# Riggy horse.....



## Flint12 (5 May 2008)

hi,

I have just found out that my 4 1/2 year old gelding is an aparent rig. I have never experienced him acting in a riggy way but other people at my yard have. He has tried to mount other horses. Because of this they put him out on his own. This caused him to jump the fences just to be with other horses, and is now not allowed out. I am very concerned that him not being allowed out apart fom the odd hour in the school will cause him to become to hyper to handle when ridden. 
I have got the Vet coming down in the next week....i would just like to know how other people have coped with having a riggy horse. Thanks for reading....any advice people have would be greatly aprieciated.. 

thanks


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## Marchtime (5 May 2008)

My horse isn't an actual rig but behaves like one. He was cut late and left to run in the field until he was 4yrs old. Because of this he can be like a stallion to handle and has to go out alone as he is very territorial and not trustworthy with other horses.
I turn mine out in a field on his own. He has post and rail but inside that is electric stallion height fencings. Never had any problems with him but as I said before he is not actually a rig just behaves like one.


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## Flint12 (5 May 2008)

thanks...the vet is coming tomorow to look over him to see if he is infact a rig. And then hopefully we can sort out what ever the problem is


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## piebaldsparkle (5 May 2008)

Was he in a mixed herd?  Was he mounting mares??  My friends gelding had to be move out of the field with my mare as he was mounting her (he's not a rig, but she is a tart!!!).  Jumping fences to get to company is not in itself a sign riggy behaviour (just insecurity and wanting company), does he show any dominant type behaviour??  Herding, biting, kicking??


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## Box_Of_Frogs (5 May 2008)

Don't worry just yet silicis. It's relatively common that some geldings just fancy the ladies and often mount (and even penetrate) in-season mares. I used to own the sweetest, softest, safest veteran Highand x gelding and he took a shine to a cob mare called Fudge. This was before the YO split the horses into mares and geldings. One day, I saw my sweet innocent little Sullivan behaving in a MOST un-gelding like way with that tart Fudge! Another gelding on the same yard was much more aggressive and could only be safely out with mares but he wasn't a rig. A sweet and lovely gelding at my new yard is miserable if there isn't just one mare in his field but he isn't possessive or riggy or dangerous in any way at all. A child could go and get him in! He just likes the ladies. I would share your concern at your boy not being allowed to be a horse. Until the vet has been, can't he have turnout with another safe gelding, maybe a veteran who's seen it all and got the t-shirt to prove it? Poor boy!


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## keekee (6 May 2008)

we have a rig on our yard!!!!!!he is turned out wiv another geling and has double fencing found his field so  he cant reach others over the fence........ so dont despare there is alternatives to keeping him in .....


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## Flint12 (6 May 2008)

Well....when i moved im to the yard he is now (about four months ago) at he was tunred out with two older geldings....he has never tried to mount mares as he has never been out with them but he does mount other gelldings from what i am told. 

He is a very gentle horse and as far as i know he has never kicked another horse....he has always been nibbly but never biten anyone just for the sake of biting them. He has never really shown any of those signs, which is why i firstly questioned him being a Rig. 

I have found out today that he has a field that he can go in with deer fencing in which is very high so he wont get out...but he has to go out alone and i still feel very frustratd that he cannot go out with others....he is a young horse and i do feel he should have someone to run around with and play with. He is only a baby.

The yard owner has also said that one option that the vets may suggest would be cutting him again....has anyone ever had this done to thier gelding....and does it result in them stoping showing signs of being a rig or just improov their behavior. 

thanks for all your comments


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## Box_Of_Frogs (6 May 2008)

S - there's absolutely no point in the vets cutting him again if there's nothing to cut! If both testicles were successfully removed first time around then all you're seeing now is his normal baby behaviour. If one or both testicles hadn't descended or if his previous owners lied about him being cut, then your vets should be able to detect raised testosterone levels in his blood. Be warned, it is a big op if the vets have to go hunting for an undescended testicle as it could be anywhere in the abdominal cavity. If I were you I'd have a word with your vet rather than well meaning 3rd parties. x


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## NAALA (6 May 2008)

Not sure if this will help but, many years ago a friend bought a 4 year old cob.  We got him home and his behaviour changed completely.  We had mares on our yard and this is when we found we had a huge problem.  This horse turned out to be a rig and omg did we know about it!  He was terrifying.  He broke out of his field, he broke out of a stable and did various other terrifying things.  We got the vet who did bloods etc and after these if was suggested that he was a rig and that he needed more investigation - it was found that he had a undesended testicle.  He was eventually operated on and the testicle was removed.  The story is more complicated that this - this is a very very basic version, the horse eventually some time after the op was just like any other gelding.  It was very hard to believe that his behaviour would be acceptable but it was and he carried on to lead a normal life.  My friend infact sued the person who sold her this horse, in the ad it stated he was a gelding and infact he was not.  Trust me you really do not want a rig - it needs dealing with.  I have some experience of stallions and i much prefer to be around them than i do to be near a rig.  If your horse is a real rig you will honestly know about it.  I am nearly six foot tall and my father-in-law is six foot four and 18 stone and it took both of us to get this 14.2 rig away from a mare.  I had a brush in my hand and the horse took absolutely no notice.  I have never been so scared in all my life.


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## Bananarama (6 May 2008)

why is it such a problem that they mount mares. Can they hurt them? Obviously I see the problem if it is a rig but for a gelding?


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## Box_Of_Frogs (7 May 2008)

My (very limited!) experience of sweet, genuine geldings who just like the ladies, is that they wouldn't get within 10 miles of a mare's back end if she wasn't totally up for it and egging him on! I suppose there is a small risk of injury eg infection from multiple shaggings (pardon my french), getting a hoof caught in a rug, gelding getting a kick if mare says no at the last minute etc etc. A genuine rig is a totally different matter as NAALA says. If it was me, I wouldn't worry until I'd spoken to the vets and got the blood test done. Hopefully, just ned being a youngster.


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## Flint12 (8 May 2008)

I had the vet down today and they have taken a blood sample of him and an "examination" which he wasnt to happy about. We have been told if the test comes back negative he will simply be put on calming powders....if the test comes back positive we will have to explore the options. So we shall just wait and see. As soon as i know anything i will post again...fingers crossed the test comes back negative...


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## trendybraincell (9 May 2008)

Sounds similar to my gelding at 4/5 years. He was tested as requested by others at yard, after mounting mares. He was negative, in fact has lowest levels of testosterone that particular vet had seen in a gelding! Was suggested that because he was a late cut he may have run with mares before and knew what to do.

With regards to injury, mine gelding (a clumsy idiot) somehow managed take the skin off my mares back leg with his shoe. Also around time of testing he was mounting a dartmoor, here you need to consider damage his weight could do to the mare.

Fingers crossed you get the right result


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## Flint12 (9 May 2008)

he is a middle weight stocky cob gelding so he may do a bit of damage as he is not small.....He was put out with some of the horses today and it seems that there is only one gelding he tries to mount.....so again i am stumped so i will wait for the results :S

thanks


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## cellie (9 May 2008)

My daughter welsh cob will let my tb mount her when she is in season.Thankfully she doesnt kick, shes in a seperate paddock at the moment because she is in season and is such a tart she is flirting with another gelding and driving him mad.


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