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A stallion’s natural instincts in the wild can be potentially deadly to other horses and their riders.
photo: Provided by LDR
The issue of risks to the safety of horses and people posed by stallions in the town was discussed at a Ōpōtiki District Council meeting on Tuesday.
Despite regulations prohibiting stallions from entering the town, stallions have been reported to be present in the town.
Council’s acting planning and regulation group manager Annette Munday said while Ōpōtiki welcomed responsible horse owners, the bylaw was simple common sense for anyone who knew anything about horses.
“Stallions will break through fences, ropes and everything else to get what they want. With mares going into estrus, the situation is more dangerous than ever. Stallions need to get out of town now.
“Before bringing them back to town, they need to be castrated, fenced and provided with ample feed and water. This means signing a lease if necessary – private property and public spaces are not free grazing for horses.”
Speaking to Local Democracy, Ōpōtiki Veterinary Health Centre owner and chief veterinarian Chris Peterson said the clinic had received feedback that there were stallions around town.
He said towns were not suitable for stallions because they were very dangerous, especially at this time of year.
“Fighting between wild stallions is very brutal. They are very strong and aggressive animals. When they interact with other horses, this instinct kicks in.
“He is very good with humans, well behaved and safe, but when he interacts with other horses he behaves completely differently.
“It becomes a completely different beast,” he said.
“That’s what confuses (horse owners) sometimes. They think it’s a docile and lovely horse, but when it gets out and reverts to feral mode, their instincts kick in. You can’t step in between them. You can’t go save your horse because you’re putting yourself in great danger. You’re dealing with 500 kilograms of muscle.
“We take care of a lot of geldings that have been badly beaten. They’re covered in bites. They have ten to twenty bite and kick marks all over their bodies. The geldings don’t know how to defend themselves.”
His view is that the only place for stallions is in a breeding facility with adequate fencing and professional management.
“That’s why our recommendation is that male horses should be castrated when they are one year old, and that male horses certainly shouldn’t be castrated until they are two years old.”
He said the stray horse phenomenon was not unique to Opotiki, but the problem was worse than in most towns.
“Even out in Whakatane, just outside the city, a runaway stallion was seen running down the road a few days ago.”
While people are unlikely to be the direct target of a stallion’s attack, they can easily be seriously injured if they are riding a horse that is attacked.
“Also, mares will kick at people in an attempt to defend themselves, and these kicks can be lethal to humans.
“It’s great for the kids to be able to ride horses on the riverbank. It’s one of the things that Ōpōtiki children should enjoy. But it’s not safe if there are free-range horses, especially stallions.
“Even if they’re not stallions, if they’re free-ranging, they can turn and kick at the person riding the horse and hit the rider. They can cause serious injuries.”
LDR is a local news organisation jointly funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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