Let's talk about geldings

[mountain_waif]

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[minimomNC]

I love all five of my geldings. Four of them hold National or World titles and/or honor roll standings. They have been shown and continue to show now. Each and everyone of the four would have been an awesome stallion for any farm, but instead they have a wonderful life worring only about who is eating all the hay and how wants to play, never who do I breed or kill next.

I am very thankful for all of my geldings:

Lucky Four Hits The Spot - 2002 AMHR National Champion 2 year old gelding (who now is on loan to a 6 year old that needed a good steady show horse for this year)

Lucky Four Black Velvet Bandofire - Top Three AMHR Nationals and AMHA World in 2005 in sr halter geldings, he will be showing again this year.

Blue Ribbon Bodacious Shiney Gold - 2004 Reserve World Champion weanling stallion 26 - 30 ( he is on loan to a wonderful teenager as a jr show gelding, good luck Heather)

Knells Spin To Win - 2004 World Champion Yearling Futurity Gelding - Spin is now in harness and we are so happy with how he is coming along. At his first show in Camden, SC he was AMHA High Point Horse and with my daughter showing was High Point Amateur. Spin is everything a horse should be to us. He is smart, willing, happy and beautiful. He is already qualifed for Amateur Country Pleasure driving in his only show.

Last but not least except in size is my number one gelding Ghost. He is the absolute love for me. He was my first mini and will always be with me. At 28" he is a great babysitter for either babies or new horses. He can go out with anyone and gets along well. He was shown one time at the World Class championship show and was reserve champion 2 year old stallion. He never has to prove another thing to me.

None of my geldings have anything to prove. They have given everything that was asked of them and continue to be fun, happy horses. I would probably be the only person around that is happy when any of my mares have colts, thats just another gelding in my book. Just had our only foal of the year today, guess what, it was a gelding.

 

[countryrose]

I gelded a 2 year old and 3 year old last October. I am hoping for a team if they ever get close to the same height. If not I am definitely going to have two fun performance horses. Patches is already driving and showing he is a level headed boy.

I am looking forward to many years of showing with these two without all the hormones my girls have. Every show can be different depending on their moods!

 

[victoria]

I love our geldings too...

Both have made us extemely proud of them, next season both will be in harness both. Both have national champion/ national reserve champion SPD sibblings in so they have some big hoof prints to fill, yet they have filled them pretty well so far.

 

[Aubrey715]

Until recently had not really cared too much about geldings because i was thinking what can you do with a gelding. Until i showed a friends gelding and i found out they can still be fun. Then a few months ago i had the opportunity to buy a wonderful gelding named Rocking JM 3T Bruce Alimighty who has won at Nationals and World. At my first show with him which was in Camden, SC a couple of weeks a go he went Reserve Champion Senior Geldings showing against some very tough competition. At AMHR Nationals Bruce has won 2005 National Champion Youth Jr. Gelding 13-17 - Under, 2005 National Champion Amateur Jr. Gelding - Under, 2005 Reserve National Champion Amatuer Gelding Incentive - Under, 2005 Reserve National Champion Model Gelding - Under, 2005 Reserve National Champion 2 yr. Old Gelding - Under. At the AMHA World Show Bruce has won 2005 AMHA World Top Ten Jr. Geldings 13-17, 2005 AMHA World Top Ten Amateur Jr. Geldings LVL. 2, 2005 World Top Ten Two Yr. Old Geldings, 2004 Reserve World Champion Amateur Junior Geldings Level 2. Now i am looking foward to going a long ways with Bruce too. Bruce was in training with Aloha Acres until i bought him. My view of geldings has changed a lot since i bought Bruce. I am planning on eventually breaking Bruce to drive too. Aubrey

 

[CLC Stables]

My gelding is consistent, no hormones to deal with, yes he can be a pain, but he is ALWAYS THE SAME, never anything new, STEADY............and has a show record 10 miles long that will only get longer.............I will take 10 more of him any day.

 

[Jill]

Lois, you just totally cheered me up and even though it's not even 5:30am yet, I really needed it this morning. Thank you

:

 

[NMMack]

We love our geldings too!

:

We come from Traditional sized horses, where geldings are always considered the *Working Class* of the Quarter Horse breed. They are reliable, easy-going and have a great work ethic as their mind isn't on their hormones. (No flames here, I know that there are stallions and mares that are every bit as wonderful!)

When we first got into Mini's a year ago, the first thing we did, was to buy 2 geldings from Jean B. and we just adore them! These little ones can definitely become a handful if you are not used to handling stallions, because they *ARE* horses after all, and they behave like traditonal sized horses do! We wanted to enjoy our horses, not have to be on guard with them.

