My Stallion

Question
I have just purchased a 10yr old stallion, he has not bred a mare before. I think he has been diciplined this way as all of the mares the people owned were relatede to him. Anyway now that I have him I want him to breed and he won't. Any ideas, will he snap out of this with time? I have turned him out to pasture with the mares hoping Nature will take over.

Answer
Hi Janett,

You may have a difficult time with this boy.  If he has some behavioral issues and has been taught to never touch or approach a mare for breeding for 10 years, it is going to be hard to teach him that it is okay.  You never know what the previous owners did to him to discipline him to not behave like a stallion.

What I wonder is why his previous owners kept him as a stallion if they never intended to breed him or at least use him as a teaser.

You have done the best thing you could by turning him out with the mares.  I would make sure that the mares he is with are seasoned mares and not maidens.  A good seasoned mare will tease and entice a stallion when they are in heat.

Are you sure that this isn't a hormonal problem, rather than a behavioral one?  Are both of his testicles descended?  You could have his testosterone levels checked.

There are hormones that can be given to a stallion that acts similar to Viagra for humans.  Most vets won't recommend to use them, but it just depends on each stallion's individual needs.  If it is a hormonal, rather than a behavioral problem, you could definitely try it.

Nontheless... it is just like the old saying goes, "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink."  Unfortunately, that's kind of what it sounds like you're dealing with.

I wish you the best of luck. This can be very frustrating.