I have a big decision to make today

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This is also in breeding... just thought people in here might be able to help too!

I am going over to see Troy either this afternoon or tomorrow afternoon (depending on when I have to pick up a part for my crunched box) so emailed the stud this morning to double check it ok to nip up. The stud owner phoned me back to say everything is fine, but Troy is now in a stable on his own as opposed to being in the pen with the others.

It turns out he has turned into a bit of a sex pest and is trying to bonk anything that will stand still for long enough
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So, the decision has to be made really whether I want him cut or to leave him entire as it will ideally need doing soon if the first option is the one I choose. I just never imagined he would be so bloody randy at 10 months of age, I thought I would have a bit more time to make the decision
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My aim for him is the higher levels of dressage, and then if he showed real ability to breed from him...

I am worried that all his presence will disappear if he is gelded!

Any advice?
 
I will have the facilities soon to keep a stallion...

And I just don't know whether he is good enough for not. I was planning on taking him to the futurity class and get as good idea of what the judges thought if him and then make the decision. That was the plan until he became a randy bugger
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Agree with DieselDog, also if you are on livery a stallion can be a real problem with not many yards willing to take him.

However if he is top quality............................


You need to get someone who really knows stallions and dressage to look at him to help you.
 
If in doubt, cut them off.

But if you really think he might be stallion quality, then get someone who *really* knows what they are talking about to look at him first. Then, if there is even a hint of doubt as to whether he would grade, cut them off.

If he is being aggressive, cut them off no matter how good he is.
 
He's not being aggressive... just really randy. The stud owner said he was a sex pest which has me in stitches
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I think with everything else that has happened, I don't feel I am in the right frame of mind to make this decision, but I also know it has to be done
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Personally id get him cut - no matter how good he is in the comp arena hes out a mare with unknown breeding which will show on his papers. Breeders wont generally put their mare to a stallion with unknown on one side. If Bloss has a colt id get it cut no matter what im afraid - for reasons ive stated above.
 
I just wanted to see what kind of horse he would grow into before making any decisions that cannot be reversed if you know what I mean... I was keeping him entire for the amount of presence a stallion possesses too, I just think they look absolutely outstanding when out competing and you can certainly see the difference between those and the geldings. Just my opinion.

Oh God, I hate making choices like this... I really want him to reach his potential in dressage and dare I say it, I would love him to be my GP horse!
 
sorry hun, but i have to disagree - geldings can have a lot of presence in an arena aswell, just as much as a stallion. If thats the only reason why you are keeping him entire then i think its very wrong. (sorry).

Like i said, breeders wont be interested as hes out of an unknown mare - it really wont be in your best interest to keep him entire. It sounds to me like you are doing it only because of the fact that he will be a stallion and not really thinking this through logically.

Im not having a go, you're my friend - just saying it how it is xx
 
I'm sorry, I really don't see why he should be kept entire.
He is adorable but have you really thought through what it means to keep a stallion? Stabling, turnout, handling, travelling away.
I really think that you would have much more fun with him if his plums were removed.
 
Without a doubt have him cut IMHO - sorry that isn't what you want to hear, but it is the way to go. Also, have you ever had a stallion before? A lot are great to handle but then you get the testosterone fuelled ones that can be a total menace to all and sundry...sounds as though you are setting up your own yard too? THink about if you need to go away, some people just will not handle stallions.
 
My old trainer had a bootfiul 3 year old by Jumbo who he desperately wanted to keep entire.
He was so easy to look after etc, but when it came to move he found it difficult to find him a suitable place. Plus he also felt that looking at the stallions today was he really GOOD ENOUGH to be competing against them.
He made the decision to have them off.... He was out of an Advanced mare by a top class eventing stallion. The owner/ my trainer was a professional.
 
I really appreciate all the comments... that is why I asked in the first place
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So don't worry about upsetting or offending me, I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to hear people's opinions on it!

