From Novice to Advanced
Tips for Stallion Handlers

Even though we think a stallion should know his business in the breeding shed, that is not always the case at the beginning. "Starting a novice breeding stallion can range from a quick and easy project accomplished in a few brief sessions to a challenging and time-consuming effort over many sessions and even a few weeks," says Sue McDonnell, PhD, a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and head of the Equine Behavior Lab of the Veterinary School of the University of Pennsylvania (New Bolton Center), at the Hagyard Bluegrass Equine Symposium held Oct. 21-23, 2004.

Although it's most efficient to customize the training protocol for each stallion, McDonnell recommends a general 10-step process for a novice breeding stallion session. The first step begins with establishing a general handling rapport with the stallion.

"Before beginning the breeding training session, a few minutes of walking the stallion in a non-sexual situation using the restraint that will be used for breeding can be helpful in establishing good communication with the stallion," says McDonnell. "Specifically, we recommend to establish gesture and verbal commands for the following basics--walk, stop, stand, and back."

The next step is to establish rapport with the stallion in a teasing situation. "The same basic ground commands can be used to convey to the horse that with the direction of the handler, he can approach and interact with the mare in an organized manner," says McDonnell.

Step three is entering the breeding shed. McDonnell notes, "As we gradually approach the stimulus mare, the handler's goal is to convey to the stallion that he can approach the mare at the pace of the handler."

Next, the stallion can be allowed close teasing as needed. "Many novice breeders will not respond sufficiently until allowed closer contact with the stimulus mare, at least at first," says McDonnell. "Approaching head-to-head, and then teasing from the shoulder toward the tail is the natural sequence for horses breeding at liberty. For most novices, this is more stimulating than going directly to the tail."

Next is penis preparation. "Important aspects of washing include a confident, reassuring approach and gentle handling of the delicate tissues," McDonnell explains. "If the horse is shy or resentful of penis manipulation, we are happy to delay the procedure until subsequent sessions."

Step six is accomplished by finishing last-minute preparations, and if needed, re-stimulating the stallion through close-contact teasing. "Once the stallion is fully erect and ready to mount, he is encouraged to pause momentarily and then mount when signaled by the handler," says McDonnell.

For those stallions that hesitate to mount, bumping the mare or dummy with the stallion's chest can elicit mounting.
Step seven is insertion and thrusting, followed by dismounting (step eight). "Whenever possible, the stallion should be left undisturbed for several seconds after ejaculation to dismount when ready," says McDonnell. "A mare handler can facilitate dismounting by stepping the mare forward as the stallion stirs to dismount."

Step nine is rest and reinforcement. "We try to reinforce improvement, whether or not ejaculation occurred, with a pat on the shoulder or some words of praise," notes McDonnell.

Finally, the stallion leaves the breeding area in the 10th step. If the stallion is reluctant to leave, give him a minute to orient himself. "We just wait a minute or two, remove the mare from the shed, then encourage the stallion to leave without a battle," comments McDonnell.

McDonnell stresses, "Our goal of early training is to see progress in each step with each session."
 
Planning, preliminary ground handling, positive reinforcement rather than a punitive approach, and patience can result in efficient, safe stallion handling for breeding, even with the most enthusiastic or awkward beginner stallion and beginner handlers.

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The horses that I have been around all my life have one thing in common--they are all different. Whether it was the pack horses in our front yard when I was a child in Colorado, or the racing Quarter Horses my Dad owned in Oklahoma later in my youth, or the magnificent Thoroughbreds I care for today, they're all individuals. The one thing I try to remember is that each horse is unlike the horse in the stall next door, even though they may have the same job. You must tailor their daily routines to their individual needs.

I feel that we should try to let the horses be horses as much as we can. At Three Chimneys Farm (near Midway, Ky.), our stallions are ridden for both the mental and physical benefits of exercise. And we try to give them as much turn-out as possible because we believe a happy horse is a better horse to handle on a daily basis.

I think the best time of my day at Three Chimneys Farm is the morning. The stallions come in from their paddocks, go out for a little exercise under tack, eat breakfast, are bathed or groomed, then we are ready for the breeding shed or for visitors.

Of course, it's not always that easy! Some horses might stay in at night, some are fresh off the racetrack, and some are on limited turnout, so every morning is different. You must be flexible.

Most of our stallions are out in paddocks at night and up during the day, so they are available for people to inspect and for the breeding sessions. Some horses don't do well with that much turn-out time, so we adjust as needed. During the cold winter months, when the wind is howling or the rain is very cold, we turn the stallions out during the day and keep them up at night. That way they are warm and ready to head to the breeding shed in the morning.

We have 12 stallions at Three Chimneys Farm--nine who are actively breeding and three who are retired. A "typical" day for us begins at 7:00 a.m., when we arrive at the barn and get the stalls ready to bring horses up from their paddocks. The night watch person has bedded the stalls, so we put fresh water in every stall and feed for the horses that are not going to the exercise track. After the horses are exercised they eat, then we can turn out any horses that remained in the barn the night before.

But there are all sorts of exceptions. We have one retired stallion who is fed at 6:00 a.m. so he can go out when we first arrive. He has a condition that makes it hard for him to regulate his body temperature in the warm months, so he goes out for a few hours in the cool of the morning. We have two older horses who stay up at night and go out during the day because they do better physically with that routine. Our newest stallion, who is just off the racetrack with an injured ankle, is going out in a small pen at night, weather permitting. But if the weather has been bad, he goes out during the day.

