Managing Testosterone~

Maybe this blog title should be called managing Hormones.  Today for the first time since April, my whole herd is together!  None of the girls are in heat, so Sterling is with them all!    I was pretty sure he could not be with them all again unless I wanted babies. Gratefully, with the help of  my herd and the global community on an equine mastermind group on LinkedIn who answered a question,  I realize I was wrong.

I asked if anyone was keeping a young stallion with or in close proximity to mares and expecting him to manage himself.  I received close to 100 comments from people the world over.  In general, the answer seemed to be, people do this, just not in America.  Let alone in New Jersey, maybe in the west on vast acerage.  Stallions must be kept separated, isolated and managed with great restraint.

From left to right Valentine; Harley; Sterling July 2011

The herd is 7 mares 1 gelding and 1 intact colt (Sterling).  Two of the mares are a miniature pony and a miniature  donkey, but the rest of the girls are full size and fair game.  One of the most important things to me, having an intact colt and one day maybe having a stallion, is that his life is full of family, friends, variety and adventure! No chains over his nose, just relationship based communication with mutual consideration for one another's want's wishes and needs.  This may sound like a tall order here in NJ, but I have found countless people the world over who already have this relationship with their stallions.  In "Holistic Horse" magazine there is a whole article about "Magnificent Stallions & The Women Who Love Them" (April/May 2011) www.holistichorse.com

Mya is the short horse

We are well on our way, Sterling came to me in October at six months of age he is 15 months old this week..  It's already August, so he's been with me for 10 months, and I love that I don't need to raise this boy alone!  I have 8 helpers who are on the job 24/7.  Mya, Jacquie, Harley and Valentine are always with Sterling.  Mya is only 30 inches tall, but she's nothing to be overlooked, sometimes maybe tripped over, but by no means ignored.  She has been "playing" with Sterling from the moment he arrived.  She is 15 years old now and fast! I thought after our trip to Tennessee in April that he was playing too rough with her and I had a concern that she would get hurt, but thankfully, Valentine stepped in and told Sterling to be careful.  They play just as hard, but Sterling is careful with Mya.  I like it when they play too, because of the way he has to move his body and hold himself to play with such a short horse!  Jacquie    

Jacquie

 is our angel in a donkey suit; maybe 4 inches taller than Mya.  She is wise, now 10 years old, elegant, vocal, opinionated, loving and very clear with Sterling about what he should be doing where she is concerned.  I have watched her on her hind legs, bite his withers!  I couldn't believe she could or would do that.  Sterling knows where the line with Jacquie is and Jacquie didn't need anyone's help to make that clear.

Sterling is now 15 hands tall and a reddish grey color.  He has bonded in a uniquely male way with Harley.  They play rough and leave marks on one another.  They do not play with or leave any  marks on the girls in this way.  In fact, I have watched the herd running and come to a place where they are going to stop and Sterling will move around all of the girls and jump on Harley; biting, rearing and wrestling with one another.  He does not even think of doing this with any of the girls, or me. This is the help I'm talking about, I'm grateful I don't have to do this work alone.