Colt, stallion

C

classybutwild

Well-Known Member
Joined
20 August 2010
Messages
113
Location
Knee Deep in Mud!
Visit site
Im about to purchase a colt 3 years old very quiet, doesn't know he he's entire, im planning on having him cut but would like him to bulk up a bit more, when do you normally start to see the stallion signs, at what age?
 
I bought my D as a colt in April as a 3 yr old. He wasn't particulary stallion-ish with his behaviour but was a bit bolshy at the shows to the stage where he was dangerous. We had him cut as soon as we got him, went to his first show 10 days later and was a complete angel that people couldn't believe it was the same horse. 6 months later and he still looks like a stallion with his big crest etc but then we have worked hard to keep it with plenty of strapping and correct feeding
 
Depends on the horse and what you means by 'stallion signs'.

We've had yearlings who have been cut as they were very colty to handle.

Yet also had 9+ year old seasoned studs who you could let a child deal with or ride, stabled next to mares, turned out next to mares.....


If gelding is the ultimate motive anyway, then earlier the better. Much easier and less risk of complications and bleeding.
 
Last edited:
I've just had an owners 3yo cut yesterday, he is for a young girl and although he is very sweet and well mannered he has started to show coltish behaviour since arriving from Holland. He neighs and arches his neck at all other horses and swishes his tail. He also does poop in the same place marking his territory and is a little bit handy with front legs although not out of aggression. No point him being left entire if not going to be used to breed from. Hopefully he should retain his lovely neck but have less to say for him self!!! Never seen a horse being gelded till yesterday, a bit gruesome, especially as he has white back socks and they were bright red for 24hours even though I washed them 3 times! Looks ok today although was a bit foolish in the field which made me worry!!! Hopefully in a week or so it will all settle down and not be quite so eurgh! He still thinks he is a stallion though at the moment!!! Bless.
 
How much "male" behaviour he shows also depends on the situation he's been in.

They have done studies now on "wild" (feral, obviously) that show colts in herds with a healthy, dominant stallion have much lower testostone levels than the dominant horse, even if they are over the age of puberty. But if the dominant stallion starts to weaken or dies or if a colt is lucky enough to get a mare or two of his own, then his testosterone levels rise. In a bachelor group attached to an established herd the colts will scrap if it looks like there is a job opening but only one will triumph and become a "proper" stallion.

This bears out what I've seen sometimes in breeding farms, where the colts that aren't breeding stay pretty quiet (not necessarily that they don't scream, more that they don't show) while only one or two will really seek to challenge the old guys. I rode a colt who was tiny and super cute but he had huge testicles and a bass voice from 3! From that age he yelled at the older stallions while the other young boys didn't.

I also went to look at an entire 3 year old who was living with a filly and, according to the owner, not covering her because he knew she was his sister! Not so much. What she left out was they were all in, dam included with THE most dominant pony I have ever met. He ruled the colt with an iron fist and beat on him if he even sniffed at the mares. It gave a totally false impression!

All of which is a long winded way of saying that the way the horse is currently may not be just down to his innate inclination and he may be very different at yours. As said, there are lots of stallions who are beautifully behaved, although in my experience not without some careful thought. And there are others who think too much of themselves all the time!
 
The OP doesn't mention breed but from personal experience I can say that Highland stallions are generally very quiet and behaviour will depend more on management. For example, mine regularly gives rides to young children and is taken to shows where everyone thinks he is a gelding. What they don't know is that he has just been taken out of the field from his mares, smartened up for the show, and will be going back with them again after the show! Another stud owner keeps her two Highland stallions in the same field without problems. Both serve mares in hand.

This is probably something that has been selected for as Highland stallions were "travelled" (walked) from farm to farm in Scotland to be used on a wide selection of mares. If they did not lead quietly and were easy to handle, they wouldn't be entire for long!

Is there any physical difference between a male gelded late or early? I was advised to leave castrating a very nice Anglo-Arab until two but have since been told by an equine vet that it makes no difference.
 
I find that the toughest age to work with a stallion is when they turn 5, because they are still very young and playful, but are starting to get very strong.

I have never owned a horse who wasn't a stallion (except this one, who's a mare!) and never even thought about cutting any of them. Yes, it is a challenge, and yes, you have to work hard to keep them controlled, but they are much flashier, have tons of personality and turn into the greatest old guys.

So basically until he's about to turn 4, he's probably going to behave. Then you have to see if you can handle all that horse under you.
 
Dry Rot said:
The OP doesn't mention breed but from personal experience I can say that Highland stallions are generally very quiet and behaviour will depend more on management. For example, mine regularly gives rides to young children and is taken to shows where everyone thinks he is a gelding. What they don't know is that he has just been taken out of the field from his mares, smartened up for the show, and will be going back with them again after the show! Another stud owner keeps her two Highland stallions in the same field without problems. Both serve mares in hand.

This is probably something that has been selected for as Highland stallions were "travelled" (walked) from farm to farm in Scotland to be used on a wide selection of mares. If they did not lead quietly and were easy to handle, they wouldn't be entire for long!

Is there any physical difference between a male gelded late or early? I was advised to leave castrating a very nice Anglo-Arab until two but have since been told by an equine vet that it makes no difference.
Click to expand...


I rode for a Connemara breeder when I was a kid whose stallions lived with the mares, the older horse in a hundred plus acres with his mares and the younger one in a smaller field with a couple of the older stallion's daughters. They were ridden and shown out of the field and we literally never had a problem. They knew the parameters and had their social needs satisfied so had no reason to be silly. The only glitch we ever had was when an older horse that had been gelded after breeding for 10 years moved to a home with a mixed herd. He wasn't having any of that so drove all the other - much larger - geldings off and spent a lot of energy keeping everyone separate. Even that calmed down with opening up more space for them all.

Apparently horses that are gelded earlier will grow slightly taller, on average than uncastrated horses of similar breeding. You can't even rely on late cut horses having heavier necks though - I've ridden mature breeding stallions that weren't particularly heavier muscled.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top