colts and their bits!!!!!

[brackenhappy]

hi peeps! posting this on behalf of a friend!, anyway she has a 6 1/2 month old colt still with mum at the mo as weather has been awful and the other foal (its a filly) is a month younger so they are wanting to wean together prob next month! so my question to you wonderful people is when should she geld the colt? she has been told that she should do it now whilst hes with mum and because someone seen him jumping on mums back and assumed he was mounting her!!he's out with 2 other mares and 2 fillies and hasnt jumped on them!! his tackle hasnt dropped yet and i was under the impression it was best waiting until the bits have dropped and it was a bit warmer! my friend has been told so much conflicting stuff that shes now totally confused! i have only ever had either geldings or fillys/mares never had to get one gelded myself!my friend is the same! he's her first foal and such a handsome boy and as much as she would like to keep him entire at our yard he would lead such a solitary life being stabled 24/7 and only hand grazed that she couldnt put him through that for the sake of his tackle!so peeps what advice can you give me regarding this so i can pass onto her!!
Thanks in advance!!

 

[JanetGeorge]

You can't geld a colt until there's something there to geld (well, you can, but it would be much more expensive and a big risk of leaving colt a rig.) All foals jump on Mum's back at some stage - fillies and colts.

I like to geld colts while still on the mare if I can - but that means his tackle must have dropped and the weather must be suitable. If we don't do them in the autumn then we wean and do them in the spring - as soon as the weather is suitable.

 

[brackenhappy]

thanks for that! i did tell my friend not to worry about marley jumping on his mum as my filly jumped on her mum alot and she definatly wasnt mounting her!!!! he's definatly not dropped and last thing my friend needs is a rig!!!

 

[Navalgem]

my 2yo was gelded at 9 weeks when he had an op on his leg, thought might as well get it all done at once, his bits had dropped though I wouldn't have it done that early again.

 

[ashbank]

Why wouldn't you geld that early again, NG? Apart from early gelding making them grow bigger, I can't see any disadvantages at all!

 

[TFS]

personally i wouldnt geld as early as 9weeks i like to leave them as long as poss really into their second year if their behaviour pemits