Stallion Group-Keeping in Theory and Practice
Version: 2009.06.10
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Part II: Practice Example and Experiences [2]
Stabling Facility
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Spring 1999: The open stable and the original gravel ground.
Around the stable there is an L-shaped all-weather paddock with a side length of about 20 x 20 meters. The ground is made up of brought-in gravel and later it received a drainage system as well.
Summer 1999: The all-weather paddock after the gravel was freshly put in.
Directly adjacent to this all-weather paddock Ferdi at first also had a pasture of about 4000m² at his disposal.
Before and during the purchase of the horses the sable was modified in such a way that there were to open box-stalls for the horses and behind them a large common box-stall for the two ponies. Winnetou and Chicco. The common box-stall has three entrances, one at the outside and one each in both of the horse's box-stalls. All three entrances were cut to the height of the ponies, so that the ponies could have retreated there anytime without the horses being able to follow them.
In the beginning, especially during the habituation phase of the four stallions, there was a grazing pasture of 4000m² available, which is a big advantage for the habituation and integration of new stallions, especially with difficult integrations, which was the case with the stallion Indo. 1998 Ferdi then lost the right to use this land due to real-estate quarrels in his political community and thus from then on, if not a pasture could be rented temporarily, only the 20 x 20 meter all-weather paddock was at the disposal of the four stallions. But that did not create the slightest problems, which proved that keeping stallions in groups, even in very limited and small spaces is absolutely possible, if one knows how, and one is not prejudiced in advance already against the nature and the natural male sexuality of horses.
Since 2002 Ferdi does not keep the stallions in his open stable at his house anymore during the entire vegetation period. Ferdi is very nature-oriented and, even if his horses had more space on their all-weather paddock than any horse has in a box-stable, he wants his horses to have the space to gallop around freely like wild mustangs and to have as much fresh grass as they please. For this reason, since 2002, the four stallions are on a pasture during the entire vegetation period which, due to financial circumstances, is currently in Germany.
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