separating colt from herd?

[ElementFarm]

The time is coming when we’ll have to separate the yearling colt from the herd. He’s not realized he’s a ‘boy’ yet, but as soon as he does, it’s time to move him from the mixed group he’s currently happily living with.

He’ll have his own space (small paddocks with run in, and stall) and will have a mini for company. His life will not be miserable, but I do want to keep him socialized. We have one other gelding that can go out with him occasionally, and I figure next spring when the mares get bred, he can maybe go out with them once they are confirmed in foal. Any other tricks that have worked for you to keep your young stallions happy and well socialized?

Also, while I know we can simply geld him and put him back in the group, the judges at his inspection did mention he was a stallion prospect. We won’t keep him a stud unless he’s simply superior when he matures, but since we can’t glue them back on once we cut them off, we’d like to keep him entire until A: he’s proven himself worthy of being a lovely gelding, or B: he’s too much horse as a stud. So likely at least another year or two before we know what we have and if he’s worth keeping as a stallion. Until then, I want to keep him as happy and healthy as possible. So any suggestions welcomed.

[crosscreeksh]

Our coming three year old, TB colt has a 14.2 QH pony that he lives with. They play rough, but no scratches, dings or blood shed. The QH demands respect…and gets it, but is not nasty. The colt…almost 16.3 already…is a total gentleman. There is a herd of geldings on one side of his pasture and a stallion on the other side. He pays no attention to either group. He is NEVER studdish or honky…has NEVER offered to nip or be fresh with humans, dogs anything!! The key…in my mind…is plently of exercise and setting rules for a colt to learn to follow.

[EventerAJ]

I kept my colt with a pair of adult geldings until he was cut at age 3. Having friends was important to his socialization, and the older horses help put him in his place if he got out of line (though one gelding was “too nice” to the colt, having known him since weaning, and was overly tolerant of rough housing and aggressive play). My colt played hard, but had a kind temperament, even if mares were near. He’s just a butthead sometimes, and continues to be so after being gelded.

Keep your colt intact as long as he doesn’t disrupt life on your farm. Do your best to give him a normal life and treat him as any other horse. Don’t “protect” him and keep him isolated from mares or other horses-- if he is to be a performance animal, he’ll need to deal with being around others and behaving himself.

[DressageChic2]

treating him like a normal horse is the best advice.

my stallion is now 5, had him since he was 2…always treated him like just another horse. Ours are all in individual turnout but he’s in a normal paddock, seperated by electric fence and is out all day, along side the other horses.

his field is on the boundary of our property and borders a road so he sees and hears horses going up and down frequently,which helps stop it being something exciting, other horses mooching past are just normal and he barely ever looks up from grazing.

equally his summer paddock is opposite the arena gate so all week long there are strange horses turning up for training and going in and out, incl mares in heat. again it is now VERY unusual that he does more than walk over, watch for 5mins then go back to grazing.

the only concession we made was increasing fence height from 5’5 to 6’5 on the sides that border the road and next door property, and next to the arena. its hot all the time but tbh he’s never tested it, he is a sleeper and an eater and if you see him above a jog when turned out that is RARE!

He’s stabled in the high traffic corner between the feed room and wash box so again horses going past ALL the time,and we are completely none hysterical about how we handle him, tie him up next to other horses, let them groom and nip and play over the door, travel him next to other horses, hack him with other horses and generally expect him to behave like a gelding…with the caveat that we keep our eyes in the back of our head and remember he is a stallion.

we only have him + geldings at home so leave him behind a stall guard when its hot but shut the door if we have clients on the yard for lessons etc…worse case scenario and he escapes he will go and eat anyway or groom the 3yo over the door. if he was one of those that we had to panic about getting free he wouldnt still be entire, horses will be horses and accidents will happen etc.

definitely dont try and keep his world all calm and perfect and uninterrupted at home, as you are setting yourself up for major drama at shows…never ever start thinking “oh i cant do that because of THE STALLION”…our boy either gets on with life and accepts stuff or he gets cut, simple.