Jessica Jahiel's HORSE-SENSE Newsletter Archives

Gelding my colt

From: Allen

Dear Jessica, I have a colt that was foaled in June. I wanted to have him gelded early but my vet didn't want to geld him this summer, I guess so that he would develop better. My question is can we do this in the fall or winter, or should we wait until we wean him, or should we wait until the colt is a year old? This is a cross-bred colt that will only be used for riding.

Thank you for your time.

Allen

Hi Allen! The only way that gelding might affect your horse's development is that a colt gelded before puberty is likely to grow an inch or two taller than one gelded late. Your colt is only a few months old, and you could have him gelded at any time. I think that if you ask your vet WHY he didn't want to geld the colt during the summer, you'll find that the answer has nothing to do with the colt's age or development, and everything to do with FLIES.

Vets always prefer to geld colts before or after fly season, for obvious reasons.

It would be a good idea to geld this colt soon, while he's still with his mother. His mother will keep him moving around to follow her, and he'll stay active as he needs to be for the wound to drain properly. Don't geld him and wean him at the same time; that's a lot for a young colt to deal with at once. ;-) Don't wait until he's a year old unless the vet has a specific reason for wanting to wait that long.

I'm glad you've made the decision to geld him. If you have a colt that you know will not be used for breeding, it makes excellent sense to geld him as soon as possible so that he can enjoy turnout with others -- an important part of horse life, and something that is denied most stallions.

Jessica

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