Does Gelding Improve Behavior?

Stallions are very dominant by nature, and full ofdevelop the mating related behaviors of the
energy. Nipping, rearing, prancing, calling and otherstallion. He will end up taller by up to 10cm or 4
high jinx and horsing around are normal behavior.inches than if he were left entire. The younger a
Geldings are generally more placidcolt is gelded the more likely he is to end up with
&predictable and much easier to handle andfiner features, less muscle mass and a thinner
this is why many male horses are gelded. Theneck than as a stallion. Furthermore, the younger
gelding tends to be more suitable for a widera colt is gelded, the easier he may be to handle
range of today's equine activities than the stallion.and if gelded very young the incision required is
Although the stallion's extra testosterone enablesvery small and can be sutured closed and very
him to perform with more muscle definition,little scarring results.
energy and flashiness, it also tends to distract himFor horses gelded late, or after puberty, there is
from the task at hand with mating and defenceno way to 'turn back time' and remove any
impulses. In times past, only stallions werestallion-like body shape or mating related behavior.
considered suitable for real riders. That is, ridersAnd if he has learned he can get his way with
that went to war on horseback, where it waspeople by being aggressive, gelding will not cause
important that the horse would join in the battlehim to unlearn this, only retraining will.
with hoofs and teeth. Enough said!When to geld depends on the horse in question.
While your colt is little and cute, it can be temptingYoung colts that become obsessed with mares or
to want to keep him entire. It's when he hastheir privates, or who start to develop the cresty,
turned into a full blown display of horsethick stallion neck are better to be geldedsooner.
testosterone with special handling and housingSome colts will show very little interest in mares
requirements that castration looks attractive. Theand no muscular thickening and can be left
reality is that only the very best horses should be(behavior notwithstanding) until older if so wished.
kept entire for breeding. If you are worried aboutAfter the operation, it will take some time for
the procedure, be reassured that gelding is theyour colt to forget what he was. It can take a
most common surgical procedure performed onmonth. It can even take 6 months. When his
horses.testosterone levels drop, so will his stallion-like
So how will castration affect your colts behavior?behavior. His metabolism will slow down and he will
That depends on how old he is and what he hasrequire less food and more exercise to maintain
already learned. Gelding a colt will remove thecondition.
underlying drives for unwanted behaviors but it willAfter gelding, some horses will retain all of the
probably not stop these behaviors if thesemating behaviors. These are known as 'proud cut'.
undesirable habits have already formed. Once badWhile it used to be thought that this was due to a
manners have become established, it is a matterfailed surgery, todays surgical skill levelsuggests
of re-training. Clearly it is much easier to geldthat other factors are at work. It may be that
before your colt starts acting out than after.the adrenal gland (near the kidney) is producing
A horse goes through puberty between 18 andexcess testosterone. It may be that gelding
24 months. There is a difference in how your colthappened well after the mating behaviorsbecame
will develop which depends on when he is gelded.established. Other bad horse-human manners are
A colt gelded before puberty is much less likely tothe result of bad training.