Castrating Your Colt WHEN TO DO THE DEED By Patti Schofler T
he Scythians, Iranian nomads inhabiting central Eurasian Steppes from the ninth century BC until the fourth century AD, are said to be the first to geld their
male war horses—not a pleasant thought considering the standards of medical procedures in that era. Today, however, the surgery is fairly routine, and colts can be gelded at any age, from day one to old age. Carrying out the surgery at either end of the age spec- trum is usually done because of an emergency. If the colt is not a stallion prospect, the age to geld preferred by many breeders and veterinarians is around one year, though the ideal time will depend on the colt’s physical and mental development as well as the facility and the climate where he lives.
PHYSICAL FACTORS The scientific name for gelding or castration is orchidectomy (“orchid” meaning testicle and “ectomy” meaning remove or resect). When all goes smoothly, the testicles, the major source of the male hormone testosterone, descend from the abdomen to the scrotum around birth and are smaller at a young age, making them easier to remove with less chance of severe post-operative bleeding. In addition, while some wait for a colt to show his poten-
tial as a breeding stallion, others prefer to wait to geld until the horse begins to develop masculine characteristics, including additional muscle development and strength, from the testosterone. “I’m generally eager to geld anything unless it is amazing because the life of a stallion isn’t fun for a horse,” says Cheryl Holekamp of New Spring Farm in Columbia, Missouri. “And I don’t like to ride stallions. No matter how good they are, you’re always on duty because you never know what’s going to set them off. I’m always quick to geld. My husband has been slow. Maybe he identifies with the process,” she jokes. Though Walkabout Station’s breeding operation in
Willis, Texas, has bred two stallions that now stand at stud (Rhapasario in Germany and Harbourside in Canada), it was not Jan and Gary Marquardt’s decision not to geld them. “They were bought as babies. If they would have stayed here, we would have gelded them. If a horse is born with testicles here, he’s for sale or gelded at one year on our ranch,” says Jan. She traditionally gelds at one. “We feel they require
a certain amount of testosterone to have proper muscle development. Some people geld at nursing. That’s not our philosophy.”
All photos are courtesy Jan Marquardt
Waiting too long can actually mean the mature horse will be smaller than he would have been if he were gelded earlier. Studies have shown that testosterone causes the growth plates in the cannon and other long bones to close earlier than they would in a gelding. Once they close, they seal, stopping further growth. As a result, horses gelded before puberty will grow half to three-quarters of an inch taller than if they were not. Some colts show premature signs of excess bulk such as
a cresty neck. Or they “may develop an obsession with their penises and may devise various means of masturbation
The photos in this article show the castration of two colts bred by Jan and Gary Marquardt of Walkabout Station. ABOVE is the bay colt Finnegan WS (Freestyle x EM Wakaluba/Warkant/Hohenstein) owned by Lindsay Leonard. Here he is a year old and getting ready to be gelded and is prepped for procedure.
Warmbloods Today 53
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