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Re: [RC] Early Gelding - heidiI recently heard that Dr. Miller (of the imprint training fame) has been gelding colts 2-3 days after birth before their testicles go back inside their bodies. Apparently, it's much easier on their systems and they heal up significantly faster. It's also better for their well-being as they never seem to miss what they didn't know they have. There are other scientific reasons too involving hormone generation and bone growth, but it's too late for me to dredge that up. A google search should produce the paper that he published a couple years ago on the subject. He's not alone in doing so. I have gelded colts as young as three days, and had one breeder in my practice who routinely had me geld all of his colts at a week or under, once he learned that I was happy to do so. Many colts never do have the testicles go back up--and my two largest breeder clients (raising halter APHAs and QHs) routinely had their colts done at about 2-3 months of age. They recover SO much more quickly--mama just stands over them as if they are napping, and they get right up afterward and go find a nipple, and never look back. It is safer for both horses and humans to geld at that age. The bone growth information you are looking for has to do with the closure time of epiphseal plates. Testosterone causes early closure, hence stopping growth. Early gelding allows the plates to continue to generate long bone growth for something like 4-6 months longer, for all those folks interested in bigger riding horses. And I don't think RMM is the only one who has published on the subject--there have been controlled studies backing up what folks like RMM have noted in practice. Heidi =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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