Are you holding to your comitment to geld?

[lyn_j]

Remember when we all, or several of us have comitted to geld colts that we produce? Im holding to that comittment and here is why. I preach often on the board that if your colts dont scream national champion stallion, they should be gelded.

Three weeks ago when Traveler was born I was toying with the idea of leaving him a stallion. I dont feel he is stallion quality anymore and I will explain why.

While he has fabulous legs, short back, nice neck placement and a gorgeous head..... he isnt stallion stuff.

I see that his ears are too big and they sort of hellicopter to the sides often rather than point to each other and be tiny..... his croup slopes some and it makes his tailset look low.

He is an outstanding individual true...... probably the best foal I have ever produced. Still, he isnt the most perfect . I know he will be a kick butt gelding and we will show him as one!

Just wanted to share why I preach what I do.

Lyn

 

[CLC Stables]

I didn't make the commitment but it is my new outlook on life.................we are even saying that if our stallion Image doesn't produce (mind you he is a NATIONAL GRAND CHAMPION) he will be gelded.

 

[sedeh]

I didn't "commit", missed that thread. But I do believe in gelding. Gelded 2 of my boys this year and have another one scheduled to geld in Nov. Of the 3 colts I had this year there is one that I'm leaving intact. He's probably the nicest thing I've produced and worth waiting to see how he turns out. (you can always take the berries off......but you can't put them back!).

 

[CKC]

I have two weanling colts that I just purchased that will be gelded.

Kim

 

[Warpony]

I had my boy gelded just yesterday. I didn't produce him, though, so I'm not sure that counts.

:

 

[Magic]

I had my boy gelded just yesterday. I didn't produce him, though, so I'm not sure that counts.

:

I'd say, ANY gelding "counts"!

: Good for you! :aktion033:

I gelded a three year old earlier this spring (of my own breeding) and will have the vet out later this month to geld most, if not all, of my weanling colts. Gelding is the way to go!

:

 

[txminipinto]

I didn't make the commitment but it is my new outlook on life.................we are even saying that if our stallion Image doesn't produce (mind you he is a NATIONAL GRAND CHAMPION) he will be gelded.

Um, NOT before I breed for my sweepstakes baby ROB!!!! :nono:

:

Ok, back on topic, I don't think I committed publically.....but I won't let a colt leave my property intact if I wouldn't use him as a stallion myself. I think I hold the bar pretty high when it comes to my own horses and if the two stallions I have now do not prove themselves in the show ring and do not produce well on the limited mares they will be bred to in the next 3 years, they too will go under the knife. I believe a great stallion not only does well in the ring himself but also OUT PRODUCES himself in his get (who must do well in the ring too!).

 

[Jill]

I think he'll make a nice gelding. Most people who've read gelding threads know I'm a fan of geldings. This is my new colt, a grandson of both Buckeroo and Yellow Diamond Little Feather. He'll be gelded his fall or early spring: Not because I don't think he's stallion material, but because I think I love having awesome show geldings:

And these are some of my other geldings. My geldings are just as nice as any horse in my breeding program. All but the first pictured were gelded under my ownership. Champion as a Stallion, National Champion Gelding, BTU Son, Champion Halter Gelding... All nice horses and imo even NICER because they're geldings.

My geldings are the most fun of any horses I own

 

[shane]

yep i gelded my stallion!!

i wish others would do the same,

in fact in Ireland,

a GELDING won over all the stallions in one show

what does that tell ya!

 

[maestoso]

I am sorry if this offends some people, but it is really bothering me reading all of these threads about gelding... I've read several posts that really have no point other then to say "Yay me! I am gelding my colt." To me it defeats the purpose of this board, you haven't given any helpful or useful information, you haven't posed a question for discussion, you are just bragging about your gelding choice, like it is the ONLY RIGHT choice. It just isn't true. So good for you and your choice, but you have no right to make other people feel like they are doing wrong by the breed because they choose to use a stud who might have a minor fault or two. Big fancy show farms do a lot more damage to the population then the backyard breeder who produces one pet quality foal a year, and that is something that you should think about before you criticize breeders who aren't breeding perfection. I am not defending the breeder who breeds 50 mares to a stallion with stifle problems and an overbite, but that type of breeder is not as common as many posts try to make out. You can choose the way you breed, and what you breed to and what you geld, etc. But I read many posts by people promoting gelding and that if you aren't breeding perfection you are doing wrong by the breed, and then I look at YOUR websites and YOUR stallions that you are using for breeding, and guess what? They have faults too! So you aren't doing any more good to the breed then these "backyard" breeders that you speak of. So before you start preaching about gelding, why don't you geld what you have at your farm, because chances are there are many studs better than what you have, so practice what you preach, and go breed to the outside BETTER stallions.

 

[Magic]

Matt, I'm sorry that these types of posts bother you.

