Questions about equines (but mostly stallions)

[Indigo Dreams]

1. Do mares and stallions tend to pair bond much or show loyalty, or is it basically a free for all once the heat starts? I suppose it depends on the environment, and I know animals often act differently in captivity versus the wild, or if they're allowed to get to know each other, or if there's pasture breeding or live cover. I believe in the wild there's a social hierarchy where this gets hashed out, but there's also lots of sneaky sex going on too. But I'm curious if, for example, a stallion would service several mares at once, but he may also have a favorite he returns to again and again, perhaps one he enjoys spending time with normally too.

2. To what extent does a sexual relationship with a stallion change their emotional connection with you? I'm sure it depends on their personality, but might they become possessive? Do they tease and flirt more? Do they see you as a dominant mare, or perhaps view you more on their level now and you have to reassert your authority?

3. Are stallions horny all the time, or does it track the breeding season? Or must they be near mares in heat? There seem to be quite a few videos of stallions masturbating by slapping their erections against their stomachs, is that because they can't breed and they get too pent up, or will they do that regardless?

4. Do stallions (or lesbian mares) ever give cunnilingus? I've seen a few breeding videos where it seems like it might happen, a few licks here and there, but then it quickly goes to the mount. I believe few animals naturally give oral to completion, so I'm guessing equines don't, but just checking.

5. During heat, how often do mares typically want to have sex, and how often can stallions service them? I remember reading one account of a pasture breeder where they said the mares were very demanding and the stallion actually lost weight because he was so busy running around breeding them.

6. Do stallions enjoy having their testicles massaged? I suppose they may be like men – some enjoy it, some hate it, others are neutral but don't mind as long as you're gentle. I would think stallions would be quite protective of their family jewels, perhaps finding stimulation there odd because it's something mares don't do, and letting you touch them could be a sign of trust.

7. What are the sexual consequences of gelding? I've seen so many differing accounts here I'm not sure what to believe. For example, do most geldings struggle to achieve and maintain erections? How often can they successfully mount and ejaculate? Or do most of them lose their sexual interest in mares altogether? Are there any other interesting behavioral changes?

8. Are there any good resources to read about gay stallions? Either scientific studies, or anecdotes from owners? Because I find it quite interesting, and I've read many differing accounts. I know applying human sexual categories to animals can be a dubious practice, but for lack of a better term, how common is it for stallions to seem gay and refuse to mate with mares or show complete disinterest? Or would even a gay stallion still get hard from a mare's scent because it's a base biological instinct?

I've heard stallions will often revert to homosexual behavior in the absence of mares, especially in the wild when they form bachelor herds, and some even say stallions are only gay situationally, but still others disagree. Some say stallions will perform playful mounts to tease each other or to show dominance, but actually getting hard and trying to have sex is rare, but aren't intact stallions usually kept apart anyway? I can understand why farmers and ranchers would want to dissuade stallions from doing that, given the possibility they might hurt each other, but I imagine that would be very frustrating for gay stallions who can't follow their instincts like the straight ones can.

9. Similar to the above, what about lesbian mares? Or mares exhibiting lesbian behavior? Do they exist? How do they approach things? I imagine in this case a mare might back up and rub against another mare, but I don't think I've ever seen a video of lesbian mares, so I'm only guessing.

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Thanks for reading, and kudos to anyone who responds.

 

[caikgoch]

1. In nature the biggest part of a stallion's job is keeping his mares and foals safe. That requires him to be close and attentive. The social structure of the herd is made to facilitate that. Domesticated horses often don't have that socialization. It's in the breeder's interest to keep the stallion free of commitment so he can cover more mares.

2. You must have a pretty strong bond before you try sex. Remember that he can hide his penis. If he doesn't like you, you'll never see it. Once you are giving him regular orgasms, he will pay closer attention to you and will ask for sex (tease and flirt) frequently. He may also become possessive or protective because that is his job. You will need to understand what he is saying and reply appropriately. A confused 1200 lb stallion can be seriously dangerous.

3. Maybe. The length of daylight is the primary factor in horse breeding season. In a tropical area they may not have a defined season. The farther from the equator you get, the stronger the seasonal effect. Stallions are capable year round but libido is heavily weighted to coincide with mares' fertility.
Bellyslapping is not masturbation. It's scratching an itch. Stallions have no way to clean their penis without help. If you want to make friends with one, get some warm water and clean it for him.

4. Horses are extremely tactile but not so much with their tongue. What they have is prehensile lips.

5. Horse libido is pretty complex. Most mares will have a "silent heat" unless they see some potential mate. Once they get an idea the sex is near, that changes. I have seen a mare tear the wall off of a barn to get to the stallion inside. In a herd it is normal for a stallion to lose weight during breeding season because he is busy 24/7 for a short month. That's why he likes you so much. He's got the libido to drive him in the season and nothing to do with for the rest of the year.

6. It is possible that a stallion will be happy if you clean or scratch his testicles but there is no possible way for him to get anything sexual out of it. I don't care how many "real true" stories you find. When a stallion is sexually excited, his testicles withdraw into his body. You can't get to them.