Another reason we geld, is because we are not a breeding operation. Our horses are our family, our kids, our pets. There is no good reason to leave the boys intact and have to fight with the hormonal inbalances, or watch your back if you are not going to be breeding them! There are alot of *really* good stallions out there if we feel the need to reproduce, we will let someone else have the headache on a daily basis.

Jill, I have to add too, that you are wonderful advocate for gelding. We weren't entirely sure if we wanted to geld little Peanut, he is just so fine, but you gelded Bacardi, and he is bred to the 9's, and absolutely gorgeous. We are definitely gelding little Peanut too, I want this little wonder around me for years and years, and I don't want to have to not trust him, or worry about turning my back on him. (And I know that Mike will appreciate not having another thing to worry about with me too!

: )

Nancy

 

[Kendra]

I love to talk about my geldings! However, I won't bore you with individual biographies ... we have currently 25 geldings, and 7 colts that will be gelded very soon. Of those 25 geldings, there's only about three we would consider selling, the rest are part of our hitch, one of our show horses, are retired and we can't part with them, or we plan to use the in the hitch or to show.

 

[wpsellwood]

I just gelded Express in January. He was a HOF stallion mult top ten stallion every year, Supreme champion in the A and R registry. But arent we going to have some fun showing in the geldings!!! Hes my best my best buddy

 

[lyn_j]

[SIZE=18pt]Here are some great gelding that I have owned that were good enough to be stallions in my book in fact Hershee was at one time.[/SIZE]

Michigans Father Dowling..... Stallion material... Kick Butt Gelding...he won for me in 2004 and for Robert Samuels his new owner in 2005.

This horse has as close to perfect conformation as they come!

LH Hershees Comet... now owned by Sterling.... Got me off the couch pitty party and back into the ring even driving after I first lost my vision. God Bless him! I trusted him with my life and he won me my first national championship title.

One I borrowed from Connie and Harold and John Eckbold who took me to my second National Championship driving title. HSF Takashimaya

and Last year driving Michigans Strutt N Stuff to a reserve national championship. He is prowdly owned by Michelle Presley and it is likely I will be borrowing him again since GQ is laid off. Strutt was the B performance horse of 2005 and if was his FIRST year driving!

You can also see him on the back cover of the April Journal

and last but not least my beloved GQ who I trust not only with my life but also my little grandsons he is so safe.

National Top ten Futurity and open and National All star top ten

Do I love geldings.... youbetcha!

Lyn

 

[Jill]

Thanks, Nancy

I have been inspired by others who have great geldings that could easily be stallions, and also just by the fact that it makes the horses easier to enjoy and gives them more socialized lives in most cases.

I'm optimistic that the respect many are discovering for miniature geldings will continue to snowball and I think it could be a key factor in our breed getting more respect and attention from "big horse enthusiasts".

Quality is not even an issue these days when it comes to us all deciding to geld some of these horses. I know Peanut would make a fine stallion, and I also know he would make a fabulous gelding who will stay all the move lovable without those hormones kicking in and stiring things up!!!

But, I can honestly say that there was a time when I flat out said "I would never consider gelding Derby". Times change and so did my mind

 

[dannigirl]

When my first National champion gelding was showing, someone asked me why I would geld such a beautiful stallion. I told her that it takes a beautiful stallion to make a beautiful gelding. I have more than a dozen geldings in my barn and use many of them for pony and cart rides as well as nursing home and daycare visits. They are ssssoooo much more predictable than any mare that I have tried to use. I can use a young mare, but when they get older, they just seem to get moody at the most inopertune times. I usually will tell a possible buyer that they should have a gelding to have a lovable pet for life. Anyone that has seen us show, knows that we show geldings. If we have 6 in our show string, you can bet that at least 4 will be geldings.

Angie

 

[Devon]

I own one gelding. He is amazing geldings are the absolute best their personalities are amazing. They sometimes are stubborn I love it! I love not worrying to muhc about whos horse your within 2 meters of. Gelding are amazing horses!! :bgrin

:

My Wee Man:

 

[midnight star stables]

bump..

I'll post later..

 

[nootka]

I love my gelding! Mouse is very easy to handle, loves to show, and not distracted by his hormones.

NOR is he sluggish, fat and uninspired. He is bright and eager and very attentive/spirited and maintains a slim/fit weight quite easily. So those myths are out the window.

Nor did he grow a lot after the gelding. He was about 31.75" at time of gelding (yearling), I would guess he's no more than 32.25" maybe 32.50?

I am so looking forward to getting him in harness and not having to deal with any hormones or worrying about breeding season, etc.

Here is a photo of my gelding:

Here he is in his first show of the season last year, very little working, and no sweating and he still managed to do quite well for himself.

