Housing stallions requires a unique set of facilities and handler experience. These experts explain.

Beautiful, strong, powerful. Breeding stallions are essential to the continuation of our sport, but they’re not for every horseman to handle. If you’re considering adding a stallion to your herd, you’ll want to make sure you are prepared—both with the right facilities and with experienced handlers. These three stallion station owners share the important management techniques they incorporate to keep their stallions healthy and happy and everyone involved safe during interactions.

Special Handling Required

Jake Dahl co-owns Vista Equine–Colorado with partner Stephanie Webb in Fort Collins, Colorado. Dahl says the stallions at their facility are only handled by certain workers—not every person on staff has access.

“We limit the contact to one specific guy who feeds and cleans the stallion, so these guys get used to him, he is used to them and nothing changes in their routines,” Dahl said. “These guys know how to handle stallions, and they know how to be around them. Plus, the stallions get used to that one person handling them, and they get more comfortable while we are collecting and breeding them.”

New staff for the stallion manager position are trained extensively on how to interact with stallions before they’re assigned to work with them.

“They learn what to look for while handling the stallions and how to be careful around them,” Dahl said. “Most of our stallions are very docile and good-mannered, but they are still stallions, and they are a different animal than mares and geldings.”

Stallions have more testosterone than mares and geldings, so they are more aggressive and territorial—particularly during breeding season—and require caution when being approached.

“You want them to come up to you, make sure you have eyes on them at all times and are always paying attention to them,” Dahl said. “Pay attention to that stallion the whole time you are with him—don’t visit with anybody else, don’t look at your phone. Focus 100 percent on what you’re doing with him.”

Dahl also trains his crew to keep the stallions out of their personal bubble and require them to behave when being handled. Always have an escape route when working with horses, particularly stallions, Dahl advises. Don’t get trapped in the back of a stall without an exit.

“You need to have a mutual respect between the stallion and the handler,” Dahl said. “I show my handlers this is where you stand and this is where you don’t.” Dahl says he sees show stallions that are docile at home but then present their stud-like nature once they are away at a show.

Handling stallions requires a specific skillset and setup.
Don’t discourage a stallion from acting like a stallion—in the breeding shed. You can expect good manners the rest of the time, but make the boundaries clear. Photo by Abigail Boatwright.

“You may think your horse is the perfect stallion, he’ll mind his manners, he never thinks about mares, he’s not aggressive,” Dahl said. “Those are the horses you need to pay attention to the most, because they’ve not been put in a situation where they felt they had to defend their territory. A stallion will eventually show you he’s a stallion, unless he’s been specifically trained to handle new situations. No matter how well behaved he is at home, he knows he’s a stallion and you need to watch out for that.”

Dahl especially cautions against letting people who are unfamiliar with the stallion get in close proximity.

“Don’t let just anybody go in his pen and handle him,” Dahl said. “At some point, he’s going to show you he’s a stallion, and you need to be prepared.”

Naia Graham co-manages Southwest Stallion Station with her husband, Tyler, in Elgin, Texas. The facility employs stallion care 24 hours a day.

“It’s not the same guy the entire time, but we have someone with them monitoring all the time,” Graham said. “It’s his job to make sure they’re getting turned out and going back and forth to the breeding shed, and that they are kept safe.”

Graham’s stallion caretakers are familiar with the horses, comfortable handling stallions and typically use a stud chain over the horse’s nose while leading to the breeding shed.

“It’s just for an extra reminder in case they get unruly,” Graham said. “They typically do not act up, once they learn the protocol, but you never know when something is going to set one off, so you have to be ready for it.”

Mac Murray co-owns MJ Farms with his wife, Janis. The facility is south of Albuquerque, New Mexico. There, the stallion handlers wear safety equipment, including riding helmets, while collecting the stallions.

“Both the person handling the stallion and the person doing the collection wear helmets,” Murray said.

Housing stallions effectively includes laying out your facility to allow for room to roam.
Make sure your breeding facility is laid out in a way that allows stallions room to roam and visual access to other horses, without close contact between the animals. Photo by Abigail Boatwright.

Facility Needs

Vista Equine’s facility has a stallion shed row with larger stalls—12 feet by 18 feet. Unlike the herds of broodmares, stallions have runs that allow them to see each other but not interact up close.

“You want to keep stallions separate from each other so they can’t be touching nose-to-nose,” Dahl said. “You don’t want them to be able to kick one another, bite each other and carry on, because they are territorial.”

To keep the stallions as safe as possible—just like the other horses at the facility—Dahl’s horses are contained in runs with pipe fencing, the stalls are reinforced with solid boards up to 9 feet and the stallions have a double wall in between each other.

Dahl recommends arranging your horses in such a way that the stallions are not in regular, casual contact with mares unless you’re pasture breeding, which has a different set of challenges.

Make your facility as safe for your stallions as possible, and place them in the environment where they are most comfortable. Some prefer dry lots, some prefer stalls, some prefer pastures. Find the atmosphere that best suits your stallion, and let him claim the space as his own.

Graham’s stallions each have their own stalls with runs, as well as individual paddocks for turnout and exercise. The stallion barns are separate. While the stallions can see each other, they can’t come in contact with each other, for the animal’s protection.

However, some stallions need more social interaction. Leading barrel horse sire Firewaterontherocks, for example, has a companion sheep.

“Sometimes it is guesswork to try and find what will make the animal comfortable,” Graham said. “These are testosterone-filled animals that are not necessarily meant to be handled by someone inexperienced. We are asking them to be docile, but at the same time, mother nature is going to take its course. You have to be careful with them and also listen to their needs.”

