Thinking about getting a new mini

[Poodlepill]

I am seriously considering getting a new male (I only like my boys). I currently have two gelded mini's one 3 and one
4 years old who are best buddies from the moment they met. They are always next
to each other never squabble just boy play. The new male I am considering is 6
years old, has never been bred and has not been gelded he is stalled alone. If I
get him I want to have him gelded right away.
What are your experiences with intact males even getting along with my two boys. And then
after I geld him what should I expect about personality, I mean will he
integrate with my two boys or will he always be stud muffin and need to be
separate cuz that's not going to work. I am very concerned about upsetting my
perfect apple cart.

If I did go get this male, should I take my two boys with me so they can all maybe bond in the trailer on the way home?

 

[Lindi-loo]

Hi..Im by far NOT the most experianced here but even so id like to add a comment..I wouldnt advise taking your boys along to bond in the trailer thats prob best done slowly where they have room to move away without getting hurt or distressed..I cant see why the 3 of them wouldnt eventually get on together even though the new male is entire..I have a stallion that will get on with anyone..i am aware that they are all different and this might not be the case with your new guy but another thing is that I recently considerd having my boy gelded and after having the vet out instruments in hand all ready to go..she decided that it was best NOT to do it..his age (17) played a big part and the fact he was very laid back made me think twice too..she would have gone through with it if it was my final decision but she just felt it could have been the begining of many complications i didnt want to take that risk..easier for me to errect a new fence and keep him separate from the girls all summer...just a thought as you mentioned hes 6..I love the boys too and dont blame you for wanting just 1 more to add to your never ending collection lol

 

[chandab]

I gelded an infertile 7 year old a couple years ago, he gets along great with his gelding companion. Surgery went just fine for him. [i'm not sure how he'd get on with the mares, if he'd still try to mount them, or just be happy for their company; and since I'm still breeding a few of the mares, I don't plan to find out just yet. He gets along with the gelding, so we're good here.]

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

No one can really tell you whether this particular horse will fit in with your 2 guys or not without trying it out. I would say that initially you can probably expect some sparring since the 2 you have are an established herd and the 3 will need to work out a hierarchy. I would advise against taking the 2 you have along and also to keep the new one separate for at least 3 weeks to a month. That will give him a chance to settle in, get over his gelding operation and also work as a quarantine. Ideally you will be able to keep them in a way that will prevent physical contact until you know the new one is not carrying anything contagious(even apparently healthy well cared for horses can harbour illnesses so it pays to err on the side of caution if possible)and then move all three to a new space where they can meet and bond(hopefully) As for gelding him, in MOST cases they will settle fairly quickly afterwards and the usual rule of thumb is a month for every year of age is how long before they lose any stallion tendencies. Some take longer (or never loose them entirely) some are quicker.

 

[Marty]

There is no way of knowing what will happen. It can go either way. Some work out fine and others don't. We have one like that in CMHR who never came around and does not play well with others and therefore its hard to get him adopted. You will be upsetting your perfect apple cart for a while though one way or the other if you do make the purchase.Herd dynamics are bound to change somewhat. Good luck.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Ditto what Lindy said about not taking them in the trailer- you want them to meet in as big a space as possible, and even then I would not put them together until you are happy with how they behave with the new boy on the other side of the fence. Gelding is not a cure all- I have gelded hundreds of horses, of all ages, and I can tell you I have had 15 year olds settle down faster and with less hassle than my boy DC- he was three when I had him gelded, he is now five and has not noticed he is not a stallion yet! OTOH I had an 11 year old herd stallion gelded a few years back and he was settled and back out with some young mares withing ten weeks. So, no rhyme or reason to it, it is just the luck of the draw- DC had never bred anything, it does not make any difference to some of them- he bred his first mare six months after he had been gelded!

I would still always advise gelding, though, eventually, as I keep telling DC, they do have to calm down......

 

[Poodlepill]

Thank youfor the replies, I do appreciate the feed
back. I have decided to go a head and get this beautiful boy. He is from
the same breeder that I got my last boy from, he has been shown and trained to
drive so I am hopeful that he at least has
good manners from handling. I will make an
appointment to get him gelded for next
Friday. I can split my barn in half right now with some horse panels, one side will be access to the
pasture and the other (new boy) side will have access to the paddock and
both will have access to the waterer. I know this will upset my perfect
little apple cart but I think this guy is worth the shuffling. I will not bring my boys with me. Who knows, since I don't have
any females around here nor in the area maybe he will really calm down
quickly.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Is he used to male company? DC is a Bad Boy, officially, he needs a leather jacket(!) but he is as happy as Larry out with his young stallion friend, they play and hang out all the time.

I am sure that your boys will all settle down quickly- especially as you say, without ladies to distract them, all you need now is a cart!!