His little brother, Kyan, is due to be gelded as soon as we can arrange it. I have been asked why since he's so nice, but I will not regret it. He's going to be a perfect youth/amateur horse w/his sweet temperament yet still spirited and flashy enough to make a showing.

Liz M.

 

[crponies]

The woman who got me started in ponies had the attitude of there being no place for geldings since she was into breeding. However, I have one of my colts still that I had gelded and am not into breeding so much anymore (no real market around here for what I have and my views on what I should breed have changed a lot). Anyhow, I love my gelding. I need to do a lot more work with him, but he is sweet and loves attention from me. This picture is from 2004 when he was only 2 so he has filled out more. I love his overall shape and his coloring with that super white mane and tail. Pictured with him is his little sister. In case you were wondering, these are not purebred miniatures but grade ponies with some miniature in them. I would guess Dusty to be somewhere around 42" but haven't measured him lately.

 

[Sonya]

I don't breed, but all 4 of my minis are geldings. When I purchased, I specifically looked for geldings. When I got my very first minis over two years ago (2 came at the same time from different farms). One was already scheduled to be gelded and the other was not. They were selling him intact. I insisted that he be gelded, at my expense, before I even picked him up. All the horses I ever owned through my life (6 big horses over the years) have all been geldings, except for one mare. I've always fancied geldings and when I get another big horse, he will be a gelding too. The mare I had, I didn't keep her very long...long story. Not saying that there is anything "wrong" with mares or stallions, but I will always prefer a gelding over anything else. Geldings are the best!

 

[susanne]

Well, you all know how I feel about my geldings, Mingus and Thelonius (Pastorius, too, in the not-too-distant future).

I've had numerous people question my decision to geld Mingus, including a breeder at our last show (She assumed he had already been gelded when we adopted him, and was shocked when I said that we chose to do it). It made absolutely no sense to keep him a stallion, and it was the best choice possible. He was rather wild as a stallion (although sweet even then), and would not have been fun to show or deal with in general. Now he is a delight, although those who worry about geldings losing their spark need to spend time around Mingus. He has an abundance of spirit and energy and is still rather hot, yet he is a wonderful, loving horse. He is very intelligent and is always a pleasant challenge to be around.

And then there's my darling Thelonius...as cute and sweet as a horse could be, and the best horse pal another horse could ever want. Thelonius will actually leave his food to come over for attention. He is the ultimate therapy horse, if I can ever get my act together.

My favorite Thelonius story is the time Keith and I took him and Mingus in a local parade. Afterward, they were surrounded by a sea of children, all waiting to pet them. Both boys were so good, but then Thelonius began to pull me through the crowd, over to a quadraplegic woman in a wheelchair, where he lay his head in her lap.

 

[Jill]

Just wanted to show off my geldings' pictures, too:

This is Derby, who Lois loves

He has had halter championships as a jr. and sr. stallion and is an awesome horse to drive. Also, was 4th at the Nationals in Obstacle as a 2yo stallion (so he is VERY well trained and behaved). Derby stands 31.25" and is a light palomino and has sired one foal (another of my beloved geldings, Skipper). Derby was a wonderful stallion and an even more fabulous gelding:

This is Sunny, and he's the most amazing horse "on the inside" that I have ever met. Very smart, and trained to the 9's. He has something like 200 HOF halter points, 18 grands, his HOF of course, and is a 3x National Champion and 6x Reserve National Champion. He's 34" on the dot and I am working towards him driving (lots of natural extension):

This is Bacardi, who is my BTU son. He's a golden palomino and 36" 2yo gelding. He has yet to be shown but he is very correct and typy and boy does he think A LOT of himself. I expect he will show well and he does, too :bgrin He is VERY golden in the late spring and summer but is light naturally in the fall and winter. He will be an awesome driving horse with A LOT of power this time next year:

Her is Jack, my red leopard sweet as can be 32" gelding. Jack will eventually be a very flashy CP driving horse for me and think he's got such a pretty head with his big eyes and tiny muzzle. I know appys can get a bad rap in conformation, but Jack's got the nicest, straightest legs and from what I can see is correct other than a slightly off bite, but doesn't really matter on a gelding. He's a horse you cannot help but notice, he's just SO loud:

Skipper below is Derby's one and only child. He is my first home bred foal and I am really happy with my first try at breeding as there are things about him nicer than both his parents. He's now 3yo and about 31.5". He had halter championships at both shows I took him to as a yearling so he did me proud then and will eventually be a driving horse:

Here is my first mini ever, Eclipse. He's 34" and a very, very fun drive and a great SP type mover. He is the most gentle animal I've ever met. He's pictured with his light bay dun pony, Sundance, who is of course a gelding, too:

Yep, we definitely "got geldings" here at WFM!