I want to talk about some aspects of gelding.
Why Do We Geld Horses?
It seems to me there are only 2 clear reasons to NOT geld a horse.
The first is because we want to breed a champion or a horse that is exceptional in some way.
The other reason is sentimentality. We want a horse just like its dad or brother or whatever. Or we want the experience of raising a foal from our beloved mare and stallion.
I can think of no other reason to keep a male horse intact. If the rationale for keeping a horse entire is not one of these reasons I can’t see a justification for not gelding a horse.
Let me state from the outset that I believe that in a domestic situation a stallion’s life is far from a good life. Most stallions are isolated or semi-isolated from other horses and are denied a herd experience. This is antithetical to the nature of horses. It’s difficult enough to ensure domesticated geldings and mares live a normal herd life, let alone a stallion. Furthermore, many people don’t have the facilities or skills to work with stallions to ensure they are safe around people and other horses.
In my view, in a domestic situation, there is no benefit to a horse in keeping its reproductive equipment preserved. We do it for us, not for them. At best, keeping a horse as a stallion dooms it to a life of mediocrity and in many cases misery.
I strongly believe breeding horses should be left to the professionals. Let the experts keep and manage the stallions on studs designed for the purpose. Let them have the worry and expense of producing exceptional horses for us to then buy. If we put in the effort, we have a much better chance of finding the perfect horse from a professional breeder than from the lottery of breeding one of our horses.
When To Geld?
From time to time I am asked what is the right age to geld a foal.
There are a lot of myths in the horse world about this question. The most common one I hear is that the longer you wait to geld a horse, the bigger it will grow. It is believed that a horse will put on more bone and muscles and be stronger if you geld it later rather than earlier. This is not true.
In the end, if you geld a horse at 2 months of age or 2 years it will be the same size and build when it has finished growing at around 5 or 6 years old (assuming everything else is the same like nutrition, exercise, etc). Intact horses may have accelerated growth spurts over gelded horses, but at the end of their growth curve, they are physically the same horse. Genetics, nutrition, and exercise have more influence on the development of the horse than gonads.
The physiology tells us that a horse can be safely gelded at 2 months of age. However, in my experience, many vets recommend between 6 and 12 months old. I think many people prefer to geld a horse before puberty kicks in and adds to the problems of handling and housing and that 6-12 month framework fits in with that. Some thoroughbred studs like to geld and wean at the same time they begin handling a horse. While some breeders prefer to geld after teaching handling skills. I would much rather geld a horse shortly after it has been weaned and handled so if a problem arises after surgery and the horse needs treatment I can work with the horse.
But older horses gelded much older can also make wonderful companion and riding horses. A few years ago I gelded and started a horse that was 17 years of age for a teenager that took him to pony club. We adopted a horse that was gelded in his mid-teens and is a wonderful horse to be around.
So there are no hard and fast rules about when to geld a horse. So much depends on your circumstances. However, I think the 5-8 month time frame is a good compromise for many people. But each situation is different.
The bottom line is that I think unless you have a good justification, all male horses should be gelded UNLESS they are exceptional. It is the right and kind thing to do. I also believe there is no physiological reason to leave a horse as a colt longer than necessary in the hope he will grow bigger and stronger. In my view, it is best to geld horses after weaning and before puberty for the sake of their social development and mental maturity.
Ouch!!