turnout of mares to stallions

mightyhijames · Postby **mightyhijames** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 5:41 am

i need to rotate my mares to another field but the only one available has a neighboring stallion about 10-15 feet, two fences away. my mares were in that field before and hung out all the time down in the corner. they never got through the fence but it makes me a bit nervous having them all so close, especially this time of year. how far is far enough when pasturing mares and stallions?

Regal Pleasure · Postby **Regal Pleasure** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 8:25 am

Depends on the stallion and the type of fencing. I have mares turned out that close to my stallion with no problems. HOWEVER he has had mares, even those in ROARING heat, that close to him (off and on) since birth so he is used to the situation.

Bondama · Postby **Bondama** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 9:01 am

I was going to say that too.....depends on the stallion and what he can handle. They're all different! Is the stallion's fencing sturdy?

Bondama · Postby **Bondama** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 9:02 am

I was going to say that too.....depends on the stallion and what he can handle. They're all different! Is the stallion's fencing sturdy?

bcassidy · Postby **bcassidy** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 5:55 pm

exactly what are you concerned about? the safety of the mares? stallion? fencing? pregnancy? colic? destruction of the paddock or field because of pacing or fretting? There are many potential problems but it doesn't always have to be all bad. I have seen more than one stallion become very quiet (not normally to be the case) when he was in close proximity to mares---it can obviously easily go the other way as well. How often would the stallion or mares be removed from their respective fields? That could be quite challenging I would bet. In general it is not something you would do if you had choices but it doesn't have to be a totally bad idea---it really depends on a lot of other factors.