I want to know - Your experience with gelding an OLDER stallion

[lopintoo]

I want to hear from any of you that have gelded OLDER stallions - say a stallion around age 7 and up that had bred mares before being gelded. What was the stallions behavior before and after gelding - how did it change him, or did it change him? I'm not asking for opinions on what I should do, I would like imput from those that have actually done it.

This is why I ask. My deliema...

I had decided since the breeding business isn't thriving and it is getting harder to sell foals that I would geld my favorite stallion. (he's my avatar) He is very gentle and easy to handle and acts like a gelding most of the time and in most situations, but as stallions go I know I should expect the unexpected. I thought as a gelding I would ride and use him more and possibly take him back to the show pen. Well, I hauled him over to the vets to be gelded and the vet talked me out of it! The vet said that in his experiece (being a respected horse vet for many years) an older stallion that had been gelded retained many of the stallion like behaviors and never really acted like a true gelding. That while he wouldn't be able to actually breed a mare, he may still act like a stallion. Of course the vet said there are always exceptions to this, some do become trustworthy geldings, but many still act like a stallion. So I brought my boy home still intact wondering.....Do I want a quiet and calm stallion, or what if I get a gelding that acts like a stallion, or do I try to get lucky and get a deadheaded gelding???? I was hoping since he is already quiet and well mannered that he would make a super gelding, but after what the vet has said it has left me wondering? The vet thinks with my horses bloodlines and conformation he would be better as a quiet stallion and not take any chances. I would like for him to be a GOOD gelding, but what are my odds?

[Hideaway]

I've never done it but my vet has told me the same thing as I've considered doing it with my quiet stallion Howdy. It's a 50/50 chance that I wanted to stay on the good side of so for now, he stays intact. I guess it all depends on your situation too. If you have the room for him and can still afford to keep him a stallion, no one says he has to breed. If he's becoming a problem, I'd take my chances and geld but in your case, leave him the way he is.

[horseloverinVA]

I haven't personally done this, but my long time trainer has. She used to breed some Arabs and some QH's. She had a purebred stud of each breed. Both were the same age which at the time was 13-14. Neither of her studs had ever known much of a life other than breeding. She had owned both from yearlings and both had been little more than greenbroke. No show training but both were good level-headed stallions. They were good around the farm but not 100% well mannered around mares in heat. That's just some back ground on the before.

When the horse market started to fail a few years back she gelded the Arab because she had better luck with the QH foals for her own use. He turned out to be a fabulous horse. He had know very little but breeding his whole life and had always been in a seperate padock except when bred, she pasture bred. She began re-training him and in 4 short months had him competing at competitive trails, and her granddaughter evern was showing him some locally. He totally dropped his stud demeanor. It has been about the years and I've never seen him act studly even when turned out with mares.

I'm sure it can go both ways, but she had great success and her stud was twice the age that you are referring to.

Good luck in whatever you decide!

[4-H mom]

My experience was very similar to HorseloverinVA... I worked for a lady who had an Arabian stallion who was quite a handfull at times. She was older and bought him as a weanling to replace her old stallion. He was always kept by himself. We rode him enough to keep him broke but he was mostly left alone.

She decided when he was 7 that she didn't want to keep a stud any longer and he really hadn't produced anything spectacular so she gelded him in the fall. I took him to a Saddlebred barn that winter and learned to ride saddleseat on him. He was very nice under saddle and I was careful to stay away from others but he was easy to handle even in a crowd of mixed horses in the ring.
Her daughter showed him some and then he was sold to a teenager who showed him as well. He turned into a really neat gelding.

He did have some problems adapting to the herd lifestyle as he just didn't know what to do or how to act in the pasture. He was left alone to heal up and then thrown in with the bred broodmares so it was quite a rude awakening for him!
By the next summer we were able to leave him out with everyone and he did fine.

[lopintoo]

My guy is 11. Actually we have several stallions, so one more isn't so much the issue. Those of you that ride stallions know that even though when they are being behaved sometimes it only takes the right mare for them to get sidetracked into thinking "wow there's a cutie" and loose their train of thought. At the worst he will nicker at a new or favorite mare, but in no way is he hard to control. I am just thinking I would like to have a horse that I can relax on and not have to think about if the horse riding up beside us is a mare or not. Since the horse business has changed and I am only occasionally breeding a mare or two to him I thought he might enjoy being a gelding more. There are many pluses to him being a GOOD gelding, but a big minus if he was a studdy gelding.

