Re: [RC] The Gelding Project - MN - Sisu West Ranch
"...And making stallions into geldings will have very little
effect on the production of horses..."
I'm not so sure. I know of at least one horse
(probably loved and cared for now, the mare owner was not going for a sale) that
is the result of an indifferent mare crossed on a stallion that should never
breed anything. The cross was made because, "He is right down the road,
and the stud fee is only (I can't remember probably less than
$100)..."
In this case, if the only stallions available were great,
and therefore commanded high stud fees, the mare would never have been
bred. (The mare owner doesn't have much money, and is terminally
cheap.)
When you carefully read the original post, you see that
this is aimed at the folk who purchase a colt, because he is cheap ( probably
the reason he is still a stallion), and know little or nothing about horses,
shots, training, gelding etc. The hope is that they will geld the animal,
and learn from the required education.
I don't see how this can hurt. It certainly will not
increase the number of unwanted or not properly cared for horses.
Ignorance can be a problem even in western horse
country. We have a couple of horses down the road that are basically
ignored. We suspect that the owners received them
as payment for supplying pasture for a few mules, not because they wanted to use
them for any horse activity. Another example,our farrier just trimmed a
couple of mini horses that had never been handled, let alone trained to have
feet worked on. I'll bet they have never had any shots or vet
care.
Ed
Ed & Wendy Hauser 2994 Mittower
Road Victor, MT 59875
