Got a question

[Tod Dague]

I don't have any hay burners myself, but my mother in-law has several. One of them had a colt last year. The mare is coming in heat and this yearling is trying his darndest to do some in-breeding. What is the earliest you can geld one of them and @ what age can they breed? She keeps telling me that he is not old enough yet but I have a hard time with that.

 

[Oldtimer]

I've seen several catch colts come about because the colt was left with the mare until a yearling--It sounds like it is old enough to breed and to geld- If his testicles have descended and can be seen or felt he can be gelded...One thing to remember- even after gelded- keep it away from mares for a couple weeks...Newly gelded studs have bred mares.....

 

[sidney411]

I'm not famililar with gelding horses but can't you do it when they are first born like we castrate newborn calves?

 

[Alan]

I'm not famililar with gelding horses but can't you do it when they are first born like we castrate newborn calves?

No best to wait until they are completly weaned and about (at least) 6 months old. You don't want too much stress, plus there is alot more after care involved than with calves.

Alan

 

[Alan]

I don't have any hay burners myself, but my mother in-law has several. One of them had a colt last year. The mare is coming in heat and this yearling is trying his darndest to do some in-breeding. What is the earliest you can geld one of them and @ what age can they breed? She keeps telling me that he is not old enough yet but I have a hard time with that.

I currently have a yearly colt, who at eight months was acting like a stud and trying to breed mares and geldings, a real hand full. I have his 3 yr old half brother, who is gelded. Who I did not geld until he was over two because he never acted like a stud or dropped his testicles ( he did at about 18 months). The 8 month old had both descended by the time he was 7 or eight months old... I like the older brother better for now

Alan

 

[Oldtimer]

I'm not famililar with gelding horses but can't you do it when they are first born like we castrate newborn calves?

sidney411- A young stallions testicles are up inside its body and usually do not descend until they are around a yearling (give or take a few months on either side)--To castrate them then would be a major surgery which a vet would have to do...Sometimes one or both won't descend and this surgery is required...A horse thats testicles don't descend is called a cryptorchid or ridgeling...

Castrating a horse is a little more complex than cattle...When doing it if you are not thorough with the testicle removal you end up making things worse instead of better....If you do not get all the material along with the testicle you end up with a "proud cut" horse- which usually is a created attitude nightmare...Also horses sometimes herniate themselves after castration... Lots more problems with horses than with cattle...

Years ago when we ran many more horses we castrated all the young stallions ourselves-- now with only a few a year to do I've found its easier on man and beast to get the vet to do it.....

 

[cowpunk'd]

Around here colts are gelded (by a vet) as soon as they start acting like pricks.

 

[TR]

Around here colts are gelded (by a vet) as soon as they start acting like pricks.

I second that.....if I can see or feel 'em, they go. ASAP.

 

[fellersbarnoneranch]

My $0.02.........................
geld em once they dropped. One of ours were both descended by 1 week old...lil early to cut him for my taste

Best, imho, not to do it when the flies are real bad. Tell you mil in a nice way, that she is flirtin with danger. He might not "get er done" but he sure as heck could.

We have the vet cut ours. He sedates them, cuts em, pulls any wolf teeth if they got em, and then we load em back up and they go back out to pasture. So far, knock on my woody noggun, no problems.