# The 'perfect' age to geld?



## oh vair oh (Mar 27, 2012)

As soon as possible.

I know some people let them keep their balls for a couple years to "fill out", but I always heard that if gelded early, the horse will actually grow taller than if they weren't. 

According to AQHA, gelding a horse early has fewer medical complications, reduces the chance of having studdy behavior, the typical "cresty neck", and "Colts gelded prior to puberty often grow taller than if they were left intact until after puberty. The testosterone surge at puberty (18-24 months) triggers closure of the growth (epiphyseal) plates in the long bones of the legs, and the horse stops growing taller. The theory is that colts gelded at less than 1 year of age do not experience the pubertal testosterone surge and that allows more long bone growth and extra height."


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## WesternRider88 (Oct 30, 2012)

That's not a stupid question.  I don't really know the perfect age but my neighbor told me the best time to geld them is 6-7 months old.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

As soon as both testicles have dropped. There's no _real_ reason to let them keep the boys any longer than that.


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## Skunkworks (Oct 22, 2012)

They may also seem to have more attitude the later you cut them. Both my geldings where studs until 5 or 6 and they both have the same highly opinionated attitudes.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Casper wasn't gelded until he was five, and right before I bought him. Studdy little ******, and he WILL mount and penetrate mares if they let him. :-x

JJ was obviously gelded young because he has no clue what girls are for, other than to chase away from his hay pile! :wink:

I MUCH prefer JJ's attitude to Casper's!


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## texasgal (Jul 25, 2008)

My friends used to laugh at me when my mare had colts .. because as soon as they drop and the first time they get attitude with me ... out comes the knife..

I don't think any of them made it too a year .. hehe

My current boys were both gelded 4 weeks before I bought them. One was two .. the other was three.


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## mudpie (Jul 15, 2011)

I know that geldings are often taller than stallions because they are gelded before their growth plates close, which sounds sketchy to me, but I can't say I've ever heard of or witnessed any negative side effects to the growth plates never closing!  No input on the age, just curious as well, and subbing.


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## enh817 (Jun 1, 2012)

I've known studs that were cut later in life and after about 6 months or so (once the testosterone levels out), behaved as if they'd been geldings their whole life. I've also know geldings that were cut before 6 months that behaved studly. It just depends on the horse's personality and handling. 

It's always a good time to turn a cruddy stud into a wonderful gelding. [although many people prefer not to do the procedure during warm weather, so they don't have to contend with flies bothering the incision]


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## nikelodeon79 (Mar 3, 2008)

My vet won't geld super small colts. We had him out to geld our Shetland ponies (yearling, weanling) this past fall. He said he felt the weanling was too small and recommended that we wait until spring.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Elizabeth Bowers (Jan 26, 2012)

oh vair oh said:


> As soon as possible.
> 
> I know some people let them keep their balls for a couple years to "fill out", but I always heard that if gelded early, the horse will actually grow taller than if they weren't.
> 
> According to AQHA, gelding a horse early has fewer medical complications, reduces the chance of having studdy behavior, the typical "cresty neck", and "Colts gelded prior to puberty often grow taller than if they were left intact until after puberty. The testosterone surge at puberty (18-24 months) triggers closure of the growth (epiphyseal) plates in the long bones of the legs, and the horse stops growing taller. The theory is that colts gelded at less than 1 year of age do not experience the pubertal testosterone surge and that allows more long bone growth and extra height."


I heard of that too, but in my appy geldings case, his dam was 15.3 and his sire was 15.2, and he gelded at one year is exactly 15hh. :shock: So i'm not too sure if thats true. Mean while my 2yo is still growing, he was gelded a few months ago. But i do agree with gelding as soon as possible to avoid the studdy/ignorant behavior.:wink:


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## Elizabeth Bowers (Jan 26, 2012)

enh817 said:


> I've known studs that were cut later in life and after about 6 months or so (once the testosterone levels out), behaved as if they'd been geldings their whole life. I've also know geldings that were cut before 6 months that behaved studly. It just depends on the horse's personality and handling.
> 
> It's always a good time to turn a cruddy stud into a wonderful gelding. [although many people prefer not to do the procedure during warm weather, so they don't have to contend with flies bothering the incision]


I'm going to agree. And i be it is. :wink:


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## Elizabeth Bowers (Jan 26, 2012)

Speed Racer said:


> Casper wasn't gelded until he was five, and right before I bought him. Studdy little ******, and* he WILL mount and penetrate mares if they let him.* :-x
> 
> JJ was obviously gelded young because he has no clue what girls are for, other than to chase away from his hay pile! :wink:
> 
> I MUCH prefer JJ's attitude to Casper's!


