ridecamp@endurance.net: Re: ridecamp-d Digest V97 #339

Re: ridecamp-d Digest V97 #339

Ann Marie Olson (annolson@vnet.net)
Fri, 16 May 1997 18:55:14 -0800

Sandy,

>Why do you prefer males? Why would the horses you have seen not be
appropriate to geld. We have always felt that something in the area of 95% of
colts should be gelded. <

I prefer males because I usually don't get along with mares personality-
wise. Most of the mares I have dealt with were fussier, and less
attached to their rider. (That and if you breed them, then you don't
have a horse to ride for at least 2-3 months out of the year, and then
you have to be able to sell the foal or raise it more cheaply than you
can buy a horse)

I agree with you very strongly on the fact that at -least- 95% or so of
colts should be gelded, in most breeds. (In Arabs I think it should
probably be closer to 99.5% just because there are so many of them) But
I am mostly looking at Shagyas and Akhal Tekes, and with both of those
breeds, but particularly Tekes, maintaining genetic diversity and
bloodlines becomes an issue of whether or not to geld. For example, the
colt is a good functional animal -and- there are less than 5 other
breedable representatives of his bloodline, then I would probably not
geld him. If there were 500+ examples of his bloodline then I definately
would. The problem of rarity, to me at least, also implies a responsibility
to not make an even better gelding out of a good stallion.

Ann

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