Loose Horse! Oh no- It's the STALLION!
Submitted by: Virginia Equestrian
Date Added: 10/5/2014
(This article was borrowed from our sister-site, Kentucky Equestrian.)
I was inspired this past weekend to write this article; inspired by an experience that was definitely LESS THAN IDEAL. I walked in on a loose-horse situation. And not just any loose horse... a STALLION. A rearing, screaming, all-geared-up-for-lovin' (or fighting!) stallion.
HOW do people generally handle this type of situation?
I've worked with a couple stallions before (giant ones, at that). I've dealt with live-cover breeding and horses that are 'in their element'. Excited horses do not scare me; I can read their body language and know how to react in most situations. Over the years, I've learned how to keep calm and stay in control.
But what about this loose stud?
This stallion is wild. He is running up to all the paddocks and aggressively asserting his dominance over geldings and mares alike... How do you CATCH such an animal & more importantly-- how do you make sure that NO ONE GETS HURT in the process??
I came up with a few TIPS, in case you ever find yourself in a similar, unfortunate situation:
# 1: ASSESS THE LOCATION--
Before you attempt anything, Stop & LOOK AROUND. It may feel like you're losing precious time & you will have to resist the urge to immediately run towards the problem. But it is SO important to know what is around you before you approach & change the situation.
What to look for:
- Make sure there is no escape towards an open road or dangerous area.
- Look at where the other horses are. (geldings? mares? foals?)
- Are there any injuries yet?
- Do you see any broken fences or gates?
- If you can't catch him, then WHERE can you corral the stallion?
... Turn the location into a workable area. Place helpers in the right areas, in case the Stallion doesn't want to be caught. You need to have a plan of attack before you approach an excited, loose horse.
# 2: ARM YOURSELF--
Whether you choose a bucket of grain first or a broom will depend on the animal. Definitely bring a HALTER & (when dealing with stallions...) a CHAIN and a WHIP. If you know the animal, then STILL count on arming yourself a little more than usual. A loose stallion is NOT going to act like your trained, stalled buddy; he is out obtaining and fighting for a herd, so he will be more of a handful than usual.
Also-- Find a few extra hands to help!!! Don't ever try to catch a Stallion alone!!
When dealing with an especially out-of-control stallion, I would bring a BROOM. Have something substantial to wave at him when he's much taller than you are.
The idea is to LOOK bigger than him. (brooms are great visual tool & won't necessarily hurt if he gets too close & you have to whack him with the bristles)
# 3: GET IN CONTROL--
If there is no active fighting happening, then you can try to approach the stallion. Do NOT excite the situation. (i.e. don't go running, screaming & waving your arms up at him, even though you really WISH that would work)
When you approach: Don't walk directly towards him; keep your shoulders angled & take sideways steps. If he's alerted by you, stop & look away for a second. As always with horses, STAY CALM & RELAX. Go slow. If he lets you approach him, then great! (-get that chain on!)
If he happens to RUN towards you-- Keep your tools ready, but don't make a defensive pose until you know his intentions. (maybe he just really wants that grain you brought!)
Assuming the horse hasn't magically decided to put on his halter & walk back into the barn yet, your next goal is to get him in an area you can work with.
You need to get him cornered and alone. This is why your PLANNING is so important!
When chasing loose horses, they generally run towards the barn or other horses; they will run to what is familiar.
# 4: GET HIS ATTENTION--
If he's actively engaging other horses, make yourself 10x BIGGER & CHASE HIM to your planned containment area.
While attempting this, **DO NOT get BETWEEN him and another horse!!!**
YOUR SAFETY is -above all- the MOST important thing. (if you aren't convinced, then just remember it's a pain in the butt to deal with a loose stallion, but even MORE of a pain to deal with a trip to the hospital on top of that)
Get him to pay ATTENTION.
Push him away from the conversations with horses, and make him have a conversation with YOU. Depending on your other horses & your help, you can even have someone go catch the contained horses & keep them away from the fences while you get the Stallion's attention.
# 5: CATCH or CORRAL THAT SUCKER!
Once you have him away from other horses and hopefully CONTAINED (...in a fence or alley way or with brooms & human barricades...), then take a quick BREATH to make sure you are CALM again. I'm sure your adrenaline has kicked in after aggressively chasing him away from his new girlfriend!
You need to CHANGE your approach from 'chase away' to "hey, buddy, lets be friends" (you know, like the kind of friend who catches you & chains your nose, then locks you up forever in a lock box with no companions).
TAKE A SECOND to breathe & make it convincing. Let HIM relax too. Let him take a bite of grass. Don't approach too soon, or you will start the chase again.
Have ONE person approach him.
Hopefully by this point, you can put a halter on him. Maybe he's even realized he's TIRED after all that socializing. He will come back from the wild-side of roaming the plains with his ladies and remember that he lives in a beautiful barn with fluffy shavings and waiters to give him hay and grain on a daily basis.
[if it WASNT so easy to catch him, then keep chasing until you corral his bad stallion butt into a stall or fenced area that he can't get out of! Then lock it up & throw away the key for the night ! ]
# 6: CLEAN UP--
After the excitement is all over, and the stallion is contained... go back and check on everything. Find out HOW he got out & make sure it does NOT happen again.
Check for loose fence boards, open gates, lead ropes and whips that you might have thrown all over the pasture.
Check the Stallion for injuries. Check ALL horses for injuries and treat them appropriately. Even if he didn't interact with some of them, I guarantee your other horses were running around -cheering him on! (its a good idea to check everyone again in the morning: some lamenesses wont show up right away). Make sure everything is back in order, so none of this EVER happens again !!!
.....
Needless to say, my experience last weekend helped me realize the importance of each of these steps. I did not do everything in the right order, and I found myself back-tracking until we figured it out. It was not the most efficient way, but we got the Stallion put away and no one was hurt or bred. (miracle, I swear)
I can't stress enough how important it is to KEEP YOURSELF SAFE. Don't be irresponsibly brave in order to be a hero. Excited stallions will NOT care !!!
THINK first. Be SMARTER than they are. Loose horses are usually distracted & overstimulated, so if you PLAN your approach, then they'll usually fall for it.
If you don't, you will find YOURSELF distracted & overstimulated (with frustration) as well. Don't panic; that NEVER helped any situation.
Best thing to do is be careful and NOT let it happen in the first place! I'm sure you'll go to your barn tonight & double check those stall doors and gate latches. :)
I hope you can learn from my experience & feel PREPARED when this (hopefully never) happens at your barn.
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