So does my appy gelding, even though he was NEVER around mares before!!! I was freaking out, and wondered about if he was gelded late or not, so i interrogated my mother about him. He had NEVER EVER displayed that kind of behavior before. :shock: :lol:


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## dbarabians (May 21, 2011)

I usually wait until at least 2.
i have not seen any of the horses gelded after that not grow to a good height .
it makes sense that they will grow a little more if gelded before puberty,
I wait to geld for 2 reasons. 
All the colts are for sale the day they are born and if their future owner wants a gelding then they can pay for it.
If they want a stallion and the colt is correct the decision is their to make. The price is the same for me either way. Shalom


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## GoGoJoeGranny (Dec 15, 2012)

Hope you don't mind me asking here... I have a mini, he is approximately 6. He's a stallion, never been bred (to my knowledge), I purchased him for my two year old's birthday. He acts, most of the time, like a big lost dog. The only time he catches an attitude is when you feed him, he pins his ears and will kick at everything. He's been slightly stubborn about training, but he's so small it's easy to curb it.
Anyway, my question is, I am getting him gelded next Monday. Everyone told me if he was for a child to definitely do it. Is he too old for gelding him to keep him quiet? Like I said he's like a dog anyway, I mean my daughter brings him in the house sometimes and he just walks around lol But is gelding him going to change anything at this point? 
He's the only horse here so no chance of sniffing a mare. Thanks for everyone's input in advance


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

mudpie said:


> I know that geldings are often taller than stallions because they are gelded before their growth plates close, which sounds sketchy to me, but I can't say I've ever heard of or witnessed any negative side effects to the growth plates never closing!  No input on the age, just curious as well, and subbing.


Studies have found that the influx of testosterone when an animal reaches puberty is a trigger for growth plates to start closing. By removing that trigger at least, it allows the horse to continue growing. It may only be a few centimeters, but it's still different lol.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Both the colts that I raised were gelded at around a year old. My Mustang was gelded as a 3 year old and, while he doesn't show any studdy behavior under saddle or around people, he is definitely the herd leader.


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## paintedpastures (Jun 21, 2011)

Almost all my colts were gelded as yearlings:wink:. I did have a stud I gelded at 5. Best ever age I gelded was at 4mths.Healed fast,no worrying about ensuring the colts being separate from the mares,no waiting through the mud of spring waiting till the weather was good etc.I would definitely do them as a weanling again! As for the gelding early & having them grow more,if my guy is any example I would say there is truth to that,he far exceeded the growth I expected from him.He was actually a little fart as a foal.His dam was 15.1hh sire 15hh I hoped he's make the 15hh. Well to my surprise he is now between 15.3-16hh & big bodied boy. Actually my avatar pic is him as weanling age he would have been gelded:lol:.


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## nikelodeon79 (Mar 3, 2008)

GoGoJoeGranny said:


> Hope you don't mind me asking here... I have a mini, he is approximately 6. He's a stallion, never been bred (to my knowledge), I purchased him for my two year old's birthday. He acts, most of the time, like a big lost dog. The only time he catches an attitude is when you feed him, he pins his ears and will kick at everything. He's been slightly stubborn about training, but he's so small it's easy to curb it.
> Anyway, my question is, I am getting him gelded next Monday. Everyone told me if he was for a child to definitely do it. Is he too old for gelding him to keep him quiet? Like I said he's like a dog anyway, I mean my daughter brings him in the house sometimes and he just walks around lol But is gelding him going to change anything at this point?
> He's the only horse here so no chance of sniffing a mare. Thanks for everyone's input in advance


My Arab calmed WAY down and he was gelded at age 17.

Definitely geld him.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Elizabeth Bowers (Jan 26, 2012)

Thanks everyone!! Surprisingly my colt is still growing. I'm hoping he gets close to 15.3, too much taller and i'm going to need a step ladder to get on LOL :wink:


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

My perfect age to geld, as soon as they have dropped, and the weather is correct. Last group I had done two were darn near yearlings, and one was 3 months old. The older two I wanted done at the same time, to save a vets call out fee, and one wasn't dropped by the fall, and I didn't want them done in the winter up here.


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## mudpie (Jul 15, 2011)

Chiilaa said:


> Studies have found that the influx of testosterone when an animal reaches puberty is a trigger for growth plates to start closing. By removing that trigger at least, it allows the horse to continue growing. It may only be a few centimeters, but it's still different lol.


Oh I don't doubt that they grow taller, it's just that preventing the growth plates from closing by gelding before they do seems a little sketchy. But, like I said, so many horses are gelded like this, and I haven't seen any problems before, so it must be fine.  Just a silly thought.


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

It is easier to geld early. I usually have mine cut just before they are weaned so they can get over it whilst still on their dams *BUT* it is a fact that once cut the testosterone leaves their system and it is this that tells the growth plates when to stop growing, so, horses and dogs that are cut before puberty do grow taller. (Way back when young men were castrated as boys to maintain their higher toned voices, for opera they always grew a lot taller) 

As for geldings covering mares this does not mean they were cut late it is something that I believe the mares seduce them into doing!


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## Eolith (Sep 30, 2007)

mudpie said:


> Oh I don't doubt that they grow taller, it's just that preventing the growth plates from closing by gelding before they do seems a little sketchy. But, like I said, so many horses are gelded like this, and I haven't seen any problems before, so it must be fine.  Just a silly thought.


Just to clarify, it's not that the growth plates never close... they just close later than they would if the horse were still a stud.


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

There is more than one source of testosterone in horses. How much those other sources produce after gelding determines how studly geldings behave.


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## Reckyroo (Feb 5, 2013)

I was advised to geld at about 6 months, before we wean the foal (if it's a colt - it hasn't arrived) so that baby still has the comfort of feeding off mum whilst recovering.


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