Brent Grayling 8/07/09

P.A. to the Stars:
Stallion handlers tell all
The role of a stallion handler is a vital but under-appreciated part of the thoroughbred
industry. SARAH PEATLING talks to breeding’s unsung heroes and finds horsemen
who are committed to their duty.
You might say you would like to
come back in the next life as a
successful stallion at stud and
why wouldn’t you? Consider this:
You’d have your own home, cleaned
and catered for at all times; you’d
have your own yard to gallop and fool
around in; you’d get to parade and
show off your finest assets to those
people who appreciate you; and, best
of all, you’d have people employed from
matchmaker.com to go out and find you
a suitable companion in the “romance
stakes”, to the point where you could
entertain up to two, three, or even four
different ladies per day (depending on
your stamina capabilities). If you were super
successful at your job and liked to travel,
you’d get to do all of this and more in two
hemispheres each year.
But with all of this activity, of course, you
would need a personal assistant. Basically,
he or she would be there to keep you
happy, amused, and well-groomed, to
work out your personality traits, your likes
and dislikes and to make sure you “get it
on” safely with the opposite sex. He or she
would also be there to keep you in line if
you get too carried away with yourself and
muck up.
That is the role of the stallion handler.
So, what does it take to effectively handle
a 700-kilogram stallion with a body full
of testosterone? The answer can be
summarised in four words: patience,
routine, wit and fairness.
Eliza Park Stud’s Stallion Manager Brent
Grayling shares some interesting thoughts
about his experience in dealing with these
magnificent entires.
“Any person that’s uptight won’t do any
good with stallions because the animal can
feel it. You’ve got to be a very relaxed sort
of person. Being genuine with them and
treating them fairly is also very important.
“For example, if they misbehave you’ve got
to discipline them hard – a sharp jab with
a chain will let them know that they’ve
mucked up. But for the rest of the time,
without being over affectionate, you’ve got
to be kind to them.”
Echoing the the boys from Swettenham,
Grayling believes a good routine is
imperative to a stallion’s mood. “They go
out to their paddock at the same time
every day. They eat at the same time. When
you muck around with their routine, that’s
when they start to get a bit cranky.”
But when it comes to a freshman stallion
covering a mare for the first time - every
horse is different, as Grayling explains.
“They don’t have the benefits of books and
television to know what to do, although
it’s pretty natural for most of them. But
some are a bit slow. It’s Important to have
plenty of people around when a stallion
is covering a mare for the first time. We’ve
had instances where we’ve literally had to
put the stallion into the mare because he
just didn’t know what to do or where to
put it.”
Then there are stallions like Shinzig, who
acted like he’d served 100 mares; he knew