Mating season

Hü hot! Horse stables as a place for great sex

Vet Klaus Fischl with "Firon", the handsome "gentleman" from Salzburg. He is bursting with vitality and vigor.(Bild: Christian Schulter)

The stables for breeding horses in Burgenland are a hotbed of activity at the moment. Stallions and mares can have fun together during "natural mating" to ensure gorgeous offspring.

The spring-like temperatures not only increase the libido of women, but also testosterone, the sex hormone of men. No wonder some of them feel like a potent stallion. The broodmares in Heidelinde Schwab's stables in Strem near Güssing are also in the mood for love, as they have recently been joined by a real beauty from Salzburg.

"Firon" is the name of the 900 kilogram Noriker tiger pinto stallion, who has been rented until the end of June to make 15 mares happy and sire spotted foals with them. Not through artificial insemination, as is increasingly common in the horse world, but deliberately through "natural breeding". After all, the horses should also have fun during sex.

"Lord Perry", the Elite Stallion 2023, and mare "Scarlett" enjoying the most beautiful triviality in the world.(Bild: Christian Schulter)

The right time is crucial during the act
While warmblood, Arabian and Quarter Horse mares are often inseminated with chilled or frozen semen, cold-blooded breeds such as Noriker and Haflinger prefer natural mating, says veterinarian Klaus Fischl from Königsdorf. For this to be successful, it depends on the "perfect timing", he says:

"To find out whether a mare is willing to mate, the stallion makes contact with her by sniffing her. If she is ready, she tolerates his proximity, stands still and lets him have his way. After a minute or two, the act is over and, in the best case, a love child is born. 14 to 18 days later, an ultrasound will tell you whether it worked. If so, a foal is born eleven months later."

The mare decides whether the stallion gets his turn
However, there are also very picky and stubborn horse ladies who are not satisfied with the first choice and fend off overly tempestuous suitors:

"If a stallion doesn't fit the bill or can't smell him, he should get out of the way as quickly as possible if he doesn't want to be kicked by her, which could even prove fatal," smiles Fischl, who also has his hands full at Heinz and Martina Winter's renowned breeding and training stables in Rudersdorf. Around 100 show jumping and dressage horses are bred here every year. Six licensed stallions are currently giving their all.

Fischl has been a vet for 25 years and has accompanied countless horses during mating and delivery.(Bild: Christian schulter)

A guy out of competition
The spotted "Firon" from Salzburg takes his job in his stride. He has no rivals. His predecessor, who went by the name of "Highness", suffered a stroke during mating last year and passed away. Let's hope that "Firon" only dies the "little death" in the next few weeks.