Is this typical stallion behavior, or is my friend's horse just picky?
I have been around horses most of my life, and have never seen this before.
I went to drop off my free lease mare at her new placement. They have a very nice TWH stallion. Put together very nice, looks like he's floating in gait. Great ground manners and what a gentleman. This lady gets an A++++++ for how to keep a stallion.
Anyway, I noticed a large poop pile beside the barn. I assumed it was where they dumped the wheelbarrow when they cleaned out the barn. Here comes the stallion, who turned around and pooped on top of the pile.
I joked about how convenient that was, and she said it was his poop pile. I couldn't believe it. This horse poops at the same spot every time. There was not one horse turd anywhere else in his turn out, and I'd say it was about 3/4 acre.
I've never noticed that anywhere else...have you?
2008-06-24T08:42:44Z
I've seen stuff like this in the stall before, but never out in the open pasture.
4 the Horses2008-06-24T09:04:49Z
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Yes, it's very common for stallions (and many geldings) to have poop piles. We have 2 here (an older 29yo and a junior 4yo) and both do the same thing. The younger stallion (still a colt really) uses one pile in a corner of his pasture closest to the neighbors horses.
The older stallion actually marks all four of the "corners" of his pasture.
It's a hold over instinct from wild horses where stallions marked their territory against other stallions. Also you'll see them marking the piles left by other horses, pooping on top of what mares left and will urinate on piles left by geldings or yearling colts.
If you run mares in a herd environment with a stallion for a while you'll notice the alpha mare starting to go in the same place as the stallion. Before long they'll have the others in that pasture doing the same thing. The bigger the pasture the more "marking piles" they'll be.
My gelding did this as a stallion. Now a gelding he still carries on this trait.
When I have to find his pile I know exactly where to look. My mare is the pile next to his area (she's always had this trait...like stallions) and the filly is all over the freakin' place.
My stud colts were not practicing this behavior until they were almost two. Close..but not perfect. They had the back half of the stall and by 2 they had the corner and by 3 they had a nice tower of poo. hehehehe
Why......why.... why might you go away a mare in warmth next to a stallion? all evening with out suprvision??? this is like cruel torture! And little question, the mare has been bred for particular. Or a minimum of the stallion tried to reproduce her, some mares do no longer stand with out concern till the stallion has had a while to convince her to realize this. He might have only beat her up yet by no ability effectively controlled penetration. nevertheless, you may take her for a being pregnant ultrasound in 21 days.
My gelding does that. I have 4 pastures then the 2 run in shelter areas.
Every single pasture has 'his' poo pile. And about 15 feet from each shelter he has another one. Doesn't poop in the shelters at all. Mare goes willy nilly where ever the urge strikes her.
Very convenient for neighbors who like the fertilizer.
He has done it ever since we've owned him...He was about 17 or 18 months old when he was gelded.