A safe environment for breeding is important for stallions.
A safe environment for breeding is crucial—choose non-slip flooring and room for handlers to maneuver while collecting stallions. Photo by Abigail Boatwright.

When it comes time to for breeding, Graham’s area for collection is set up with pens so the stallion can be teased by a mare and then taken directly to the dummy without having to hobble him. The flooring is comprised of chopped rubber that is three feet deep to protect the horses from injury. Human contact during the breeding process is minimized, thanks to the design of the collection area.

Murray’s stallions are collected in a barn 150 feet long with two large doors at one end. The stallions know when they arrive through those double doors it’s time to be collected, and there will be a teaser mare waiting in a pen. If they go through the back door of the barn, they’ll be headed to exercise or go on the hot walker.

Routines

To ensure the happiness of his charges, Dahl works to find the right balance of living arrangements for each of his stallions. Maybe one stallion is intimidated by others and doesn’t feel comfortable being stalled by his rival. Dahl will move horses around until they feel secure. He also makes outdoor turnout a priority.

“Getting these horses turned out to where they can see sunshine and see each other is a big thing for stallions,” Dahl said. “You don’t want to keep them closed up where they never see the light of day. They need activity to keep their mind fresh and focused. Let them get out and exercise and play.”

When it’s not breeding season, Dahl’s horses are worked in the round pen to keep them fit and their minds occupied.

When a stallion is in the collection shed, Dahl and his crew expect him to behave like a stallion.

“We want him to nicker at mares, we want him to act like a stallion,” Dahl said. “For these performance horses, when they’re not breeding, we want them to act like a gelding. So there are things we do to signal to the horse that it is not time for breeding.” These signals include steering clear of the breeding shed, using a different halter—leather with a chain for breeding, nylon the rest of the time—and getting a lot more time exercising in the off season.

Graham’s stallions each have a customized routine for turnout and exercise built around their collection schedule and feeding times. If a stallion is a show horse, his diet and exercise regimen will be different than the retired horses.

“When they first arrive, you make adjustments to see what routine, diet and preferences best fits the horse,” Graham said. “It takes a lot of attention to detail to see what combinations work. They are all different.”

Because the facility is in Texas, Graham’s stallions get treated to frequent baths in the summer and are supplied with fans in their stalls. Heat can reduce the quality of semen, so keeping the stallions cool is a priority.

“Every horse handles it differently, so we do make adjustments to their daily routine,” Graham said. “Collecting in the summer is very difficult, because it gets too hot for them.”

Each horse also has opinions on the breeding shed routine.

“Not every stallion likes the same extender,” Graham said. “Not every stallion likes the same artificial vagina. They definitely have preferences.”

Murray agrees—he says his stallions even have different preferences on temperature and tightness of the artificial vagina.

Stallion collection is individual to each stud.
Each stallion has his own preferences—from turnout, to feed, to type of artificial vagina. Find what works best for your particular stallion and incorporate that into his routine. Photo by Abigail Boatwright.

“As you get to know the stallion, you start to figure these things out,” Murray said. “But every horse doesn’t respond to the same things. They have to be treated like an individual.”

Murray’s stallions get groomed twice a day, which not only keeps them feeling good but also helps them make a positive impression when the public comes to visit the breeding facility.

When the stallions aren’t going to be collected, they get turned out in large paddocks.

“During the summer, we bring them in at night and put them in stalls, but during the day they get turned out so they can play and roll and be horses,” Murray said.

Final Thoughts

Housing stallions involves a unique facility setup.
Operating a breeding facility can be challenging but ultimately rewarding if you ensure safety and comfort of the horses in residence. Photo courtesy Naia Graham.

If you want to start breeding, Dahl recommends researching what that entails and determine your goals before you bring a stallion home. It might be best to send your stallion to a stallion station, where expert care and marketing are available.

Murray recommends spending time at a breeding facility before embarking on your own breeding operation. He also recommends taking a course at a university, such as Colorado State, where non-students can learn to collect stallions, breed horses and learn the ins and outs of the entire process.

Graham says to remember that stallion management is quite different from managing mares and geldings, and she advises enlisting the help of experienced horsemen before getting started.

These stallions are complete individuals,” Graham said. “We have to listen to what it is they want. Breeding is really rewarding, and it’s always changing. But very fulfilling—the stallions are like friends.”

Meet The Experts

Jake Dahl is the co-owner and general manager of Vista Equine–Colorado. The farm, located in Fort Collins, Colorado, stands Vanila Viper, Magnum, Freckles Ta Fame, This One Time, REF Black Mamba, Better Get Your Gun and Country Bay Berry. The farm foals out around 200 mares a year and does about 250–300 embryo transfers, as well as oocyte aspiration. Vista Equine also sells between 50 and 75 yearlings at sales around the country. Learn more at vistaequine.com.

Naia Graham co-manages Southwest Stallion Station with her husband, Tyler. The station in Elgin, Texas, stands Kiss My Hocks, Epic Leader, Bucks Hancock Dude and Firewaterontherocks. Located on 2,000 acres, Southwest Stallion Station is the oldest consecutively-run stallion station in Texas. The facility houses close to 300 horses during breeding season and offers all breeding services, including embryo transfer, frozen and cooled semen. Learn more at southweststallionstation.com.

Mac Murray co-owns MJ Farms, located an hour south of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The facility stood the late Jesse James Jr, and currently stands Big Daddy Cartel and Woodbridge. Set on 90 acres of pasture, the ranch has about 170 horses between stallions, mares and recipient mares for embryo transfer. Visit facebook.com/MJFarms.

This article was originally published in the January 2018 issue of Barrel Horse News.

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