He's got that loving feeling.. but no bits

C

chazza44

Well-Known Member
Joined
5 November 2012
Messages
139
Visit site
Going to sound like a numpty here but....

My 5yo was cut in June. Today we got back to the yard from a ride and he made some rather randy noises at a mare in her box and immediately whipped his willy out and went all silly. Has he got a little crush? Is this normal? I thought when the bits were gone the urge was gone.
 
chazza44 said:
Going to sound like a numpty here but....

My 5yo was cut in June. Today we got back to the yard from a ride and he made some rather randy noises at a mare in her box and immediately whipped his willy out and went all silly. Has he got a little crush? Is this normal? I thought when the bits were gone the urge was gone.
Click to expand...

I was told ( not sure if true) if befor being chopped, he had used it then he would have urges ?
 
That is quite late for him to be gelded, being late cut can result in them thinking they are still a stallion at least for a little while. Did you have him long before he was gelded?
 
I got him in October. He was gelded when he got to the UK from Spain. I know he was approved for breeding but dont' know if he ever 'did it'.
I think he just has a little crush... he looked confused bless him.
 
My lad was cut at 6 months old, and had never seen any females bar his Mum at that point. He is now 20y, and still " phwoarrrrrrrssss !" at the ladies. He isn't a rig, and 99% of the time he is a standard gelding in behaviour - but get a mare in season near him and he arches his neck, paws the ground, gets all protective of her, drives other geldings away from the fence line if they are on the other side, and squeals at them. I use Agnus Castus supplement for him and it really helps, but he is just a "ladies man" !!
 
Yep, my elderly cob, (cut before I met him age 3) still enjoys that loving feeling & the mares love him back. Have had a few people laugh when he goes out hacking with a mare that the rider could be in danger! It's good for me though as he's quite slow, but if an in season mare gallops off he can suddenly run like a racehorse!
 
I am not sure when my cob was gelded but I bought him as a 5 year old and I was told he hadn't long been gelded then and yes he was very amorous towards my mare when he arrived, she loves him.:D He has improved, now 11 and is only like this towards my mare thank goodness, he doesn't 'display' to any other mares.
 
My NF pony was gelded at 6 months but still preforms when my mare requests his services - so when she gets really flirty we have to seperate them as I worry about mishaps and injuries.

He doesn't take any interest if the mares ignore him though. By my big mare is a real tart!
 
Vets never seem to explain this properly, IME :D

So...

Male and female animals are born with the wiring in place for male and female behaviours, just like human children. Just like human children growing up, they have sex specific behaviours - boys tend to rough and tumble play more, girls tend (on the whole) to play more social games.

Young male horses are usually gelded at this stage. So they stay quite clearly male in their behaviours, they have a range of sexual behaviours (they can masturbate) but they don't have any strong sex behaviours directed at females.

When puberty arrives, the release of sex hormones causes changes in the brain, allowing it to mature fully. At this point, horses (and humans) start to feel an attraction to the opposite sex. Their behaviours change - male horses will now start "courting" mares, and responding to mares in season, plus pooing on other male horses' poo piles etc. So these are adult sex behaviours, caused by the brain maturing.

At this point, your young male horse is able to court and mate with a mare. He knows instinctively what to do (he didn't, before puberty), and he has a drive to do it.

If you geld him at this stage, he still has a "mature" brain, that knows female horses are attractive and knows what he's supposed to do - but he will have much lower testosterone levels, so a much lower "drive" to do anything about it.

However ;) the testes are not the only source of testosterone in the body. All animals (males and females) release small amounts of testosterone from the adrenal glands, and the levels increase at certain times of year (e.g. Spring). So you may find that a late gelded male horse will display slightly more sexual interest in a mare coming in to season in Spring, and may even be able to mount and cover her. No babies, though, because no testes.

Hope that helps. It's no harm, the behaviour decreases as summer comes, and also gets less the longer the horse has been gelded.

And early gelded horses still experience the spring rise in testosterone levels, so may be more frisky while still not as interested in mares. My lad (gelded at a year) will still show some normal stallion behaviour when a mare is interested in him, but he clearly doesn't know what comes next!)

Hope that helps a bit :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top