Gelding young colts

[Sunrise Valley]

At what age do you prefer to geld miniature colts that you don't intend to use for breeding? Please share opinions- pros, cons of early gelding?

 

[Mona]

The sooner the better! I have gelded as early as 5 weeks. I think it is easier on them then, still being at mama's side. I had a couple done this early last year, no problems.

I guess the only drawback would be that they can grow taller than if gelded after they reach maturity.

 

[Nathan Luszcz]

There is no really significant detrimental effect to castrating young. You can geld as soon as they descend, even before they are weaned.

 

[PrestigeMiniHorses]

So then only do it if they are dropped?? I know some never drop until they are 3.

 

[Sue_C.]

Yes, the earlier the better. I had wanted to geld mine at a month of age, but the flies are too bad already...darn it!!

 

[Jean_B]

So then only do it if they are dropped?? I know some never drop until they are 3.

Quite a few of those horses who appear to not have dropped actually are thru the ring but they are being "bashful." I've had quite a few who have both down and visible when they are born (I always check my boys within a day or two of being born), and sometimes they suck them back out of sight after a few weeks....but they don't retract back thru the ring. So they can be gelded normally, just need to do a little more "fishing" which can cause the colt to be somewhat more sore afterwards. If one or both are truly not thru the ring - it is an extensive and expensive surgery.

I was going to do a couple 2 month old colts now, but between the heat and the flies .....

 

[Nathan Luszcz]

Ditto... dropped doesn't always equal visible

Horses that don't drop until age 3 are completely infertile, and are crypt orchids. The vast majority that apear to be crypts are in fact just hiding them.

 

[Jill]

I agree that if you know they will ultimately be gelded, then the sooner the better. The youngest one I ever had gelded was 6mos. I bought him and then wanted to wait until the weather was cooler / less flies prior to gelding. The oldest was a 5yo stallion (now a wonderfully fun gelding).

Just an FYI too about dropping. Some of mine over the years have been dropped, like coming up on yearlings... but they were very hard to feel and I felt many times before the vet came out and I only thought I could feel them but was never 100% for sure. When the 6mos old was gelded, I said at the time he wanted me to tell people "they" were the size of softballs but the fact is they were about as big as lima beans :bgrin

 

[Candice]

This is interesting. I have a 4 mos. old colt that I want to geld and my vet won't do it until he is at least 8 mos old. He is small but fully descended, but she says its easier when they're bigger. I don't understand her reasoning, but have few vet choices around here.

 

[Mona]

Candice, my vet had also never done them so young, but did so at my request because he said he couldn't think of any valid medical/health reason why he shouldn't.

 

[PrestigeMiniHorses]

Interesting I do not plan on gelding Blue but I wasn't very sure about that. Thanks for clueing me in.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Just a couple of points here:

A Cryptorchid is a horse with two fully retained testicles- up beyond the inguinal canal- and they will NEVER descend on their own.

If they are retained just up in the body they are not Crypts and the possibility is there that they are also fully fertile as they could be descending and returning unnoticed!!

If a foal is not descended AT BIRTH you have a problem.

You need to palpate to discern- looking doesn't do it.

An animal can be descended and not visible.

You actually need to get you hand in there and rummage!!!

 

[hafpints]

I had 2 colts out of the same dam that I had to have gelded at 2.5 and 3 mos because they were very stud like and I was afraid my mare would hurt them. My vet said it is easier on them while they are still on the mom for comfort.

April

 

[Minimor]

It very much depends on your vet. One of our local vets absolutely will not do a gelding procedure on any foal less than 6 months old. There would be no point in trying to talk her into it--it's just something she won't do.

As for having them dropped--the local vets tend to not be very good at "finding" missing testicals. They will open the horse up & if both aren't easily found they stop there & tell the owner they'll have to take the horse for crypt surgery elsewhere. So, owners here (Mini as well as big horses) have had to wait and get their horses gelded later rather than sooner. We've had a couple that we've waiting until age 2 to do, just because one seemed to be missing.

We now haul to a vet an hour away--he is good at finding those hard-to-locate ones. One of the two colts we had done a month ago had one right up inside the ring, and this vet managed to locate it & get it out & off. The colt (2 year old) wasn't even all that sore afterwards. I know the local vets would have all given up on him & said to wait longer & see if it shows up, or send him elsewhere for more extensive surgery. This vet that did this gelding procedure--I asked him if he gelds very young colts. He said he does, but generally most owners wait until the horse is at least 4 months old--he doesn't get asked to do very many younger ones.

