Gelding a mature stallion

[capall beag]

I am getting back my stallion, rather unexpectedly.

He had been on a lease and was due to stay there but a few things have changed and so he will be coming home.

I really don't need a stallion!!

The market is so weak right now I am not sure it would be easy to find him a good home so I think I will geld him.

Or certainly, that was my plan!

However, I have been told by 2 people that he will remain studdy because he is a mature stallion.

They said gelding him will result in a gelding with all the typical stallion behaviour.

Both people are knowledgeable horse people and have experienced similar things with stallions after gelding.

Now I am worried.........certainly don't want to spend the money on gelding and be left with the same problem!!

I don't have any experience with this and would like to hear other peoples experiences with gelding a mature stallion.

He is 5. Has been used as a stud for 3 years.

He is a sweet stallion but is ALL boy and very intolerant of geldings during breeding season.

He is very gentle and can be housed with geldings, colts in the off season.

What can I expect??

All opinions appreciated.

 

[Magic]

It would likely take him five to six months to quit acting so much the stallion, but in most cases, even a mature stallion will be acting more like a gelding with time. I had a vet tell me that a lot of what they do is "learned behavior", but they can also change their behavior, as I witnessed with my stallion who was gelded at three. Yes, that is quite a bit younger but he DID breed mares as a two year old, and was adamantly a big, bad stallion (in his eyes, lol) It took several months but now he can be turned out with any of the mares, and is wonderful. That said,there are a few rare stallions that don't change much with gelding, but I've known so many people that have gelded ten year old geldings or older and the boys ended up WONDERFUL, trustworthy, fun geldings.

 

[Ferin]

The only experience I have had with gelding a mature stallion is my 8 yr old gelding, Twister. He was used for breeding until he was 8 and bred quite a few mares. He was gelded in the fall of last year and has never acted like a stallion since. Twister had been solely used as a breeding stallion up until last fall when he was gelded and began his performance training. I have never seen him act like a stallion. My geldings, who were gelded as yearlings, act more stallionish then Twister. We have had him in a small drylot with mares that are in heat and he could care less. He is an amazing gelding and my favorite to take to shows.

I know all stallions are different, but I just wanted to share my good experience with you.

 

[bevann]

I have had several gelded after being used for many years as a stallion.One of my guys was 14 and he had been breeding for about 11 years. .He is now with a family and even driven by 10 year old kids. Another was 15 and he is now a puppy dog. Go for it-he will have a happy life as a gelding.

 

[normajeanbaker]

We gelded our stallion as a 4 year old. He had been used for breeding prior to being gelded and there was no denying he was all boy. He was not mean at all....just a typical stallion. It's been a few years since he was gelded and I can tell you he has been the BEST gelding and goes out with mares, geldings and is a perfect babysitter as well. He's turned out to be the barn favorite and you'd never know he was once a breeding stallion. He is a more well behaved gelding then the colt we had gelded as a yearling. I think some of it will depend on their personality to begin with, but our experiance with gelding a breeding stallion was positive. You can do anything with him, he has a heart the size of Texas and loves life as a gelding. He gets along with everyone, etc. He was never a bad stallion. He was just a stallion that knew he was a stallion, was used for breeding and there was no denying he was a boy. Didn't have a mean bone in him, but was studdy. I can not say enough good things about him as a gelding. The only negative thing about gelding him was he was no longer focused on the girls and keeping himself in shape and expanded out in the belly department because his main focus became food and naps

I wish I had a barn full of horses with this geldings attitude and willingness to please.

~Jen~

 

[capall beag]

Thank you!!

That is all I needed to hear!

He will be gelded this year!

He is a very sweet boy, not mean in any way but a diehard ladies man

He takes his stallion role very seriously!

As a gelding he can stay, but I don't need or want a stallion here

 

[susanne]

Mingus was four when I had him gelded. As a stallion, he suffered from extreme testerone poisoning, lol, and was very difficult to handle. Sweet, and charming but he certainly didn't think with his head...

The first couple of weeks after gelding he was even more out of hand, but then he turned into the sweet boy we all know and love. He still is a very lively, strong-willed boy, and very dominant amongst our small herd, but he is easy to handle and extremely loving and personable.

In his case, his core personality did not change -- he is still a dominant personality -- but now he puts that "big" personality to much better purposes, and he is my darling.

 

[shelly]

I just recently gelded my 7 year old arabian and being only used for breeding, and only being gelded a month, he is still acting excited but not in a stud way. What I mean is that he still talks to his girls and gets all studdly prancing around but no longer gets aroused and uncontrollable! I'm hoping that within the next month to be able to turn him out with my mini girls!