I wasn't just keeping him entire for the presence factor, I was very interested in seeing what sort of horse he turned out to be... I did have a small idea in the back of my mind about putting Grace in foal to him (via AI), or another mare as you never know what will be in 3 or 4 years time
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However, saying that, I do not want to compromise his happiness either... I do not want him to have to have a solitary life. I know all stallions do not have to go through this and some are very happy with one other gelding (I know quite a few like this), but as he is so randy now, I worry what he will be like in 2 years time.

I do have the facilities for a stallion (or least I will do soon), and there are people there who deal with them every day of the week
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The reason I would not keep him entire is if he was unhappy, but also if he was a nightmare to take anywhere because he was so stressed by his hormones... The owner of the stud said this would only be something you would know when it happened, but she thinks if I take him entire to the futurity class he will not show himself at his best
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We have had a stallion on our yard for the last year or so, he's been owned by a girl who didn't really know what she was doing with him, (not suggesting the same of you obviously), he is by Its the Business, and tbf is a really nice mannerly horse with decent jumping potential. She's just had to sell him becuause the YO has finally realised we don't have the facilities to keep a stallion there safely and have been lucky to only have a few near misses and no real accidents! Not necessarily that the stallion has misbehaved but we've got several young mares being backed/schooled on yard and if he's pratting around in his paddock they get all silly!
Anyway, point of story is, the guy who has bought him subject to x-rays, will be having him cut on the spot if xrays are clear....its just TOO much hassle having a stallion unless you are a professional set up IMHO, and I actually think this particular horse is worth more as a gelding!
Its not just at home, its travelling (you'd have to take him everywhere alone or with gelings during the summer) if you stay away at shows, its more of an issue, just everything needs meticulous planning....
TBH I have to agree with majority above and say you ight be best having him cut.
 
Agree with above, and do you want the hassle of a stallion? Do you want troy to live the stallion life, i.e on his own etc?
 
As you know we have a stallion, we thought long and hard about purchasing him.

This was checklist which might help you:
His breeding - He has impeccable lines on both side including Florestan and Cocktail. This was important in terms of his potential and desirability as a future sire and for re-sale if the need ever arose.

His conformation - As a three-year-old he was very correct with just his feet needing some work to re-balance them.

His tempremant - Nippy and a bit colty, but essentially very kind and respectful.

His movement, action and jump technique - Very correct, with real off the floor paces.

His size - at 16.3hh, we knew he had the potential to be a big lad.

Our facilities - a fantastic YO with other stallions and real stallion experience.

The jockey - OH has previously ridden and competed several stallions, however even with his ability and experience he still had a nasty fall last year, smashing his face and breaking his nose (luckily it was after our wedding so he didn't ruin the pics
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The handler - We knew that between me, OH and my sister he would have correct handling ALL the time.

Competing can be a nightmare not because Blitz is difficult but becasue there are total idiots out there who don't respect stallions and do stupid things, like stand in front of you in a walkway to check their scores!
 
I had Lux before he was gelded and he was an angel. He used to graze happily in the field next door to my mare. Only down side was that i couldnt put anything in the stable next to him.

Sadly one day he switched on and tried to attack my mare as she walked past. To prevent accidents before they happen i rang vets that morning and took him in 24hrs later to be snipped!!! He is still a lovely chap just with little less sex on the brain

Hugo (my nearly 8mth colt) will be gelded in march.
 
Get him gelded ,there are loads of stallions about and it is so difficult to give them a good life. You have enough problems and a stallion is a big problem. We all love the idea that our homebreds will be fabulous stallions ,I bred a coloured by Akkord and he is probably unique but Stallions are very difficult to manage unless you are experienced and have lots of time and money.
Just enjoy your mares and a young gelding.
 
Can you get some semen from him and freeze it? Is this possible? Sorry don't know anything about breeding!


Axel had to be gelded at a very early age as he too was a sex pest!! he was done at 11 months, and he has loads of presence and a lovely big neck.
 
Remember that many of the look-at-me stallions arent stunning because they are stallions, they are stunning because they are exceptional horses and have therefore been left entire.

Get him cut, keeping him entire wont be worth the hassle in the long term imho.
 