 

[Becky]

I've gelded foals as young as a few months old still on their dams. The foals recovered rapidly with no ill effects.

Ditto... dropped doesn't always equal visible

Ditto here too!

As to the issue of retained testicles or not, vets can be WAY wrong!! I took a young stallion (3 yrs) back this spring that I sold as a weanling. As a weanling, both testicles were down. In January this year, I was contacted by his owner who told me that the horse only had one testicle. She couldn't find but one testicle and her vet confirmed it. I recommended she take him to another vet for an ultrasound to see if the testicle was above or below the inguinal ring. She took him to a different vet who only palpated again, and along with a visiting vet at the clinic, confirmed the first diagnosis that the colt only had one testicle, was a cryptorchid and needed to be gelded. I had her ship the horse back to me. The day he arrived here in early April, I palpated him myself and felt the 'missing' testicle sitting right above the other one!

Good grief!

: [SIZE=18pt]3 vets [/SIZE] said this horse was a cryptorchid (monorchid technically) which he was not!!!

:

I had my vet out to confirm my findings which he did. With stimulation, the colt now has two large testicles normally descended in the scrotum!

 

[dawnsminis]

I read in Perfect Horse magazine that you should wait until 1 yr old. He said because you want him to have that masculine neck & head. I would never geld before 1 yr....i remember something about them having feminine characteristics if done too early. Some might not agree, but I'm just telling you what the article said.

 

[kaykay]

we had jet done at i believe 3.5 months. it was as soon as congress was over. I dont think he looks feminine at all

The sooner the better in my opinion. He doesnt look mature but hes only a yearling

 

[Frankie]

My vet says, if the horse has'em, she'll get'em and if it is a for sure decision, the earlier the better.

Just with my experience,,,,,,had one done at almost 3 years of age,,,,,,,,,had one done at 2 months, one at 5 months, and starting with the youngest,,,the better they did afterwards. The one at 2 months, did better than the one at 5 months, who did by far better than the one at 3 years. But, was just my experience. I have never heard of the feminine thing, I do have a kind of feminine guy,,,,,,but he is still all guy.

 

[Sue_C.]

He is small but fully descended, but she says its easier when they're bigger.

Yeah...easier for HER maybe...but not for HIM.

: The bigger they are, the larger the insision needed.

Geldaholics...stand proud and be counted.

: :bgrin :bgrin

"Stallions are from Mars, Mares are from Venus, Geldings are from Heaven." I am not sure who this quote is originally by...but they sure knew what they were talking about.

:

KayKay, I just love your "Jet", and when I see a gelding that beautiful, it makes me go gaga in wonder over how perfect the one's must be that you didn't geld. That is my idea...geld even the best, as it is these "perfect" geldings that will make people want to know what else you have, and make them want one for themselves.

:

 

[Tatonkas Dream]

Ok kind of the same topic but from what rabbitsfizz said what is the show standard and when is gelding a stallion needed... retained testicales are a genetic "defect" to my limited knowledge.

My young stallion is about 2 1/2 yrs old right now...

I purchased him as a 16 mth old colt and you could feel (not see) two small testicals then in Jan/Feb one became big (normal size) and the other "disapeared", in a panic (as I plan on keeping him a stallion and having him sire babies) I have my vet out and within less than 30 seconds she palpates and says the other ones right there "hiding" and to give it time that she was pretty sure the other would drop and that he's all "boy" and not to worry.

Well as of right now the the other is still hiding... does this make him disqualified from breding and showing... I had decided to wait and breed to outside stallion this year (I only have 2 mares) but we just found out yesterday that he's going to be a daddy after all for a mid Jan foal. I accept that I may have a pet quality foal next year (while my goal is NOT pet quality only - I can't terminate - I just cant do that - personal belief)

Anyway thoughts on my stallion or possible soon to be gelding...???? input good and bad please.

from what rabbitsfizz said "Just a couple of points here:

A Cryptorchid is a horse with two fully retained testicles- up beyond the inguinal canal- and they will NEVER descend on their own.

If they are retained just up in the body they are not Crypts and the possibility is there that they are also fully fertile as they could be descending and returning unnoticed!!

If a foal is not descended AT BIRTH you have a problem.

You need to palpate to discern- looking doesn't do it.

An animal can be descended and not visible.

You actually need to get you hand in there and rummage!!!"