Forum


Monty Roberts Equus Online University
Horse Training Video Instruction Program

Learn all about Equus • Dually Halter • Shy Boy Mustang • Jumping Horses
• Story of a Horse Whisperer • Riding Horsemanship • Dressage Horses • Willing Partners
• Horse Training • Round Pen Lessons • Performance Horses • Join-Up

← back

Horse Care and Comfort

Stallion Vs Gelding

Hello!

Hi,
I have recently brought my beautiful palomino pure bred QH colt, he is currently around 14HH and 10 months old.
He is showing no coltiness and placed with fillies at breeders property, very responsive great on ground with his legs and join-up is amazing, we have a good connection :)

With his breeding he has high showy blood lines and im very keen to show him, but i wanted to keep him as a colt until he was 3 and hopefully be able to get him castrated and his seaman frozen if he had active sperm.
As he has a great colouring/temperament & bloodlines and cost me alot of money, what horse doesn't ? hhahaha :)

He will be kept with an agistment centre that specializes with stallions so its not like im on my own with making this happen, but he is my dream horse and i dont know if it the right choice, i have gone over this for the last 3 months and just unsure on what to do, so please if you've got anything to say please... im keen to hear :)

i guess i just wanted everyone's suggestions on this?

luktha
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed

My comment is that if you would like to breed with your horse, keep him a stallion. If you would like a trusted riding horse castrate him. Of course not all stallions are the same but you are planning on trailraiding many organisers of trail rides are not going to be happy to have stallion amongst mares and children at the ride.

Nadine
Hello!

Castration is always a tough decision. If you can seriously see yourself breeding him, I say keep him a stallion. But, if you fear he may not be the show-ring winner of your dreams, a gelding might be smarter and safer. If you can handle a stud, though...the decision is ultimately yours. :)
Good Luck!

Kicki -- Sweden
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed 350 lessons completed 400 lessons completed 450 lessons completed 500 lessons completed 550 lessons completed 600 lessons completed

Basically: If you're not going to breed him, castrate him!
Personally, I think it is unfair to keep stallions and stop them from acting on their natural instincts (=breeding), or - worse - let them breed once or twice and then never again.
.
That said, three years is as good any age as any to do castrate a young horse.
Mind you, they can be lovely to handle for any number of days/years, and then - completely out of the blue - the hormones strike, and you have a little monster on your hands.
.
I guess what I am trying to say is; by all means keep a deadline for his castration in the future, but be flexible and see what the future brings. If he gets difficult, it is kinder and safer to everyone to make it sooner rather than later.

lisakphi
Please upload your photo

Sounds like a beautiful animal that other people might like to breed to. I used to be very against leaving a male uncastrated. I felt like they were constantly secluded, unsocialized, which made them difficult to handle. However, a friend of mine turns his stallion out with a bred mare and it keeps him very happy and gentle. When he goes back to the trainer he is stalled next to geldings, and he behaves very well. However, some stallions are overly aggressive and I believe they should be castrated. I know if I were going to breed my mare I wouldn't want to breed her to an aggressive stallion no matter how good the blood lines or how he looks or moves. Temperament to me is the most important thing to look for in a stallion.