Geldings..... why arent they around for sale?

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

Amen.

Unlike the big horse world, there are no "stratas" of showing within our breed. It's either Big Time or sporadic schooling shows where you can find them. There is no thriving "middle market" show strata for these horses to head to, so there is very little demand.

I have always said that in the long run THIS has been and continues to be the downfall of our breed.

 

[Shari]

[SIZE=12pt]Lyn,, I pure and simply agree with you whole heartily. I have always felt the same way.[/SIZE]

 

[MBennettp]

The question that bothers me is "Why on earth would you geld him, he's beautiful"

My reply is I have small children in the barn all the time and I don't trust a stallion, I am not a breeder and if I do decide to breed one of my mares, I have several really good friends with awesome stallions. I don't have the headache of putting up with a stallion attitude every time a mare is in heat.

I personally love geldings and the stallion that is soon to come home will be a gelding before he makes it home. He will have a pitstop at the vet's office. He has awesome bloodlines and will make a nice gelding but I wouldn't breed one of my mares to him. He has been across the fence from my mares for 2 years now and I could have bred one or all of the mares to him but I don't need to do that.

I prefer an outside stallion for more than one reason. I never sell a horse and I don't want more than I can spend a lot of time with. If I had a stallion, he would not be used for a stud so there is no reason not to geld him, he will be a lot happier as a gelding.

I agree there are a lot of stallions out there that should be geldings.

Mary

 

[Erica]

I have an appointment for two boys tommorrow........

am I gelding them because they are "second class" so to speak? No - they are both very nice boys, one is a full brother to my 4 time National Champion halter mare, the other is a very flashy extermely well bred small shetland colt..........and I have a baby colt that will get gelded in a month or so, he is only two weeks old.

Yet they won't be for sale, they will be in my barn showing

:

 

[nightflight]

The Land of Enchantment Miniature Horse Club (LEMHC) made a program to encourage people to geld their colts, and I can tell you - geldings are around.

I wish more people would use the program, but of those that do several had told me that they probably wouldn't have gelded if it hadn't been in use..

Everyone is welcome to look at it under the "Programs" link of our webpage at www.miniaturehorsesofnm.com

It's written to try to encourage people to geld colts BEFORE they are sold to new owners, and to get new owners that have purchased young colts to join the club, use the resources, and learn.

If an owner takes a horse to their vet we will reimburse up to $100 of the first gelding surgery and up to $50 of the second. There are two vets that work with the club to keep gelding costs below $100 so that the surgeries end up FREE for the owner. We use these vets for clinics, and direct a lot of club business to them, so it is worth it from their point of view.

Every owner has two choices - to geld or not to geld - If you make the choice to geld easy, free, and give positive feedback to those who do geld colts, you might see an increase in the number of geldings around, just like we have.

 

[as if by magic 2]

Here Here Lyn, the unfortunate thing is in Ireland there is absoultely no incentive to geld, you neither get a good price for a gelding or they do nothing in the ring. We have had a lot of talk over a lot of years about gelding prizes incentives etc...nothing ever happened. I've been lucky with the filly fairy, in previous years but she hasn't arrived yet, I have one colt born, he is nice very nice, but do plan to dig deep find the money and geld him. It isn't really a lot of money - but you worry about the decision as you can't stick them back on !! But he's going to be happy wherever he goes isn't he, he's not going to be any bother.

I've had the nippy, rearing want a be stallions - put it away guys I've seen it all before !!

 

[Miniv]

I'm reading about costs for gelding..... $65????? I WISH! More like DOUBLE out here.....but I still think it's important and worth it.

As Marty posted -- unless the colt is BETTER than his sire -- GELD. I agree!

Unfortunately, because MINIS are in that "inbetween" place where kitties and doggies fall.......we get the folks who want to have a baby for the sake of having a baby!

MA

 

[wildoak]

I have 5 geldings here right now - 3 of them for sale - and at least a couple more waiting to drop. I have no qualms about gelding a nice horse. I have a couple of very nice breeding stallions, and until I have a colt that's just exceptional to replace either of them, most of my boys are gelded. For one thing, if they stay here I'm flat out of room for hormonally charged "teenage" boys, and I just see no value in putting colt after colt out there. I'm also going to make an effort to start doing something more with my mares. I have quite a few mares I'm not likely to breed again, but who are nice and should be out there driving or being kids horses.....something besides having babies.

Jan

 

[Fred]

Lyn, you know Fred and you also know if he was not as good as he is he would be a gelding in a heartbeat. Bruce chewed my butt for gelding Courtney's little gelding Kisses but heck she couldn't show him if he wasn't gelded. I only need or want ONE stallion at my place. He is good enough that the kids can handle him with no problems. No geldings for sale? Heck I own five of them two are for sale but in this area I can't give them away! The B driving gelding I have the kids are going to show and I am hoping to get him sold at nationals! All of my horses have won in the show ring including the one I consider a pet. Still where I am I can't get a decent price for my horses. I prefer geldings I am fortunate the mares I own aren't witchy. Of all the horses I work on and with on a daily basis GIVE ME A GELDING ANY DAY! Lyn you are so right on the gelding issue, imagine the possibilities of how good oour breed could become if all these mediocre stallions were gelded. Linda B

 

[sfmini]

Gee, funny, I have a very nice double registered green broke AMHA futurity nominated gelding and have him at a give away price now because nobody is interested.

 

[nootka]

MA, I will have to ask Dr. Hunter if he wants to vacation over in Central OR for a weekend and maybe geld a bunch of 'em. I once asked him if he'd consider doing a bunch at one time and he said he could discount that (he charges $65 per, now). I feel it's a deal as I have heard most around me pay closer to $100, but even at that, I would still do it prior to them leaving. Even the surgical gelding (retained testicle) was not as bad as I had feared.

