# Stud Colt Behavior



## Horsegal16 (Oct 2, 2009)

I have two stud colts who will be two years old this spring and who I have yet to get gelded (obviously). I hope to geld them this March or when the weather warms up out of the negatives. (Also, any advice as when any of you think it's a good time of year to geld would be greatly appreciated.) However, my older colt as realized that the neighbor has mares. (I have mares as well, but he doesn't give a crap about them for some reason.) Just the other day, he started standing at the back of the pasture (He can't see them, but I guess he can smell them) hollering to them. No one answers back but that doesn't deter him. He kept us up for several hours last night making a ruckus. 
So . . . until I get them gelded, go you guys have any suggestions? Should I keep him out of the back pasture? (Because he doesn't seem so eager to get over there that he is willing to break the fence down). Should I try rubbing something on his muzzle so he can't smell them? Or give him more hay so that he is distracted? (Cuz, once he sees me coming, he leaves the back corner, shuts up and eats). Thanks!


----------



## BlueSpark (Feb 22, 2012)

geld them now. The freezing temps keep things bug and mud free. The biggest concern with gelding(and any surgery) is keeping the incision sight clean to avoid infection. Mud and bugs make that virtually impossible. If I had to rank the seasons as too which are best for gelding, I would say, in order, late fall, winter, summer, spring. Spring, full of mud and bugs, is by far the worst season to geld.

otherwise keep him as far away from the other mares pasture as your property allows.


----------



## Drifting (Oct 26, 2011)

I'm with BlueSpark, geld them now. I gelded my weanling in December.

My Barn owner swears by the moon cycle, you can google "best times to geld horses" it's listed in the Farmers almanac somewhere. They're suppose to bleed less, but I don't have any scientific data to back it up.

I gelded one in December and one in August. The flies and heat were terrible in August, I'd do it in the winter again if I ever needed to. Though you may wish to have a cooler on hand if its really cold, when they wake up from the sedative they can be slick with sweat.


----------



## Kayella (Feb 11, 2012)

I'd geld now. The cool temps reduces swelling and no bugs is a God send. I gelded my boy last January the second he dropped(the terms of me boarding him there as they don't allow stallions, but he was on stall rest after his accident and yet to drop so he was a special case.) His recovery went very smoothly and it was warm enough for me to cold hose him every day thanks to Texas weather. 

Drifting, I should have found said almanac. Henny bled so long afterwards they kept him overnight for observation. :/
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Drifting (Oct 26, 2011)

Niether of mine bled very much, and the ones my BO does don't bleed much either. So who knows!


----------



## Kayella (Feb 11, 2012)

Henry just knows how to spend more money LOL. Or he missed my vets(he absolutely loves them even though they stick him with needles and emptied his coin purse hehe) and wanted another sleepover. :lol:
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Drifting (Oct 26, 2011)

Oh I know exactly how you feel Kay. EXACTLY HOW YOU FEEL.

My vet actually told me "Well, he's accident prone.. but at least he heals quickly?"


----------



## Ace80908 (Apr 21, 2011)

I just gelded mine three weeks ago - he was running around back to normal within a week. I agree with the others - now is the best time - cold weather, no bugs - and more importantly - before he decides to go through the fence.


----------



## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

I would wait until it was _slightly_ warmer (not negatives), but the colder the better! This for anything messy and potentially dangerous... surgery, wounds, birth. Stuff is just cleaner when it's colder and less germy, no bugs too.


----------



## Horsegal16 (Oct 2, 2009)

Well, I put up a fence to keep him out of the back pasture at night and we are now going into our fourth day and night of complete silence out of him!


----------



## KatieQ (Apr 4, 2011)

My vet recommended early spring, before the bugs come out. The anaesthetic used to put them under lowers their body temp. so if it is too cold out it can be dangerous, unless you have a heated barn to do it in.


----------



## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Geld both of them now. Today would be good. Until you can actually make the appointment, if you need to you can stick Vicks in the colts nostrils to block the mare smell out. I wouldn't do it everyday or they might get used to it and it not be so effective, but if he starts hollering and fussing, that's a good time to give him some inhalation therapy.


----------