[Soliae]

A lot depends on the individual horse.

I have a 10 year old stallion who acts better than most geldings, and is ridden all over the place, in mixed company. He's extremely safe and reliable.

I have a 2 year, however, who is still pretty sure he's a stallion - he's not (nor is he proud cut, I supervised the procedure myself...no mistakes!). He never bred a mare, but sure does want to (still). My bitchy alpha mare is curing him of that, however.

Point is, they are different. At least gelding will limit SOME of the aggression and the ability to sire offspring. There's really no reason not to geld - just keep in mind that many behaviors probably won't change.

[AlbertaGirl]

My Paint stud got gelded at the age of 6 and he had started breeding at a young age, before I got him. He was great undersaddle (I started him when he was 5), but could be aggressive other times (from the sounds of it, your guy sounds quieter to begin with). Anyhow, after he was gelded it took some time for him to be okay in a pasture situation, and I sold him to a lady who only rode him once in a while, but trusted him more than enough to ride him during her pregnancy, and she ended up selling him (she was getting into breeding Andalusians), and he's now a lesson horse, and lives in a mixed herd. This is what it says about him on the stable's website - "This paint gelding is very well trained and excels at teaching the students technique. He is very responsive to leg pressure and can bend with the slightest touch. Tucking his head and extending his trot make him a beauty to watch in motion. He has very nice form. He is also very patient and willing to try anything". (Which makes me pretty proud )

But anyway, that's my experience with gelding an older breeding stud. Every one can be different, but if you'd prefer to geld your guy, I can't see why the vet would be so against it

[Charlies'_Angel]

I've never actually been in a situation such as this, but, I use to ride at a stable that had a gelding who had once been a stallion. He did the whole "shebang" up until he was I believe 10 yrs then he they decided to geld him for whatever reason and he was one of the best lesson horses, of course they worked with him for awhile after, before they just threw him into the lesson program. Oh I should add that he was placed in a field with many different mares and geldings with no problems. Just very laid back and happy.

-Alicia

[BarnBum]

I purchased my mini at 10 yo with every intention to geld him. I contacted my vet prior and he said there would be no problem, and there wasn't. He is the perfect little gentleman now!!!!!!

[lopintoo]

My guy is stalled next to others where he can see and sniff them and turned out in a lot that is next to other horses, but still is in a lot to himself. It has been about a year since I have ridden him. He rides very good and it wouldn't take much to get him back in shape to show again, but I guess I have gotten lazy and would prefer the no hassle part of a gelding. I have been thinking about this for the last few months - one day I want to take my chances and hope for the best, other days he stays a stallion. Geeze this is a tough decision. That is why I wanted been there, done that facts.

[alliebath]

You have gotten better first hand answers then I will add - but we purchased a gelding last fall - he had been gelded a couple of months before (gelded at 3 1/2 - never bred a mare). Was a handful initially (on the ground) and then the next spring we were riding with a group which included an in heat mare - she was nickering and peeing like crazy. He came up - reared at her - a couple of times - with me on him. I was very concerned about the behavior - a few months later (so now over a year since gelding) we rode with the same mare, in the same condition - nothing. He acted like the gelding he is. One vet told me it can take 9 to 12 months to get the hormones out - and I know with dogs I typcially tell people about 6 months.

[lopintoo]

You guys are atleast making me feel better. I was hoping for that.

My guy is not real aggressive. I usually use him to tease with because I can tell him "talk to them", and he will be vocal with the mares and then when we are done I say "OK, that's enough" and he knows his job is done and would rather eat grass. If a mare even tries to kick he will give up trying to breed her. My thinking was if I gelded him I could occasionally turn him out with some bred mares or one that was definitely not in heat and let her do all the re-training. His very worst thing is that occasionally he will get side tracked and he whinnys at a new or favorite mare whether she is in heat or not - I guess if that is the worst stallion behavior he has it just might work.

Anyone have a bad experience?

