Is it wrong to leave entire..

Stinkbomb

Stinkbomb

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My miniature horse stallion is 4 this year. I have had no intention of having him gelded as i show him and they have much more presence in the show ring as a stallion than a gelding. However i do not have any mares for him to cover and the competition for covering is very high in the miniature world. Most mare owners have their own stallions anyway.

So is it wrong to keep him entire if he isnt going to cover mares?? To add he is not stallion like in his behaviour at all. he is kept out almost 24/7 12 months of the year with my mini gelding. he is grazed next to mares with no problems. He has the odd whinny and trot along the fence but to be honest its once in a blue moon. He is led by youngsters and if he was to be gelded his treatment etc would not differ in the slightest to what it is now.
 
If he's a) not a bother to himself or other horses and b) most importantly leads a good quality of life that isn't affected by him being entire (which it sounds like it isn't) then I see no reason to geld him.
 
As long as he can be a horse, then there's no reason to geld him. In response to a similar thread on this subject, I previously stated that I'd rather stay entire and not be used for breeding, than have my nuts removed - and I stick by that!
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LMAO at AP!!

From you describe, gelding Inky won't change his quality of life - in fact he probably leads a better life than many geldings already....
 
I have a 15 year old stallion who is competing in dressage internationally at PSG level. To my knowledge he has never covered a mare or been collected from, he is the oldest virgin in town. He has a normal life like any of my other horses, with the usual precautions of course. And seems a happy well adjusted horse.

I did not buy him because he was a stallion, I bought him as a future dressage superstar, who happened to be a stallion. So breeding him was never the plan.

He is the horse in my avatar.
 
Not at all, he is behaving himself, has his field buddy and not causing any problems, leave him as is.

I didn't leave Charley entire for several reasons, not registered (but no plans to breed anyway as he is an excellent example of backyard breeding), I have another stallion, and mainly because Charley was getting a bit above himself, he was getting nippy and bargy. Although at 32" high that wasn't unmanageable (for me, but I wouldn't have let small children handle him) it was unacceptable, so off with the plums.

The Vet joked (I think he WAS joking) that we should have stood Charley on the feed freezer to geld him. I am sure I got charged extra for the Vet having to practically lie on the floor underneath him!
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It isn't as if Inky is some 17h WB chucking his weight about, and you never know, you may want to use him yourself someday. I think it would be a shame to lose that opportunity if everyone is happy with the status quo.

Good Luck with your showing season.
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IMHO only the best of the breeds should be kept entire, so IMO if your chap is indeed to be used for breeding long term, then of course don't rush to geld him but I believe it is wrong to keep a horse entire purely to give it more "presence" in the show ring. If we all take this attitude then it wont be long before show rings would be full of stallions.

Any good judge can look through a bit of colty presence to see the horse underneath. A good gelding is as good an ambassador for it's breed as an entire. After all, whats the phrase - if you love a horse breed to its Sire?.
 
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IMHO only the best of the breeds should be kept entire, so IMO if your chap is indeed to be used for breeding long term, then of course don't rush to geld him but I believe it is wrong to keep a horse entire purely to give it more "presence" in the show ring. If we all take this attitude then it wont be long before show rings would be full of stallions.

Any good judge can look through a bit of colty presence to see the horse underneath. A good gelding is as good an ambassador for it's breed as an entire. After all, whats the phrase - if you love a horse breed to its Sire?.

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Are you talking about quality of life for this stallion, or is your comment a generalisation. The reason I ask, is that the stallion in question owned by the OP is a 32" miniature, who seems to have a happy well adjusted life so far. He is not really going to be a danger to his owner or others around him, is he. The fact that we can lob the furry plumbs of colts, does not mean that is it imperative to do so. I live in a country where stallions are the norm, geldings unless imported are the minority. I am not saying it is right 100% of the time, but we, over here, have no problem with horses being kept entire, even though they are never going to be used for breeding. Handling and management are the key factors to any horse living a full and happy life and IMO those are the factor that should be considered.

If your comment

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if you love a horse breed to its Sire?.

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was taken literally, the equine race would die out pretty quickly, in fact in one generation
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Yes i would love to breed from him as he has very good blood lines and has proven himself in the show ring but at the moment i just dont have the facilities or a mare even to do so. There is nothing to say in the future he this wont change.


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If we all take this attitude then it wont be long before show rings would be full of stallions.



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Whats wrong with having a show ring full of stallions if they are well behaved and not a danger?? If you went to a miniature show you would be hard pushed to find a gelding in the classes. They are mainly either stallions or mares. What is wrong with keeping him entire purely for "presence" in the show ring if he isnt causing anyone problems? Id be the first to whip them off if he was a danger to ANYONE. Just to note miniatures are not shown bitted either and a miniature stallions presence is no where near the "impressiveness" of a larger animal.
 
Crusieline - my post is my opinion on the argument whether a horse should be kept entire purely for showing purposes I thought my post was clear on that, I do apologise if it did not come across so.

I respect that other countries cultures on horse welfare & care are different, so I am not sure it is so relevant in this discussion given that the standard lifestyle of a UK horse is so far removed from his a Continental or Middle Eastern cousin.

Stinkbomb, I am glad to hear that he is of such qaulity to breed from. This is a good reason to keep him entire.

If you ask me the direct question, "Is It Right To Keep a Horse Entire Purely to Give Him Presence in the Show Ring"? then my answer is "NO".

You are clearly happy with your decision to keep him entire, so why are you looking for confirmation on a public forum to wether it is wrong to do so?
 
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You are clearly happy with your decision to keep him entire, so why are you looking for confirmation on a public forum to wether it is wrong to do so?

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I think that it is that every now and then all of us dither over a decision and like to bat the subject around a bit don't you?
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Gelding an entire is a pretty final act and with a chap the quality of Inky I wouldn't be making that call to the Vet in a hurry either. I'm all too happy to say "whip them off" on a great many males
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I wasnt asking for conformation but opinions. As Enfys says i am happy with my decision but thats not to say my decision is the right one.


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If you ask me the direct question, "Is It Right To Keep a Horse Entire Purely to Give Him Presence in the Show Ring"? then my answer is "NO".



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I wasnt really after opinions on whether it was right to keep him entire for showing purposes but rather asking for opinions on whether it was right to keep entire if not breeding.
 
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Crusieline - my post is my opinion on the argument whether a horse should be kept entire purely for showing purposes I thought my post was clear on that, I do apologise if it did not come across so.


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No apology necessary, everyone is entitled to their opinion.

I do have a question though, if the show rings are not full of stallions strutting their stuff and winning, regardless of whether the owner is going to use him for breeding themselves, or produce and sell on, where are the next generation of show horses and ponies going to come from?
 
Cruiseline. My point is that a horse should not be kept entire PURELY to give it more presence in the show ring. My point is NOT "that stalllions should not be shown".

If a horse is to be kept entire, purely for the added bonus of extra presence in the show ring and the owner did not intend to breed from him then he would not have a hand in producing the next generations anyway would he?
 
QR

I understand your point Smartboy, however the same could be applied to mares.... It's just that the removal of ovaries is more difficult and costly, though it is done.
 
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