7. It depends. Just like with dogs, if he is castrated early in life, nothing sexual will develop and he will have no interest. A stallion castrated after full maturity and sexual experience will continue to act like a stallion. It's often called "Proud Cut".

8 + 9. Horses don't have orientations in the sense that humans do. They just like sex and will take it anywhere they can get it. They may have a personal preference for a particular way but there is no holy book or social pressure to not get it a certain way.

 

[TwistedStallion]

Hello!

This post has made me create a real account since it has so many great questions I can possibly provide insight into. Each part will have some stuff that is generally true of equines. Since horses are animals and each has their own personality there is no “right answer” to these questions. There is plenty of gray area people love to argue over. I’ll include some of my own experiences and stories too which certainly are not universal.

1. Horses form herds of usually one (but not always) stallion and several mares. They also have their offspring with colts moving on or being kicked out when they get sexually mature. This is a vast over simplification of herd structure but sort of answers your main question. A stallion might have mares he likes to hang around with more out of heat, but sexy times are available to all.

Domestically horses are not often kept in herds for breeding. Even with pasture breeding the stallion is likely to be turned out with one mare at a time. Neither really has a choice and most aren’t picky about partners in this situation.

Anecdotes: Upenn maintains a group of ponies in a semi-feral setting to study them. Anyone interested in horse behavior should read their studies and books. I suggest setting aside a few hours before delving down that rabbit hole. One thing they do is genetic testing on the foals to track who the parents are. There is a TON of sneaky sex going on. Stallions that never had a band of mares still manage to make plenty of foals. The entire concept of the one stallion several mares herd isn’t really set in stone. There are plenty of herds that don’t conform to that. Does that mean mares sneak off and find a stallion they like more? Who knows, no one can read their mind. Maybe he just puts out better.

My mare, who is ovariectomized, was absolutely in love with my stallion at first. Screaming when he wasn’t with her and pestering him for sex constantly. Now that they live together and have for a while she doesn’t let him mount anymore or tease him. However, other stallions are hot. After escaping and socializing for a bit recently she decided she loved one of the other stallions teasing him and screaming for an hour after being returned to her pasture with the former love of her life. Mares are… complicated.

2. Stallions aren’t monogamous and very few will refuse sexy times. To them its just a fun activity. This can be a big problem in breeding stallions that don’t get a lot of attention outside the breeding shed. Are they emotionally different? Ehhh I don’t know. Some are friendlier, some get very aggressive and dangerous. My stallions certainly got more flirty with me after they understood humans can get them off. I would say its more of an additional part of the relationship more than an extra “emotional attachment.”

3. Yes stallions are horny all the time. Their libido does change with the seasons and this has been scientifically measured (no I’m not going to go find the paper I read it in years ago for anyone.) You don’t need to keep stallions under lights like mares though for them to breed in the off season. Belly slapping is totally normal behavior and happens all the time. It does not effect fertility and should never be discouraged.

My experiences: I have seen stallions ejaculate from belly slapping before so it is certainly a form of masturbation. My stallion will occasionally tease my mare, get told off, and beat his belly with the erection she gave him. He also randomly does it while half asleep so don’t read too much into this. The dangly bits do have a mind of their own. Ask any guy.

4. Stallions will often mouth at the perineum of a mare while they tease her. Oral isn’t really part of their ritual though and usually ends at a few licks.

My animals: My previous stallion loved getting oral with mares. Before, after, and before round two especially. He would happily lick a mare for a few minutes. Occasionally he bit my mare on her vulva softly. Her squeal and pinned ears said “Ouch” but her squatting and peeing on his tongue said otherwise. Current stallion? Not so much. He likes to sniff that is about it. He doesn’t bite her much because she kicks. He only bites me.

5. CONSTANTLY! They are impossible. Everyone thinks stallions are horny all the time but mares are way worse. I have seen mares pester a dozen different geldings trying to get some then start over at the beginning again. Breaking fences and causing trouble to no end. It depends heavily on the mare of course. Almost all mares will happily stand for a stallion when in heat (evolution and all that) but some can’t get enough.

I was once taking a mare out for a trail ride. Not thinking anything we walked past a pasture with two older colts in it. She starts sloooowly side passing their way without me noticing until we were pretty close. Just far enough that their nickering little noses could almost touch her she is squatted down 5/5 in heat and won’t move. I had to get off and chase them away before she would move along. The parents of the family I was taking on the ride did not look amused.

My mare pestered my stallion literally non stop when they were first together. It was a small space so he couldn’t easily get away from her. She would squat in front of his face and flap her tail over her back every few minutes. Her vulva got raw from it and I had to separate them. After they got a larger space and the honeymoon faded they lived happily ever after, although he probably wishes she put out more now.

6. This isn’t really a thing. You won’t arouse a stallion by playing with his balls. Most will let you touch them and play with them though. Far more easily than most expect. The exception being nasty stallions or ones that have never been handled there before. Generally if a horse is kept intact having his equipment touched is a normal thing and they don’t object to it. Mine lets me squeeze and fondle all I want. You could probably teach a stallion that ball play = sexy times, but you could put just about anything on the left side of that equation and make it work.

