I am getting my little weanling stud pony shipped to my farm in about a month. I was wondering the success other breeders have had with turning them out with other geldings, or should he be turned out solo? He has been turned out with another pony colt since he was weaned. Am I just plum crazy…or is this something that could be potentially done (after he has been properly quarantined of course). Thoughts?
Cant see why not if they get along. My welsh colt always went out with geldings Never had an issue. He needed the exercise and learned to be social.
depends on the critter. My last stallion was always good with geldings. The current one was until he was 3, then he wasn’t good tolerating other males, even geldings. now he has a 26 yo barren mare he is turned out with
Would he be with other ponies or with big horses? I was told once that putting ponies with horses puts them both at more risk: the little ponies tend to kick the unprotected underbelly, while if the horse kicks, they are more likely to get the head. A stud colt seems more at risk of stirring up trouble and causing a kicking match.
I have a coming 3 yr old in tact colt who goes out with another gelding and it is such a major bromance. Stallions SHOULD be out with other horses as long as it’s safe, some can not handle it but most could if given the chance. Make sure he is never the dominant one in the field
He’s WEANLING. Weanlings should NEVER be alone. In fact in a herd is exactly where little colts should be until they are trying to breed mares. And since this is a pony colt, I’m guessing he’s not going to be tall enough to breed “horse” mares for many a year.
If you have just ponies, then he’s safer out with geldings (just to prevent the occasional “oopsie”). My current stallion was raised in a herd (with mares) till he was about 9 months old. Then he was transferred to a pasture with one pregnant mare (which he hated because she didn’t want to play & beat him up alot).
Finally, when he was 2, I actually went out and bought a gelding to be his buddy. Kioyote loved that, because finally had someone to play with him. BoBo and Kioyote have been pasture mates no for 2.5 yrs and BoBO STILL pushes’ him around.
I’ve never bred Kioyote, but I do use him to tease mares…and when that happens, BoBo just stands to the side eating his hay and looking bemused.
Of course there are exceptions, but in the wild stallions are never alone; they are either with their band of mares or with other stallions (bachelor bands). Personally, I think it’s one of the cruelest thing you can do to a horse is to keep them isolated, and one of the best ways to avoid that is to keep them with other horses from the time they are babies.
Certainly no weanling should be alone…IMHO that will totally fry their brain. They really need to security of a herd. Even weanling racehorses (stud colts) aren’t isolated – they turn them out in gender groups up until they go off to race.
In Aiken, they still turned out the babies (we’re talking 18-24 mos) in the afternoon into large paddocks according to gender.
Many ranches here kept their stallions out with the geldings, or in stallion groups.
The last stallion we had was raised from the time we bought him as a yearling right along with our geldings.
He was middle of the pack, even later as a stallion, so that helped teach him manners all along.
We started him under saddle and galloped him, he went to the track, ran well and when he came back, out with the geldings he went again and it was like he never left.
He also was my main cowhorse, used him helping the neighbors also.
He was handled extensively, busy, well trained and experienced, plus had a wonderful disposition, all that helps.
When it was time to tease mares, we would lead one to the fence line, the boss gelding would tease her, our stallion, if she was receptive, walked over to the gate and we put a halter and led him in, took the mare back to a pen where he teased here and bred her, then we returned him to the gelding pasture.
Once the mares were hand bred and turned out, we used to turn him with the mares for a few weeks, as a clean-up, in case a mare would come back in heat later.
He didn’t like it out with them, would stand by the gate wanting back with “his” herd, the geldings.
Worked fine for us.
If they are safe in a herd depends on what other horses you have and what temperament your stallion has.
I would definitely turn him out with a buddy or group but I think you will need to be very careful about introducing him, less because he’s a colt or a pony and more because he’s a weanling. Can you start with one very laid back gelding?
Whatever you do, you need to be sure he is getting the nutrition he needs for his stage of life, when it is important he eats right.
With yearlings in a mixed age group, he should be taken out to insure he will get his proper nutrition, not hope eating out of a communal round bale is good enough.
I would be more worried about insuring that part of growing him out as a youngster than who he is living with, as long as they are congenial, no one is beating on others.
Every that Kyzteke said !!! Great Post
As far as the quarantine thing … I feel they are worse off living in isolation. Sure you carry a small risk perhaps, but don’t the mares milk give them antibodies that protect fairly well til @ least 9 months of age ? I would put him w/ company if he were mine.
Can’t really add anything else other than congrats on your pony 
I’m really lucky that I have two laid back geldings. I am a big believer also in letting him be turned out with buddies, but I have asked my horse friends for opinions and well you know how that turns out! You start to second guess.
PS regarding the quarantine: if the foal has had it’s first shots (which it should have if it’s over 6 months old) and the geldings are properly vaccinated you should NOT have to quarantine at all.
The only exception would be if the weanling could touch noses with pregnant mares…but otherwise everybody should be just fine.
I have three colts on the farm currently, two coming 3 y/o’s and a weanling. The two older colts were out together with geldings until this summer, both are still out with a gelding buddy. I only split the two of them because they play too hard and were getting too marked up for show season! I hope that both will continue to go out with geldings, although I suspect one will not be suited to that once he has been to the breeding shed. I think the other will be laid back enough to continue going out with a gelding friend for life.
My weanling is out with a bred mare. She’s teaching him life’s lessons in charm school 
He will go out with geldings next year when my mare foals.