If mare is of unknown breeding, get him cut A.S.A.P. It will make no difference to his presence if he is to be cut eventually anyway. In fact geldings often grow taller and more elegant than stallions which can get top heavy IMO.
 
Becki I am being totally honest with you here, and I don't want you to take it the wrong way. There are enough stallions out there and he has unknown breeding on his dam side so it would be snip snip straight away for him IMO!
 
Becki, why don't you list all the superstar dressage geldings out there? I'll start you off

Escapado
Bonfire
Rusty
Gigolo
Salinero (I think
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Warm Nicht
Dolendo
Mistral Højris
Douglas Dorsey
 
I woud personally get him gelded.
Lance was a stallion until 5, and used for breeding, but I think being left entire for that long did really affect him temperment.
He is LOVELY, but he used to be very nasty towards other horses, would mount any horse in sight at times.

After he was gelded throughout the years people at events/dressage have thought he was still a stallion, and I think sometimes that is the advantage of cutting late, Lance never lost his big neck and 'look at me' factor.

Even after he was cut he was still a sod with other horses for many years, he has always and still is the field boss, although he has chilled out considerably. When he was entire he was much more of a handful ridden too, argumentative and fully capable of trying to use his strength against you to nap etc.
and Lance has a lovely temperment, I just think sometimes when they are left entire they have all that other stuff going on in their mind, and unless you are keeping him entre for a VERY good reason, I would make your life easier and have him cut.
 
Thanks everyone... I am going to see him this afternoon so will get some pictures and let you know what I have decided. The problem is that this decision has come at a time when I am still very raw about some of the things that happened in the last three months...
 
Becki to my mind the biggest problem you have is no land of your own. Yes you are planning to move somewhere with people and facilities for a stallion, but if you have to move again, you will really struggle. most 'normal' livery yards are not set up for a stallion, and will refuse to take one. I think you are potentially setting yourself up for so much worry and stress that however good it is it will take the enjoyment out of your horse for you.
 
Cut him.

There are literally thousands of impeccably bred, performing stallions in the world now and with AI, almost universal access. I'm sorry if it sounds offensive, but people breed to the individual AND the blood so having less than stellar lines on one side is a much bigger issue than it used to be.

How many stallions have you handled and ridden? Some of the stallions I've ridden have been my favourite horses (left entire because they were excellent individuals, not vice versa) but I would not have one of my own, particularly without having my own place. Livery and stallions - quite rightly - don't really mix. Experienced places MIGHT take one on but if there is ANY problem - which you are suggesting is already an issue - they will not want the bother. If he's particularly randy now it is unlikely he will get less so until his hormones settle . . . which might be around 6 IF it happens at all. This has been MY experience and what I have been taught be people who have handled literally hundreds of entire horses.

Showing them is very stressful. It costs more, you have to be VERY careful about who does the riding and the handling, and it's a constant worry. Plus it MATTERS. He cannot have a bad day or a bad test or ever be seen to be behaving badly because, I can tell you, everyone will remember.

It sucks to be a stallion. I had a gelding who never got the memo - bred mares, attacked any horse that challenged him, jumped out of paddocks etc - and he was a fantastic horse to be around (if you were a person) but he had to be watched like a hawk. I did board him a couple of times and there were problems because people just could not remember - or be bothered - to be careful. Someone actually tried to "teach" him to cope by turning him out next to someone else's broodmares without telling me . . . .followed by a panic stricken phone call to me to come catch him remove him from the mares' paddock. He had no friends (the ones that live with geldings tend to live very quiet, managed lives with the SAME gelding year after year . . . again, how does one do that without one's own place?) and spent a great deal of time sequestered from his kind. It had to be done but it wasn't nice for him.

If you want to market him for breeding it will take a great deal of time, money and effort. If you want to keep him entire just for the "fun" of it for you . . .well, think if it's going to be "fun" for him.

Sorry to be so harsh. I've just seen so many horses get in trouble this way and if you are not absolutely sure he is top quality and YOU have the resources, he's better off safe than sorry.
 
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