I don't claim that my stallions are "perfect", and I HAVE bred to many outside stallions over the years. And I DO "geld what I have at my farm", including the most recent, a three year old of my own breeding that will now be a show gelding and just a general all-around fun horse.

I'm not a "big fancy show farm". There is just me myself and I to take care of my horses, with a little help from hubby to do heavy stuff like hay hauling and fencing. I train my horses myself and bathe and clip them myself when I do show. I don't have a lot of foals each year. And I don't intend to imply that other people have lesser-quality stallions than I do--- I just want to do my part in helping to make sure that the horses that I produce are good horses, and to help promote geldings in this "breed" because that can only help these little horses that we all love so much.

I believe that gelding is a GOOD thing.

:

 

[heart k ranch]

I am sorry if this offends some people, but it is really bothering me reading all of these threads about gelding... I've read several posts that really have no point other then to say "Yay me! I am gelding my colt." To me it defeats the purpose of this board, you haven't given any helpful or useful information, you haven't posed a question for discussion, you are just bragging about your gelding choice, like it is the ONLY RIGHT choice. It just isn't true. So good for you and your choice, but you have no right to make other people feel like they are doing wrong by the breed because they choose to use a stud who might have a minor fault or two. Big fancy show farms do a lot more damage to the population then the backyard breeder who produces one pet quality foal a year, and that is something that you should think about before you criticize breeders who aren't breeding perfection. I am not defending the breeder who breeds 50 mares to a stallion with stifle problems and an overbite, but that type of breeder is not as common as many posts try to make out. You can choose the way you breed, and what you breed to and what you geld, etc. But I read many posts by people promoting gelding and that if you aren't breeding perfection you are doing wrong by the breed, and then I look at YOUR websites and YOUR stallions that you are using for breeding, and guess what? They have faults too! So you aren't doing any more good to the breed then these "backyard" breeders that you speak of. So before you start preaching about gelding, why don't you geld what you have at your farm, because chances are there are many studs better than what you have, so practice what you preach, and go breed to the outside BETTER stallions.

:worshippy: :worshippy: :worshippy: :worshippy:

THANK YOU!!!!!!

 

[Warpony]

Well, IMO if I am doing what I believe is right with my horses nothing anyone says about what they chose to do with their horses is going to bother me the least little bit. *shrug*

 

[Chamomile]

[SIZE=14pt]Lyn thank you for this post as I found it to be very informative. Instead of just posting a picture of the colt, and saying you were going to geld him, you posted pictures and EXPLAINED WHY you are gelding him! Thank you!!!!![/SIZE]

 

[user 488]

I am sorry if this offends some people, but it is really bothering me reading all of these threads about gelding... I've read several posts that really have no point other then to say "Yay me! I am gelding my colt." To me it defeats the purpose of this board, you haven't given any helpful or useful information, you haven't posed a question for discussion, you are just bragging about your gelding choice, like it is the ONLY RIGHT choice.

Well, there is an answer to your dilemma Matt and I don't mean this to sound rude. You have a choice whether to read a thread or not read a thread. If it bothers you to read about geldings than don't read the thread. It's all about choices.

:

Again, this is a Public Forum (and a great one at that). As long as you follow the rules people can post whatever they like. If people want to post "YAY, my horse turned BLUE" that's their right.

If you feel that people are saying that gelding is the only "right choice" then you have the right to start another thread expressing your opinion. You know the old saying.........everyone has one.

 

[Marty]

Commit to whom?

Well I never made a commitment to anyone to geld anyone around here.

I like stallions just fine and I do have stallion facilities.

Don't have a thing against geldings either. Like them bunches too.

I feel that gelding a horse is my own personal and private decision and nobody else's business what I do with my own horses. I pay the bills around here, nobody else, so it's what I think that matters on my own farm.

That being said, I have in fact a gelding scheduled for next week and I can't wait. I'm gelding Timmy. I think he's lovely as he is but don't need 2 stallions with the same bloodline.

I am gelding Timmy to help make him happy. Since his brother has been sold, Timmy is out there alone with no playmates to run and kick up his heels with. He's been pacing up and down and crying and has never been alone before. He is also for sale and I don't want to risk him getting into the wrong hands as a stallion, so gelding him is going to be for his own good, future safety and happiness. I can't wait to see how happy he will be when the day comes that he can re-enter the herd and have lots of beautiful frisky girls to play with! The mountain will be rockin and rolling with Timmy out there.

Besides, who knows........he might even hold still a little longer for me to get a scrunchie on him!

 

[Warpony]

Besides, who knows........he might even hold still a little longer for me to get a scrunchie on him!

That made me laugh so hard! I just got this image of the little guy still woozy from being gelded and you with a big evil grin and a basket full of scrunchies, lol.

