In our Ask the Vet column, Dr. Lydia Gray answers your horse-health questions at HorseChannel.com/AskTheVet.
Q: What is the best age to geld a stallion? is it better to do it before starting them under saddle?
A: This is one of those questions that has no right or wrong answer but has more to do with personal preference, although there are some medical considerations. First, some facts:
Armed with this information, an owner can work with their veterinarian to schedule castration at a time that is both convenient for the farm, training schedules, and season as well as in the best interest of the health and well-being of the animal. As soon as you know that you are not going to keep your colt to breed, there is no reason to wait until he demonstrates stallion-like behavior or becomes aggressive or hard to manage. That’s one reason why the most popular age range for gelding horses is between six and twelve months or before one year of age.
On the other hand, some owners prefer their male horses to have a more masculine appearance such as a thicker neck and heavier build, and therefore may wait until the colt is two or even three years old and under the influence of testosterone. The bottom line is that as long as you can safely handle and house your colt, the decision of when to geld him is up to you, as long as it is understood that, even though testosterone will be out of his system in 4-6 weeks, some male behavior may persist if it was exhibited before castration (i.e. gelding an adult stallion removes the cells that make sperm and testosterone but it does not necessarily remove learned behavior).
Since it is important that colts who undergo an open castration actively move about to keep the incision open and draining, preventing swelling and infection, based on the age of the horse some owners and trainers choose to start training shortly after the surgery. Round pen work, lunging, and ground-driving all get the legs moving! Your vet will give you specific instructions for how to care for your colt after castration, and when you’re going through them together would be a great time to ask what he or she thinks about starting your horse under saddle. Good luck with your boy!
Dr. Lydia Gray is the Medical Director and Staff Veterinarian for SmartPak Equine in Plymouth, MA, where she directs the research and development of products and provides horse health and nutrition education to a wide variety of audiences. Dr. Gray’s work has appeared in more than a dozen general and trade publications and she speaks frequently around the country. She is the proud owner of a Trakehner gelding named “Newman” that she competes in dressage and combined driving.
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