhat brief. He still can't stand the sight of Spirit the Unreasonably Large Mare, and seems to feel the solution should involve violence. In an attempt to keep him from jumping the five-foot iron fence that keeps him in his corral, the corral has gotten smaller ... and smaller ... until now it's not much bigger than a stall. Which makes it a little harder to clean up after him while he's in there. A couple of sessions ago he faked me out and escaped while I was dragging the shitwagon in there with him, and then had lots of fun cantering merrily around the edge of a frickin' cliff until we cornered him. The mares found this very exciting.
So the new doctrine is that Paulo has to come out of his stall/corral/paddock/whatever when it's time for me to clean it. Which is a pain, but not as much as trying to work three inches from his teeth and hooves while also maneuvering a wagon and shit fork.
The weird thing is, get him into another corral and then do nothing but shower attention on him, and he's by far the friendliest of the horses - even to me. Which won't stop him from thinking about taking a square foot of skin off my back next time I'm in there with him and drop my guard, should his mood be wrong.
H's latest theory/excuse for his behavior is that Paulo, as a foal, was treated the way many breeders treat stallions: Take him away from his mother when he's weaned, then isolate him from all other horses. Because he's a stallion, and stallions are pretty much supposed to be psychotic. Except Paulo is so poorly socialized that he couldn't even breed. He's got no concept of "teasing," which I'm told is horse language for foreplay, and unless another horse did it for him (not an uncommon practice, which just seems cruel) he couldn't even get to second base with a mare. Not, alas, that that's any longer a problem.
H still has hopes that he'll settle down and perhaps one day even be able to share a corral with another horse without mayhem. But personally I'll believe that when I see it.
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2 comments:
"Because he's a stallion, and stallions are pretty much supposed to be psychotic."
Baloney. I have about 7 of them (stallions), and they can be stalled next to geldings, usually with no problems. Some can even be stalled next to other stallions, but that's sometimes hard on the corral panels. One farm I know of used to stall them next to pregnant mares. - stallion, mare, stallion, mare etc.
Most horses are weaned by simply turned out with other weanlings of both sexes until about 8-9 months of age. Then they're either gelded or turned out with other male weanlings whether gelded or not.
Doesn't mean that Paulo wasn't handled differently, but if he came from a breeding farm rather than from a 1-2 horse owner, it's unlikely. Have you tried just tying him up near the mare? for hours on end, I mean? Or even turning him out in a large arena with her till they get acquainted? Has he ever been nose to nose with her?
Odd problem...
Sounds like a spoiled brat to me. :)
Had an Arab stud colt boarded with me (later gelded for no damned good reason - not my idea) who thought he was a lap pet. Different problem, but just as annoying and dangerous. Nobody needs a 900 lb. lap dog. But he got over it and became a darn good horse.
I think I could cure Paulo of all that crap pretty quickly, but I'd have to be there for a few days to do it.
Would be glad to talk to the owner or groom for him if they'd like. Could tell them the technique.
mamaliberty at rtconnect.net
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