[snwflk]

I was riding at very nice H/J barn, and they had a very kinda ooooogly stallion- but he was FANTASTIC W/KIDS he loved on my daughter like he was the sweetest gelding you have ever met. NEVER once made a noise twords other horses- (dont belive he was ever bred though)-I belive he was appendix, but with a really UGLY arab head. He was just awkward looking and didnt seem put together right. I love both Arabs & tb's I just think he got the cruddy end of both- poor guy I am not sure why he was still a stallion , cuz I wouldnt breed to him. He was hit w/ the ugly stick-

but anyways he was the sweetest one in the barn- He is now a show jumper but still super sweet.. I just loved him. He was alot sweeter then the GRAND PRIX 80k gelding down the row who was part draft- I think they did geld him, as I see him for sale as a potential 3'6" jumper-

[99horses]

I have gelded 2 older stallions, one paint that was 7 and he adjusted wonderfully and is now a great riding horse. The other was 9 and he turned into demon horse after we did it. Before gelding he was a awesome trail horse and you could ride him with anyone, I rode him everywhere and my kids rode him around the house too. After his gelding he turned just plain evil and would not behave for us at all. I sold him to a trainer and she took alot of time with him and now he is fine but he was never the same with us. So I gues it is different with each horse.

[Rusty's Girl]

I tend to agree with your vet that gelding him probably wouldn't change his studly behaviours. We have one gelding at the barn who was gelded late in life and he absolutely believes he is still a stud. He can't be kept with other geldings and he competes with the actual stallion when they are in the barn together. So I wouldn't count on his attitude changing, however if you want to geld him so that he can be put in a mare herd or something for socialization, maybe it's worthwhile. He'll may still try to mount the mares though, but you never know. He could turn into a normal gelding, it's just not a guarantee.

[lopintoo]

Originally Posted by Rusty's Girl

So I wouldn't count on his attitude changing, however if you want to geld him so that he can be put in a mare herd or something for socialization, maybe it's worthwhile. He'll may still try to mount the mares though, but you never know. He could turn into a normal gelding, it's just not a guarantee.

This is exactly why he has not been gelded. Best case senario - I have a wonderful quiet gelding my daughter can also ride. Worst case - he acts the same as he does now - which I guess really isn't that bad for a stallion - but he will still act the same and not be able to breed. Hmmmm.

[gbarmranch]

We gelded a 5 year old.. he was almost a gelding in personality before the surgery - and just as sweet afterwards.. we have also gelded a few 12 year olds.. the stupid ones stayed stupid - just easier to handle - the sweet ones stayed sweet..

[WSArabians]

My sister had got an 13 year old AQHA stallion. Had no training, just a pet for breeding he was. No manners, what a complete dick to other horses. I couldn't stand him.

Finally, they decided to cut him, broke him out, and now he's a fabulous kids horse!

Really, I do believe it's in the individual horse, but I totally didn't see the turn around that that stud would have.

I have a 13 year old Arab stallion, and I think if I cut him, I wouldn't see any change as he knows his job and he likes to do it.
But, it's hard to say.

He looks like such a nice boy, though, and even if you don't want to breed your own mares, perhaps just stud him out to outside mares so he still gets what he needs, and he gets to keep his boys!

[tuffsmom]

We gelded a 12 year pinto Arab stud a few years ago. He was very calm before hand and he was great afterwards. He was ridden by advanced beginners not long after he was gelded. He didn't have a problem riding in the arena with the mares. He turned out to be a nice gelding.

Last year the trainer Sheri was working with gelded an eight year old Arab stud. He had never done live cover but he is now a 10 and under walk trot horse.

[cansncattle]

I know of THREE stallions gelded later. One was 6 when gelded after 3 breeding seasons. He is still out with the mares, still breeds them when they are in heat BUT, is well behaved (like a gelding) when he is trailered out. Another, was a 18 year old stallion that had run wild all his 18 years. A guy bought him, gelded him and Viola, perfect gelding. He also bought a 10 year old stallion (same situation).. Gelded, and viola, gelding. Vet says it can take up to a year for hormones on an older breeding stallion to calm, but it really shouldnt make a difference. Hey, even geldings that are gelded as YEARLINGS will sometimes still go through the motions of "breeding". BUT that being said, ALL three above were able to be turned out with geldings after a period of time of being gelded. Hope that helps