From: Jacki
First of all, I want to congratulate you on your wonderful list! Your advice to others is interesting and helpful, not only for them, but for me, too! <grin I have a 7 month old breeding stock Paint colt, Zippin, who is a "doll" (Of course he has those stubborn moods, but he's come a *long* way in the two months I've had him.) and works well on the longeline, responding nicely. People have warned me not to geld him till he's at least 2, if that's possible, so as not to defect his growth. But I have also heard that this is not true. What's your opinion? Advice? I'm not looking forward to riding him as a stud, and would prefer to geld him in the next month or so, but...
Looking forward to your response...
Jacki
Gelding may affect his growth slightly, but not in the way you probably think it will. All the research done in this area indicates that gelding a horse before it reaches sexual maturity (usually around 1 year, often much earlier) can cause it to be a little bit TALLER when it is full grown. That's the only difference. The reason is that sexual maturity and the hormones associated with it will signal the horse's leg bones to close. They will close in any case -- it's part of any horse's development -- but there is some evidence to show that a colt's bones will keep growing for just a little longer if he is gelded before he reaches sexual maturity.
As far as the secondary sexual characteristics associated with stallions, YES those occur only in sexually mature males, but if you wait until a colt is two, or four, or five, before you geld him, you aren't going to end up with a gelding in a stallion's body. Two years later, he'll look the way he would look if you'd gelded him when he was seven months old (or four months, or one week). When the hormones are gone, the body contours that come from hormones begin to go away, and eventually disappear. Ask any body-builder what happens to the other guys (it's always someone else, right) when they stop taking steroids!
The earlier you geld a colt, the easier it is on him. The later you do it, the harder it is, the riskier it is, and the longer the recovery period is.
Geld a foal, and it's over with very quickly and easily, it can be done with a local anesthetic, and the recovery is easy: the baby gets the necessary gentle exercise by following his mother around.
Geld a weanling, and it's still fairly quick and easy, can still be done with a local anesthetic, and the baby will get his exercise because he'll be out in a field with his buddies, and they will keep each other moving.
Geld a two-year-old or older, and it's no longer as quick or as easy. The vet will almost certainly want to use a general anesthetic (dangerous) and put the colt down on his side (also dangerous), the surgery is more complicated and takes longer, because the testicles and scrotum are larger and there is a lot more vascular activity -- that means more anesthetic than would have been needed for a less-developed colt. When it's all over, you'll be hand-walking the horse several times a day for a while.
Geld a four-year-old or older, and chances are good that the vet won't do it at your farm. You'll need to bring the horse to the local veterinary hospital and leave him there. Everything is more difficult, more dangerous, and more painful -- and again, the recovery period is longer. And, if it makes any difference to you, it's also more expensive!
At some farms, colts are gelded at four days old, and everything works out beautifully. At others, they are gelded at two weeks or two months -- again, no problem. Seven months is high time to geld this baby -- call your vet, get his advice, and set a date!
Jessica
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