Should i have my colt gelded now, or is it too soon?

Question

I have a colt who is 1&1/2 years old. He will turn 2 in February.

Tomorrow the vet is coming out (for numerous reasons) and she is available to cut my colt tomorrow.

Do you think it is too early to have him cut? he has already filled out fairly nicely, and he mounts EVERYTHING. so what do you think i should do?

Also, is there any kind of preperation i should do before the vet get there? what should i get from the feed/tack store, and what should i have on hand.

Anything is very helpful,

Thanks!

Answer 1

As long as both testicles have dropped its never too early to geld in my opinion.  My colt is 3.5months and as soon as his second t******e drops, I will be on the phone to make his appointment.

Answer 2

If we are not going to breed our stud colts we geld them before they are a year old.  Gelding them this early has not caused any problems with stunting their growth and makes them much easier to handle as they get older.

Answer 3

Geld your stud ASAP!!!!!!! trust me, you wil be much safer in the long run!!!! GOOD LUCKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 4

I geld my colts before they are one and avoid all the problems with having them studdy acting.  They still mature nicely and aren't small, studies have proven that horses actually grow 1/2 inch taller when gelded than if left as stallions (testosterone causes growth to end sooner)

You will have less training problems and it will be easier to keep your young horse with others if he's gelded soon.

What do you need for the vet when he gelds him?  Nothing.  A pail or two of warm water.  A nice clean grassy patch to lay him down on.  He should be well halter broke and easy to handle ideally, but you won't solve that problem in one day if he isn't already trained!  The vet will bring everything else as long as you let him know he will be gelding a horse when he's at your place - he'll need to know before he comes so he has the medications, cleaning supplies, clamps, etc.

Also, I would purchase some fly spray that's safe for wounds since he'll have a few days of oozing, and the flies can really drive them crazy.  Keep him in a good large area so he'll keep moving around, if they stand around they tend to swell more.  If possible keep him on grass so the wound won't get dirty so easily.  (I like to geld them in early winter to avoid the dirt, but there's pros and cons to every time of the year.)

Good luck.  You and your horse will both be happy in the long run that he's gelded and can live a nice, full life with other horses.

Answer 5

Have him gelded now or at least by the time he is three. It is NEVER to late.

Answer 6

anytime is perfect it is just that if you wait to long like when they are up there in age they still have the stud attitude. But i would have the vet do it he will still have testosterone in his system for 30 days after the geld so still keep him separate unless if you want more colts or fillies and also keep him flysprayed to that the bugs do not get up and in the wound cause it is an open wound they do nto stitch it up..good luck and watch it is a pretty cool thing to see

Answer 7

No it's definitely not to early. My riding instructor got her colt gelded at 6 months and he's fine. You can get them gelded as soon as both of their t******e "fall". Most people get them gelded before a year and a half so your gelding him later that people usually do but that's NOT a problem at all. Ask the vet before they come tommorrow what you should have with you and run to the tack shop and get it before she comes. More than likely there's nothing you need because the vet would probably tell you about it but ask her just in case.  

Answer 8

NO it's not too late!

Mine was gelded at 4 months.  Technically you can geld as soon as both testicles drop.  Really, the sooner the better.  Doesn't give the testosterone a chance to kick in, and it's healthier for them to be cut younger because the blood vessels in that area aren't as large and they tend not to bleed as much.

The best thing you can do is to let him be in a place where he will/can move around.  Standing in a stall is BAD as it causes the sheath to swell and it won't drain well enough, which can lead to infection.  Hosing it off for a few days with cool water will help with any swelling (and btw, it will swell no matter where  he is kept, it just won't swell as much if he's able to move around...I saw a colt once who was gelded and kept in a stall, and his poor sheath swelled so much it looked like he had a cantelope in there!)

Really that's all you need to do.  Just keep an eye on it.  If you want, you could have some betadine just to help ward off infection, but you shouldn't need it.  Plus, betadine (or even iodine) will probably dry out the incision too much and might irritate it.  You want it to drain and heal from the inside out.  If flies are a problem in your area, ask your vet about the best way to keep them from bothering him.  Fly spray is probably a bad idea as it will irritate the area and will likely burn when applied because of the incision being fresh.  Ideally, it would be good to have like an indoor arena or something to keep him in for a few days.  It would allow him to move around but keep him out of the flies.

ETA: I wanted to add, if he's out and not moving much (which he might not want to as he will be a bit sore), then make an effort to hand walk him for a good 20 minutes-half hour.  Sometimes even if they are outside they won't want to move, which isn't good.  If they are in a grassy place, they will be more likely to move as they will be grazing (constantly moving).  Otherwise, make sure he's moving around, even if you have to make him do it yourself.

Answer 9

Technically Its not to late. but in my opinion it is, i have our colts gelded at about 8 months. the sooner you do it, the less they realize their abilities. honestly, colts have more s*x drive than teenage boys! im being totally serious, i personally think asap is the best way to go, unless they have anysort of possible carrer as a stud, they earlier the bettter, and it doesnt affect the colts maturity(filling out) and mental maturity, it is the best thing for them, they never realize that they have that much testosterone, so its all good, good luck, you may want some bute for afterwards, just dont keep him locked up 24/7 in a stall, walk him 2 times a day for 10 minutes at least, so he can stretch, and his sheath can drain, otherwise infection can set in

Answer 10

I have found vets to be very partial to their own philosophies on cutting colts.  I have used one very knowledgeable one who will cut them as soon as they have dropped, even if that is a month old.  She cut several for me when they were well under a year old and we never had a complication.  A reputable breeder in my area has an equally competent vet who won't cut one till it is 2 years old, "to give the reproductive system time to mature."  The first vet's take on that - What's to mature?  He's never going to use his equipment!  Whichever makes more sense to you, but if he is already getting studdy, the sooner the better.  Save yourself the extra farm call fee later, since you obviously trust her to have good judgment or you would be using a different vet.  She will have whatever you need on the truck, but generally the prescription for aftercare is keep him moving around to reduce the swelling, and maybe bute if he is terribly miserable (which is not very likely.)

Answer 11

If anything, I think you waited a bit long. Stallion behavior is hormone driven, but the longer it goes on, the more it becomes a learned behavior also - in other words, if junior acts like an idiot long enough, having him gelded won't make much of a dent in his behavior.