I am so hoping that people will realize how enjoyable and relaxing it is to own geldings. I think there could be a time when I would let them outnumber my "intact" animals and breeding stock, if I wanted to quit breeding, I would definitely own at least four or five geldings.

Liz M.

 

[ruffian]

In my opinion, the reason some people don't want geldings is because:

1. They bought a colt cheap as a "Pet" Or came across a cheap mare and just wanted to have some babies.

2. Decided they could make lots of money selling foals not caring whether it's show qualitiy or not

3. Since they are so little, there's not the intimidation or fear. Some people think they're not "real" horses and therefore aren't going to act like a "real" horse.

The gelding classes at our local shows here are growing leaps and bounds. I have a son of a 7 time national champion that lost his cookies a couple of years ago because he wasn't as good as his daddy.

In the big horse world most people wouldn't dream of keeping A stallion around, much less 2 or 3, especially if they have kids. It's big old great geldings. Little Stallions don't scare em!!

 

[SweetOpal]

Well Im all for the Geldings, we currently own 4 geldings and one stallion. I have had 3 aged stallions gelded in the last year all of which had been used for breeding prior to me buying them. I for one do not like handling a stallion, lets face it cute or not they are usually not fun! I will say the stallion I have now is a dream to work with, he is better than 2 of my geldings! We are located in So. Cal and I paid $225 for each horse to be gelded plus a visit charge, I think it was worth every penny.

It would be nice if we could spay mares that are really not quality enough to breed as well. The population isn't growing leaps and bounds strictly just becuase stallions are not gelded. I have been appauled at some of the mares I have seen tht are being bred, im talking, cowhocked, roachback, beyond week hind ends, bad bites, aweful necks...I could go on but you get the picture. I do know that spaying is done but at what cost? And then again no one wants one that cant' be bred! I mean every ad says, broodmare, future broodmare...

 

[Ojai Minis]

I'm reading about costs for gelding..... $65????? I WISH! More like DOUBLE out here.....but I still think it's important and worth it.

Ackkkkk, I pay $200 or more!!!

And I have a really nice, pro trained, point earner, gelding for sale right now that no one seems interested in

Liz V.

 

[Field-of-Dreams]

Two weeks ago we gelded two fellas- a two year old colt, who we want to match up with his sister for a team in a few years, and his SIRE. The stallion (now gelding) is a beautiful silver dapple pinto, has pretty nice conformation, shows really well, and throws foals that are total spazzes. :lol: I don't want that. So he's been gelded, is sold to a very nice young girl who is going to learn to show with him and will be loved forever. We have already decided that any colt born this year will be gelded- immediately! We have both sire and dam, we can make another.

Lucy

 

[Relic]

Last fall for us to geld was 180 if we brought him in add another 110 for a farm call if you plan to have it done at home. l don't find gelding cheap and this time of year am always thankful for fillies not colts.

 

[Happy Valley]

I haven't read all the posts, but I wanted to add that I gelded my Jeff with no regrets.

Cruiser will stay a studly man and we will see what he produces.

Stacye

 

[CKC]

I feel that the miniature world needs more geldings. Out of our herd of 9 miniatures 6 are geldings, 2 mares and 1 new foal that will be gelded.

 

[Fred]

I know last time I gelded one it was $250 for a normal gelding. I had one that was a cryptorchid but my vet was VERY good to me and only charged me $750 [it should have been about $1500]. I'd still do it its worth it. Linda B

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Yes, around here (Western WA) gelding is not a cheap investment. My friend bought Kody out of the newspaper from a pet-owner family for $150 as a four year old stallion, trained him to drive and gave him some manners and sold him a month later to us for $800. We then paid $250 for a normal gelding operation, which you'll note is more than the original cost of the horse a month before. THAT is why people don't geld! The little stallion is cute, can be well-behaved, easily shown if you aren't in 4-H, and it costs an arm and a leg just to lower their resale value and "make them a dead end road!" Now don't get me wrong, I don't feel that's what you're doing at all. But as a lot of people have pointed out that's the prevailing attitude.

I'm all for gelding. I have always had big horse geldings and love them, and I love my mini gelding and would buy or make another in a heartbeat. Much though I loved the fire Kody had as a stallion he is not and will never be breeding quality. But like BlueRocket, I almost didn't geld because I liked him the way he was and never intended to breed him anyway. It didn't seem like a crime to leave him with the parts he was born with. Without mares around there was no chance of accidents and he wasn't frustrated by his hormones. He was just...Kody. But a few adventures at shows convinced me it wasn't worth the screaming and dropping and if I didn't know how to school a stallion to manners than I had no business owning one. So I gelded. I can't really say he's happier as he still drops all the time, is just as mouthy as ever, and is basically convinced in his heart of hearts that he's a stud and always will be. He's miffed over his missing parts like no horse I've ever known. But he's learning to live with it and we don't scream at the mares anymore.

:

I agree it's definitely a combination of factors and different from region to region. No middle ground to show all those mediocre-quality horses at for enjoyment, lack of proper horsie education, the ease of controlling a small stallion versus a big one, the high cost of gelding in some areas, the low resale value in the current market, the attractiveness of making cute little babies, all of those contribute. We need to make it worth it for people to geld. Right now we don't hear "Geld all but the best." We hear "Geld all those mediocre quality horses" and it stings your pride to geld a good one when there are so many truly yucky horses out there breeding. It's like "Oh come on, he's better than 3/4 of the stallions out there right now! I'd rather have him breeding than them." But the fact is that just because someone else is barn-blind doesn't mean you have to be.

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Go geldings! Go geldings! Go, go, go geldings!

Leia