# Riding after gelding



## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

If he has no complications, ride him.
We gelded one older stud, and they usually will swell more, just because there is more to remove! In fact, many vets have a separate rate to geld older stallions, that have been used for breeding.
Anyway, we were going on a pack trip, so i wondered about exercise instructions to give our horse sitter
My vet told me to take that new gelding along, a day after being gelded. I rode him for a week, and he swelled just a tiny bit the first day, and then was fine-never got stiff , or had any complications, .
I trusted that vet;s advise, as he has also been not just an equine vet, but a life long horseman, who, even at age 75, trained and conditioned his running quarter horses,himself, that he bred


----------



## WhattaTroublemaker (Aug 13, 2013)

Smilie said:


> If he has no complications, ride him.
> We gelded one older stud, and they usually will swell more, just because there is more to remove! In fact, many vets have a separate rate to geld older stallions, that have been used for breeding.
> Anyway, we were going on a pack trip, so i wondered about exercise instructions to give our horse sitter
> My vet told me to take that new gelding along, a day after being gelded. I rode him for a week, and he swelled just a tiny bit the first day, and then was fine-never got stiff , or had any complications, .
> I trusted that vet;s advise, as he has also been not just an equine vet, but a life long horseman, who, even at age 75, trained and conditioned his running quarter horses,himself, that he bred


Oh wow! Trouble is still a bit stiff coming out of the barn in the morning, he drags his back feet- but after 20 minutes or so he loosens up. He should be fine walking to the store and back! It's a total of 6km, 3 there 3 back. I guess to a horse that's not very far.


----------



## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

Ride him, he'll be fine. My vet only wanted limited exercise for that first night after gelding and then start exercising the next morning.


----------



## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Riding him will help work the swelling out which will help take the stiffness away. He'll be fine.


----------



## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Our vet advises rest that day then leaving them out not stalled as well as working them in a round pen or on a lunge line twice a day. They advise caution for an older horse that is broke to ride (or drive) if you are riding as they may be sore enough to cause unexpected reactions if you are on their back.


----------



## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

_Ride him_, if not comfortable with riding him go for loooooong walks with him.
Movement helps the with the swelling in this case.
Reduced swelling helps him feel better....
No galloping or hard-works but a 20 minute walk under saddle or on a lead will help a lot with his discomfort.
If he is still draining, coat his hind legs {use caution in this area} with some Vaseline or equivalent product so any bloody residue washes or wipes away easily.
He will still be sore so be careful of his reaction to your being close to his incision site.
We did this till he stopped draining anything from that site..it also helped to keep the flies from biting that tender upper leg skin area... _do not_ touch his sheath or incision area but around/near with coating.

We always turned out on grass and started to do _easy rides/walks_ within a 12 hour time-frame of gelding...exercise, forced movement when they wanted to stand-still and mope cause "Mommy, I hurt".._.we know, we know!! _
We also _gently_ cold-hosed {weather permitting} for 24 -36 hours to help with the discomforts of swelling and the rinsing of residue off the skin that can cause irritation. 
By nine days post-op though hosing should not be needed anymore.

_Good luck with your boy...._
:runninghorse2:
_jmo..._


----------

