advice re gelding at older ages

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bramblesmum

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I am seriously thinking of booking Tommy in to be castrated as this spring his hormones are getting to him however I want to fully decide when I know all the facts please don't let this thread devolve into a stallion.bashing one I just need to.know what risks and if it will work not should I shouldn't I with no constructive advice

Can anyone share their experiences good or bad?
Would it reduce his value?
Would it likely sort the problem as in the winter he's a superstar

I can book him in for next week and would like to do asap as due to behaviour he's only allowed in the school not what I want for him
 
I don't know the back story, but I had one on trial at work that was gelded 6 weeks previously, at 9 years old.

He was the sweetest horse, sadly failed the vet with something in his eye :-(

As he was on trial we did not turn out with others, but he was worth more to us gelded than not, and if he had passed the vet I would have been happy to introduce him to the others, with care. Apart from not quite having settled down "down there" he was not at all stallion like. However, he was apparently also lovely before the operation, a BS showjumper. He was only cut to sell, as the market was bigger.
 
My boy normally is the sweetest fellow just this spring g has hyped up and is just bolshy but because.of it is having to stay stabled as has gone through the fence to join others is friendly enough when there with them though did try mounting one of the geldings lol he's ten and covered a lot before I had him and this is his third season off covering it's just to allow him to go out and not stress he's loosing weight where he's fretting about mares this is all very unlike him
 
You should talk to your vet about the risks but I don't think they are any greater than doing a weanling. I usually find their temperament settles down within a couple months and the best thing you can do after the initial couple months is turn them out with some dominant geldings so they learn some herd dynamics and manners with other horses then slowly introduce mares through a stable grill overnight etc.
 
It will up his value - he has far more options open to him as a gelding. Not just for competing but it will improve his lifestyle once he is able to be turned out with others.
 
As minesadouble has said, he will be more valuable , have a more varied life , and make life easier for him and yourself. Having stood stallions , both lovely to handle, I can say life has been much less hassle without them! As for making any money from standing a stallion , or breeding , forget it! [unless you are Paul Schokemohle] I have known stallions cut up to the age of 12 - without problems , or rather no greater risk than for a foal/yearling. An experienced vet will talk you through the options.
 
My horse was evented as a stallion but gelded as a 6 year old when the stud decided he wasn't going to make a top class eventer as he was a careless show jumper. I understand he had covered some mares. He was gelded and sold, his temperament and behaviour both to handle and ride is superb but I think he was lovely as a stallion too. He is fine with other horses, is turned out with geldings, I don't know how he'd be with mares but I think he'd be OK. However, because he wasn't turned out with lots of other horses as a youngster he does get a bit nervous of other horses cantering towards him in a warm up arena but that's the only issue I have with him. He was worth more as a gelding than a stallion and had a wider potential market.
 
physically the risks are not that much greater-he will need to go in to be done, not dropped in the field, and he will bleed and swell more but nothing awful.

behaviour wise he may never act like a proper gelding. He WILL settle to some degree but may still be possessive of mares,vocal etc.

However if no mares on the yard i wouldnt worry, he should settle, stop mounting and relax in to bachelor life :)
 
Years ago, I bought a 16 year old ex-stud stallion who had been cut at 10. He was by then being sold as a PC pony & was utterly fabulous, immaculate manners, could ride & lead, & travel with a mare. I was a young teenager at the time & had just had my confidence shattered. I'd never have bought a stallion, but he was worth every penny as a been there/done that & now gelding. (He'd been out on the PC & BSJA circuit as a stallion long before I had him). BUT he could never turn out with mares & it took until he was 28 to be able to keep him in a field post and rail fenced, backed up with mains electric, with mares next door. I still wouldn't've trusted him without d*** good fencing at 30+. Pretty sure he mostly ran with his mares when he was intact!
 
Who are you planning on selling to? Many liveries don't take stallions and neither does pony club (unless DC permission) and some local shows. If you're aiming at the more 'professional' market and he works well then yes his value may decrease
 
There is an increased risk with the operation which is why (after the age of 4) most vets won't do a standing castration - it's because the blood supply to their bits has increased and the testes are significantly larger than they are on a younger animal.

Your vet could want to do him under full sedation at the surgery so that if there are any bleeds they can be managed. We had our 5yo gelded last year as we lost our other stallion and it wasn't fair for him then to live a solitary life. He had to go in for the op and it did cost a bit more but everything went well and 10 weeks later he was out in the field with mares.

Just over a year later he's doing fine, he's got a bit bossy after being out with the girls but he has a much better life now.
 
Gelding an older horse is not usually problematic, although they will need to be done under full GA and probably in theatre. I've had horses up to 11 years old castrated with no problems, but don't be surprised if there is still stallion behaviour afterwards (not always).
 
I've just taken on a little 11.2hh rescue pony as a companion and lead rein pony who was gelded last spring at an unknown age but guestimate around 12 years old. He was impounded running with mares in woodland, at least one was pregnant so he presumably covered them. The only noticeable difference from a long-term gelding is he likes to do all his poo's in one big pile (very handy). He shows no more interest in our neighbours flirty broodmare's than my gelding does and is very non-confrontational both with people and other horses.

I don't know the details of his gelding but it is a very full and cash-strapped rescue so I doubt they found the money for a full GA or theatre op. There were no complications and they started backing him about a month after he was gelded. They usually pts impounded adult stallions but took a liking to him so decided to give him a shot.

I wouldn't have taken him if he hadn't been gelded (owing to previously-mentioned flirty (and well bred) broodmares next door - my fencing is not that great and neighbour would not be impressed with an unplanned pregnancy). I would think gelding would make it much easier to sell and give you more chance of finding a nice home, owing to a wider pot to choose from. Unless he has brilliant breeding I wouldn't think it would reduce the value. For a normal riding horse (i.e. not a top level competition horse) I would think it would improve it if anything.
 
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