I liked my colt as a stallion, but he was miserable being segregated from the mare while she was in heat, he was miserable when the neighbors mare was in heat, he was clearly frustrated already at 18 months old. I just thought it would be selfish for me to keep him a stallion when he was clearly NOT breeding quality, was never going to score with any hot babes, and was just going to go on being frustrated. I don't foresee his personality changing that much because he was a very good boy (except yesterday when he saw the vet pull in and he turned obnoxious), the only difference I expect will be less of an "edge" to his personality. That is fine with me. I just want him to be happy, and since I can't give him what would REALLY make him happy (lots of girlfriends) I can take away what makes him unhappy.

 

[Buckskin gal]

Matt, I do think you make a point that deserves respectful discussion. I think it is great that people choose to geld but on the other hand there are far too many who are gelding but still use lesser quality mares for breeding or sell them for breeding. When I say lesser quality, I mean mares that if they were stallions, would not be used for breeding because of their faults. It is ironic that same breeders sell off, for breeding, mares they don't want to breed for themeselves and often turn around and buy something else to breed. I ask, shouldn't that mare also be just as fautless as the stallion we are being told to use, instead of our own?I have my own thoughts on this and not going into the type of program or how many colts I geld etc. because it may sound like bragging to some. Maybe, at some point, we will see postings from breeers pointing out the faults of their mares and saying they are going to make sure it is never bred. I do think that discussins are great to help educate but Matt does make a point in keeping it educational. Another thing that has to be kept in mind is what one considers quality or not quality, is very subjective. I think it is nice that Lynn did point out the faults, as she sees them, on her colt and is keeping her commitment to geld. I have noticed that not all people who do crtiques of other peoples horses always agree, so that has to be taken into consideration. For instance, one person might fault a horse for having a little too much bone [in thier opinion] where another person may find the amount of bone to be what is correct for them. After all, our Standard does call for "good" bone and doesn't mention either light or heavy bone as a fault. Sometimes a person who is doing a critique puts in what is actually a preference rather than a fault or not a fault. Sometimes I think that a breeder will get blindsided by a type that happens to be winning and actually fault another "type" when it looks different, rather than being incorrect. Conformation with disposition should be the overall deciding factor for corretness, not type. Just my thoughts on the matter, for consideration. Mary

I am sorry if this offends some people, but it is really bothering me reading all of these threads about gelding... I've read several posts that really have no point other then to say "Yay me! I am gelding my colt." To me it defeats the purpose of this board, you haven't given any helpful or useful information, you haven't posed a question for discussion, you are just bragging about your gelding choice, like it is the ONLY RIGHT choice. It just isn't true. So good for you and your choice, but you have no right to make other people feel like they are doing wrong by the breed because they choose to use a stud who might have a minor fault or two. Big fancy show farms do a lot more damage to the population then the backyard breeder who produces one pet quality foal a year, and that is something that you should think about before you criticize breeders who aren't breeding perfection. I am not defending the breeder who breeds 50 mares to a stallion with stifle problems and an overbite, but that type of breeder is not as common as many posts try to make out. You can choose the way you breed, and what you breed to and what you geld, etc. But I read many posts by people promoting gelding and that if you aren't breeding perfection you are doing wrong by the breed, and then I look at YOUR websites and YOUR stallions that you are using for breeding, and guess what? They have faults too! So you aren't doing any more good to the breed then these "backyard" breeders that you speak of. So before you start preaching about gelding, why don't you geld what you have at your farm, because chances are there are many studs better than what you have, so practice what you preach, and go breed to the outside BETTER stallions.

 

[Magic]

I like stallions just fine and I do have stallion facilities.

Don't have a thing against geldings either. Like them bunches too.

I feel that gelding a horse is my own personal and private decision and nobody else's business what I do with my own horses. I pay the bills around here, nobody else, so it's what I think that matters on my own farm.

Good for you Marty! :aktion033: I feel the same way-- I love my stallions and it's MY decision if they are kept entire or if they are gelded. We each do what we feel is best for us, personally, and for our horses. I gotta tell you, my little guy "Rage" is SO happy since he's been gelded-- he gets to run with the entire herd of mares, geldings and foals, and he loves it. He gets to exchange "back scratches" with mares that wouldn't have let him within reach when he was a stallion (except for when they were in heat) and just hang out. In my way of thinking, many times gelding a horse can be a GIFT to a better way of life. Here is a pic of my boy shortly before he was gelded

He's just a sweetheart, and I like him SO much bettter now that he's a gelding.

 

[Field-of-Dreams]

I feel that gelding a horse is my own personal and private decision and nobody else's business what I do with my own horses. I pay the bills around here, nobody else, so it's what I think that matters on my own farm.

Ditto. I so agree!

I have SIX boys here I'd like to geld. Two colts bred here who won't leave our farm intact, one fellow we bought for a pittance who will make an awesome gelding, one older guy who we don't use on our mares anymore, and two ASPC/Miniature guys who are so cool, but will make even cooler geldings.

But... right now we just don't have the $$ to do them. It's $150-200 each. We DO have the facilities to keep them separate. So, no big deal.

Matt, you made some really great points, too!! :aktion033: Thanks....

Lucy