Why are most horses taking part in the equestrian jumping event castrated?

Question

Why are most horses taking part in the equestrian jumping event castrated?

Answer 1

because when they have their balls they are a bit tougher to handle and they would not be 100% concentrated on their training, they would be looking for the fillies.

Answer 2

Stallions can be more hassle to keep, and if they're not to be bred, there's no point keeping them a stallion.

However, I must disagree with the poster who said they have to be kept isolated because they're regularly aggressive - some stallions may be, but a LOT of stallions are aggressive *because* they've been kept isolated. It's a terrible life for a stallion who is kept isolated except for breeding, horses are herd animals and need interaction with other horses.

My stallion is nearly 7 years old and he *adores* my geldings, there's no aggression at all. In fact he is the friendliest of my horses - the others all boss each other around too much! It's not that he is an exception to the rule, either, there's a man up the road whose stallion is even quieter with other horses than mine is, and loads of other people keep and ride their stallions with other horses with no problem.

That said, yes, there are extra precautions that have to be taken when keeping a stallion, it is far easier overall to have geldings. Especially if you're travelling all over to jumping competitions - a gelding is less likely to be distracted by a mare in season and have his mind on what he's supposed to be doing - which is the answer to your question.

Answer 3

99% of the time horses with their balls are called stallions.  If the stallions are not the best quality to reproduce they are gelded (Horsey term for castrated) and then used for said equestrian sport.  That is because stallions cost a lot of money in a facility because they have to be isolated form other horses because they are regularly aggressive.  

Answer 4

I was actually surprised at how many were stallions, but I guess it makes sense... they're the best jumpers so they'll be able to reproduce and make more jumpers.

Everyone's covered the answer well, but I'll add to it.

Stallions are a little more unpredictible than geldings and mares.  Stallions tend to be aggressive toward other horses, they're affected by their hormones, they can be distracted from their training if they catch the scent of a mare.  When you geld a horse, it usually calms them down a bit and makes them focus.  You usually don't have to worry about your horse being distracted by the presence of a mare.  Geldings will focus easier so that you can train them easier.

Also, in the barn, you have to keep stallions separate from every other horse.  Stallions will fight with other stallions, they'll chase the mares which will either cause fights or unwanted babies.  So you have to turn out the stallions separately, one at a time.

So there's a lot of hassle with keeping a stallion intact.  However... top of the line jumpers will get big stud fees to make more top of the line jumpers.  The horses in the jumping competition were bred for jumping... it's not like they were racehorses who were later re-trained to jump.  Most of the show jumping horses are warmbloods whose parents were good jumpers and they were specifically bred to make a jumper.  Just like in horse racing, a stallion can charge a big stud fee if it was very talented.  So if you have a horse with a lot of talent, it's beneficial (financially) to keep the horse intact so that it has a future in the breeding shed.

Answer 5

They majoirty are actually mares. Geldings are more practical. And big events, ie olympics, do not jump higher than 4ft which is not very high at all. So these horses are not as special as everyone thinks. On top of it consider this

-Stallions are hard to handle. They can get distracted from their job easily.

-If a stallion accidently gets in with a mare that means millions in damages. Cross breeding is often frowned upon and lessens the vaule of the broodmare. Does the owner want that?

-Not all stables will except a stallion or make you pay more for having it.... A lot more.

So mares are the best bet for reproduction. Also unlike the racing industry a good jumping father or mother does not mean a good jumping baby. Skill varies and bloodlines rarely matter. Also the riders whom are riding these horse often have more than one mount. It is merely the horse they choose that they think they can win with. They could have a stallion but they do not choose it because the conditions are not ideal for that combo.