7. Geldings vary widely from no sexual activity to full on erection, mount, ejaculate. This can happen regardless of when they were gelded but its important to remember how much of sexuality is learned. Gelding an older stallion does not remove the learned behavior in all instances. Generally the older they are when gelded the more sexual they will be.

I have seen adverts for geldings saying “Great horse! Breeding stallion until 17 years old and got out of breeding. He can’t be kept with mares or he will herd and mount them. Fights other geldings. Bites a lot.” I have heard a story about stallions that were gelded as part of a study looking into post gelding fertility and when behaviors would fade. They didn’t. The stallions still mounted the phantom and ejaculated until different people had to do it one day. Enough changed in the routine that their learned behavior wasn’t right so they weren’t into it. Good stallions make great geldings, but bad stallions don’t always become good geldings. It won’t fix training mistakes.

8. Gay stallions, and homosexuality in animals in general, is not well studied. You will only get opinions and anecdotes here. I’ve never seen a gay stallion in the flesh. I suspect no one would ever find a stallion that wouldn’t cover mares at all although some have preferences and get picky. However there are plenty of cliff notes scribbled in the metaphorical edges of papers on equine behavior. Mounting and penetration have been mentioned in bachelor herds but to my knowledge never as the primary activity being studied. There are papers and a book written about homosexuality in animals but these cover a vast array of species with little detailed study of equines. If you want to find some really gay animals look into sheep. There actually has been some serious research in gay sheep as in rams that only want to hump other rams ignoring, or at least not prioritizing, does. Its actually a thing with lines being bred to express this behavior.

9. Another even less studied thing. I’ve never seen a mare get into another mare beyond some sniffs, maybe a lick. Mares do get tumors on their ovaries that turn them into stallions though. Its pretty common as far as ovarian tumors in mares go. That isn’t really the same thing though since they suddenly get bathed in male hormones.


If you read all that thanks! No TLDR here because that would be way too much work. I’ll post more about my critters at some point in the future now that I have this account. You can PM if you want but I won’t get into details and no you can’t come visit. (Not a personal attack on anyone. Don’t read too much into it.) Everything above is factually correct to the extent of my knowledge but every horse is different.

 

[JustATightPup]

I do hope you dont get a stud

 

[someguy]

1. Do mares and stallions tend to pair bond much or show loyalty.
No, they do not. They run a herd structure with a mare in charge and usually one stallion, and maybe some youngsters who haven't left yet. They make friends for sure horses they prefer to hang out with, but as far as "bonding", no. Loyalty.... debatable. They can with humans but I think its more certain humans pick up on their needs and desires and they "click:". Bonding from the human side yes. But from the stallion's? I think he just knows you know his needs.

2. To what extent does a sexual relationship with a stallion change their emotional connection with you?
I think its all about the human. The stallion will bond with you (see above) but he'll just as happily screw someone else or a mare. Training comes in here a bit... one of my stallions knows he's to mate me when presented with the stimulus. So if I'm helping someone else, he'll still prefer to mount me. I think that's because he knows what happens if he mounts me and doesn't connect that with the other person bent over in front of him.

3. Are stallions horny all the time, or does it track the breeding season?
Stallions masturbate often, hourly even. Its unrelated to libido. It does track somewhat with the seasons as their testosterone production almost doubles in the breeding season. But most will breed year round readily. Geldings do also belly slap but less often.

4. Do stallions (or lesbian mares) ever give cunnilingus?
Sometimes but not for the mare's pleasure. Some are more oral that others but usually its just a way for them to get their drive going.

5. During heat, how often do mares typically want to have sex, and how often can stallions service them?
As often as they want. Or as often as the stallion wants. A stallion in a herd situation will breed more spread out, a bunch when they first come in heat then slow. If one mare is in heat a stallion may breed her in a herd situation 6+ times a day, with diminishing returns. There's some research that shows that the seminal plasma, even without sperm, can increase the lifespan of the sperm already inside a mare. A stallion in a barn presented with his preferred stimulus can usually breed 3-6 times in a morning. Sustained (thoroughbreds) can breed four mares a day for weeks/months but it wears them out physically and mentally.

6. Do stallions enjoy having their testicles massaged?
Not really no. They tolerate usually, with training.

7. What are the sexual consequences of gelding?
They will still get erections. Their penis will shrink (so if you see a HUNG gelding, more than likely he was gelded late). They more than likely loose the ability to ejaculate (its hormone driven). They may still mount mares though. Rarely do they achieve intromission. Even more rarely do they ejaculate, but it is still possible.

8) Stallions will mount any horse-like object that stands still. Research has shown that stallions will just as happily mount a restrained stallion as a mare. They are also very commonly trained to mount phantom mares in commercial breeding.

9. Similar to the above, what about lesbian mares?
More than likely a mare acting like this is suffering from a hormonal imbalance, usually caused by pregnancy (with a colt) or an ovarian tumor.