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RE: [RC] Questiions about Gelding a Colt - Vicki WeiperAny age from 5 to 12 months is appropriate for gelding. As a matter of fact, several studies have proven that gelding early can promote greater size/height. This is because a horse continues to grow until the epiphyseal plates of the leg bones fuse together, which is affected by hormones. Thus, gelding (and, of course, drastically affecting hormones) may delay the closure of the plates. Another medical reason for gelding early is that the veins leading to the area are still small, thus less bleeding should occur and healing can be quicker. Also, gelding a horse early can help him develop a lighter neck and less heavy muscling in the shoulder and hindquarter, making him even more suited to an endurance career. Hope this helps your case. Vicki Eagle Knoll Ranch Talihina, OK -----Original Message----- From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Beth Bennett Sent: Monday, September 20, 2004 10:04 AM To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [RC] Questiions about Gelding a Colt Hi all, My very first foal (colt) is 5 months old now and I am starting to think about thinking about gelding or not gelding. My husband (who has NEVER neutered anything he owns) thinks that I need to wait a few years to geld him. I have heard from several people that I should get it done between 6 months and a year, which seems logical to me if we're going to do it, especially since we don't really have the facility to house a stallion and I have no intention of getting rid of my mare (his mother). I need some good concrete reasons to use to support my argument that if we're going to geld we should do it early. If my thinking is skewed I welcome all opinions, especially from any vets. The big question is . . . do we really want to geld at all? He is a very VERY nice little colt out of a very high quality mare and LS Zane Grey. He is the only non-gelded son of Zane's on the ground right now according to Kathy Thompson, as they gelded Bobby. I do see some benefits to keeping him intact -- that is IF he keeps what appears to be an increadible mind about him AND we campaign him correctly. I am personally more interested in just enjoying my next endurance horse than in breeding him. I have also heard that once they become sexually mature that their bodies work extra hard on building the reproductive structures than they do on other important things such as bone density, etc. Is this true?? I am a heavyweight rider and want all of that I can get. Again, I am totally inexperienced here and would REALLY appreciate some words of wisdom either way about this issue. Thanks in advance. Beth Bennett Chickamauga, GA _________________________________________________________________ Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! Download today - it's FREE! hthttp://messenger.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200471ave/direct/01/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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