If you owned this horse woudl you geld him?

[kareng]

To me it's a question you should answer. You're the only one that knows your goals and housing situation. I've gelded horses that others would have kept as stallions based on need (showing) and sanity (too much testosterone). I don't personally breed appaloosas so at my farm he would be gelded and shown.

kareng

 

[Lil' Horse Lover]

I would want to get at least a couple of foals from him and see what he produces. If he passes on his conformation or not. The color is a plus though! But I would definatly want to get a couple of foals out of him first. See if you like what he throws, once you have it done there is no undoing it. You should wait until he matures and see what he turns out like, you may like him as a breeding stallion, you can always geld him later on.

 

[Rachel]

If you have a place to keep him, Ashley, I would wait until at least next summer and see what he looks like then. Yearlings are just so hard tell on in my opinion.

 

[Danielle_E.]

This thread is very interesting to say the least. I still think that you should not geld him at this point. For those that are saying geld now at this age you probably would have gelded Buckeroo at that age :new_shocked: and what a tragedy that would have been, in my opinion, for the breed. I understand those that are saying there are "better" out there at this point BUT if we all of us only kept, without testing, the quality that you are talking about there wouldn't be too many stallions out there at all and the genetic pool would eventually be so miniscule that we would be doing inbreeding and alot of linebreeding that sometimes is NOT a good thing. Don't forget that the mare has a BIG part in the equation so you can have an amazing looking stallion bred to a less than stellar mare and you will more than likely get an average foal. Many people have no aspirations to go to Nationals but want a decent, correct and nice looking mini and this boy is a "decent" boy. He has nice length of neck, nice body, etc. Oh he has some things I would like to see improved BUT that is where the choice of the mare comes in. Ashley, if you can make the room for him I would wait as many have said. If you don't have the room or can't make the room for another stallion well the choice is evident then no matter what.