After the horses have been ridden, next begins the task of grooming the stallions that were out overnight and cleaning the stalls for the stallions who have gone out for the day. We try to have all of this done by 8:30 a.m. so we are ready for the breeding shed session at 9:00 a.m. or for any clients who may want to inspect the stallions. At 1:00 p.m., the horses that are out in their paddocks are brought in and everyone is fed again. The horses that do not have a mare in the 2:00 p.m. breeding session can go out after they eat. The rest of the stallions are turned out after they have covered their afternoon mare. When the afternoon session is over, the other stalls have to be done and the barn cleaned and readied for the evening breeding session at 7:00 p.m.

Of course, all of this is subject to change on a moment's notice if the sales are going on, if we have a thunderstorm, if we have a special group of visitors coming, or if a hundred other things happen! Each day, as well as each horse, is different, and you have to be adaptable.

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"An untrained stallion in the breeding shed can be like having an orangutan on the end of a shank," began Dickson Varner, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACT, Chief of Theriogenology at Texas A&M University and Pin Oak Stud Chair of Stallion Reproductive Studies. Varner, who is world-renowned for his expertise in stallion reproduction and his contributions to the field, presented his methods of stallion handling during the 51st Annual AAEP Convention, held in Seattle, Wash., Dec. 3-7, 2005.

"Handling a breeding stallion can be dangerous," Varner explained. "A stallion's mind, like most men's, can get clouded with testosterone when faced with a hot-looking female. A stallion handler must be able to focus the stallion's mind on him, as well as the mare, and make him wait for instructions. This cannot be achieved through fear or abusiveness, but through training basic cues and maneuvers to the stallion before he ever reaches the breeding shed."

Handlers must be able to use logical reasoning to alter the way the stallion reacts. "Effective communication is the key," Varner said. "Stallions can read us though our words and actions, and we must be able to read stallions, that is understand their language, so that we may be on the same page and communicate effectively."
He said stallions should be approached with the three R's in mind: Respect, responsiveness, and radiance.  "We want them to be respectful of us, and to respond immediately to our commands, while not instilling dominance that leads to submissive or fearful behavior."

Tools for Handlers

The best tools Varner said stallion handlers can have at their disposal are patience, persistence, and positive reinforcement. A stallion's behavior should be shaped by using a positive, proactive approach so that they become a willing partner to the handler.

When it comes to dealing with new stallions, Varner said he likes to get as much history as he can on the stallion. "We want to know is he frightened of people, is he anxious, a man-eater, will he strike at you, or run you over," Varner said. "You have to treat all these horses as individuals, but you have to get as much information as you can. You should never be fully trusting of a stallion, even with a really quiet stallion. You can't go to sleep around stallions. That's when you get hurt."

Varner said stallions should respect the handler before they are ever introduced to a mare. When working with a stallion, he should not be tired, distracted, mad, hurt, or frightened. "We want to have a positive mindset so that when we work with these horses, we get the desired response," Varner explained.

Varner recommended using a quality leather halter and an 11-foot leather lead with a 30-inch chain. "It's critical that the halter fits properly," he explained. An ill-fitted halter can slide out of position, reducing the handler's ability to control the horse and creating unwanted pressure points on and around the head region. The chain should not be secured to the lead ring; instead, it should be run through the left stay, then passed under the chin, over the nose, or though the mouth, then passed through the right stay and snapped to the right cheek ring. "Some people think that stallions associate equipment with a job," Varner said. "I disagree with this. I think that stallions associate the environment with the job, and that the same equipment can be used when taking the stallion to the exercise paddock, presenting him to the public, or when covering mares in a breeding setting. However, he said some handlers like to use breeding bits, or Chiffney bits--a brass bit with a ring that goes under the horse's chin that are commonly used for Thoroughbred sales. He warns that while these devices can be useful, they can also cause problems.

"If you have a bit in their mouth, get rid of the rollers or players," Varner said. "They encourage a stallion to use their mouth more and it develops into a nervous habit. I don't like using Chiffney bits because when the stallion mounts the mare, he has the chance of banging the bit against his chin and startling himself." He also discouraged the use of muzzles unless the stallion savages the mare or handler. "It's best to get them over the problem that they have, rather than mask it."

Varner said the key elements of training include being able to work on a slack lead, teaching the stallion to maintain a safe zone between him and the handler, and making sure the cues used remain consistent.

Stop, Back—Good Boy!

Teaching a stallion to stop and back is the basis for gaining his respect and focusing his mind on the handler rather than the mare. When working on the stop and back, Varner said, "I like the stallion to listen to my body language. If I face the horse and walk parallel to him, he should back up. If I walk toward his shoulder he should back at an angle. Always strive for softness in the body. Don't pick at the stallion; make your corrections and wait for him to make the mistake again.

"It's best to expose the stallion to the mare for the first time while she's in padded stocks, or while the mare is still in the stall, because either one can strike with lightening fashion," Varner explained. "The last thing that I want to do is put a mare on the floor with an uncontrollable stallion. Once we've put a stop and back on the stallion, make sure he remembers it when you introduce him the mare. We want to make sure that the stallion is always listening to us. I recommend backing him into position by circling to put him on the mare to reinforce that."

For overly aggressive stallions, Varner recommends consulting with a professional to help identify exactly what the horse is doing and why, then devise a plan to correct the problem. "Whenever you can capture the horse's mind, most of these stallions do extremely well. Applying these simple principles of stallion handling will yield a more safe and serviceable stallion."

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