Leaving a stallion a stallion...

[Blackwater Farm]

I have had my eye on a stallion thats for sale for over a year now. He is gorgeous!!!!!! Great conformation, great pedigree, attitude, color. I just wanna eat him up! I have no intentions on being a breeder but I would like to keep him a stallion. Do you guys think this is weird? I have always loved stallions (I bond with them really well) and he is really well tempered so I dont see a need in gelding him. Yet I also dont plan on breeding him. He has a wonderful pedigree (sire is Alliance Tenders Private Stock and Dam is out of Grosshill Boogermans Fine Line) and I would hate to geld him and then change my mind later on down the road when I am more knowledgable. I plan on showing him, he was shown well in his youth, he's still only a 5 year old. I just wanted to see if I was crazy because most people tell me that if you aint gonna breed it...cut 'em off!!!! We have a 28 year old QH stallion here that has never been bred. He is just a sweet loving old pasture ornament. He was ridden in his youth but never bred and never gelded. His pedigree goes back to the original Wimpy, a legend of the QH breed. Not that that always means anything, but I think that a stallion can be left a stallion even if he's not going to be bred as long as his temperment is suiting. Not all stallions of course, some deffinatly should be gelded. Am I nuts?

 

[Cavallini Farms]

Well...in my opinion it's not weird. But I've always thought carefully about gelding them because you can't put them back on once gelded.

I just gelded my junior stallion two weeks ago. He's a very nicely put together boy, but I want to enjoy him and as a stallion I would have to take extra precautions.

Geldings are my favorite, but my older stallion is a gentle puppy dog so I can see it both ways.

I'm clearly not much help. I'd say as long as you have facilities and are careful - enjoy!

 

[miniwhinny]

It's not weird and he would be YOUR horse...you do what you want to do, not what someone else thinks you should. I have no plans on breeding at the moment either but I keep my boy intact (he lives with a mare 24/7) because he's a very rare color (possibly the only brindle mini stallion known) so I or someone else may want to breed him one day. He's very happy and my farrier - who has trimmed him every 6 weeks for 5 years - JUST found out he's a stallion not a gelding LOL. If this boy is a nice guy and you can give him a good life - leave him as he is.

 

[ruffian]

Clearly he would be yours to do what you want, but leaving him a stallion does mean you have to be much more aware of who's around and what's around. A full size stallion gets more respect, where a mini gets lots of the "isn't he CUTE!" and people - especially children - having the tendency to ignore or disregard the fact that he's a full stallion who can be very temperamental.

If you have "no intentions of being a breeder" which is admirable

why take the chance? He would be so much more enjoyable and IMO happier because he's not going to be ruled by his hormones. IMO - if you love him for himself, not his potential offspring, geld.

But again, only you can make the choice! good luck and I hope you get to get your dream guy.

 

[Blackwater Farm]

WOW! Brindle?!? I can see it a bit on your avatar but do you have any full pics I could see? That is really neat and deffinatly worth keeping intact! I just worry that I may be keeping him from having a fuller happier life that he could live in with my other two minis as a gelding. All though he would be just as spoiled as and loved on as the other two! I left my now gelding a stallion for a year and a half just because I thought he was fine like he was. The only reason I did geld him was because the owner of the farm we rent had a "bad taste" for pony stallions (tried to convince him he was not a "pony" but it was useless). Even though unless you looked you wouldn't have known!

 

[Blackwater Farm]

Ruffian I must have been typing at the same time you were! Like I said above I would hate for him to miss out on having a fuller life and enjoying the company of other horses. I cant help but wonder though, what if i get him, show him and he turns out to be some dynamo (in my dreams) and my dumb self gelded him! I think if I do decide to purchase him I will give him a year or so to show me what he's got and make a decision from there. I don't want to wait too long though due to the risks associated with gelding an older stallion. If he turns out to be worth keeping intact and worth breeding, it would only be to a select few of outside mares as I dont want to breed myself. If I ever do, and this is a big if, it will be many years down the road after I have had the chance to truely educate myself on breeding and foaling minis. I'm just not sure I could handle all the stress, anxiety and heartbreak that seems to be unavoidable in breeding minis. On that note I truely admire all of you who do breed and breed properly! A big hand to you and thank you!

 

[Nathan Luszcz]

All my males (donkey, arab, qh, mini, etc) are intact, and live quite happily. Since I work with stallions professionally, I've fallen in love with their attitudes, mannerisms, behavior, looks.... I love em all. Of course, if they show me they don't deserve to keep their testicles, they won't. But if they prove to me they are responcible and well adjusted, I have no issues keeping them intact.

 

[Field-of-Dreams]

if you have the facilities and knowledge, there's no reason to not keep him entire. We actually have six stallions at the moment. One will be gelded in the near future, two are our current show horses and breeding stallions; one is a junior stallion and may get to breed this year for the first time, maybe not. The other two we have used in the past; one we had sold but had to repossess him for contract breach.

He's a Buckeroo bred guy and we may breed to him in the future. The other is a Rowdy bred fella who also makes nice babies. We have the space to keep them all so it's no big deal. The Buckeroo guy drives and jumps.

And some people can and do run stallions and geldings together all the time. We used to and had no problems when there weren't mares around at all. Now down here we have enough spaces and barns our genders are all separate. Easier for us that way.

 

[Marty]

You are not nuts. Ask yourself if you have the facility and the know how to keep a stallion happy and content.

I once jumped on the gelding bandwagon prematurely and was very sorry afterwards. I ended up going through a lot of money, time, and trouble to purchase another stallion, who wasn't half the horse my gelding was. Like everyone says, you can't put them back. I will never never never again let people talk me into doing things that I know in my gut I do not want to do.

That said, what I would do if in your shoes is to follow your plans of showing him and seeing how he does in competition which will tell you if he is worthy, and also if anyone is interested in breeding to him. Then if it doesn't work out, you know your decision to geld is a valid one. Then you can return him to the show ring as a really nice gelding.

 

[miniwhinny]

WOW! Brindle?!? I can see it a bit on your avatar but do you have any full pics I could see? That is really neat and deffinatly worth keeping intact!

I'll PM you some later today

The only thing I'd add is...and this goes for people who are breeding also - Please make sure he has company. Stallions are THE most social and it's so sad to them them living alone. No wonder so many have "attitudes". My guy lives 24/7 with his GF and doesn't have a mean bone in him. I'm with Nathan - I just LOVE stallions, everything about them

I wouldn't hesitate to geld if they didn't have an awesome disposition to match though.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

I am afraid I am one of those people who does believe in gelding- I have just gelded a very good three year old- a good colt makes an excellent gelding!

That having been said, if you have no mares on the place to upset him then there is no reason why he cannot live a good life entire.

A friend of mine has a five year old entire that has not been bred, and two geldings- that is the key, I think, he can go out and socialise without being driven nuts.

Do NOT expect him to remain the same at a show, however, he will go bananas when he smells mares, at certain times of the year, and although training will definitely alleviate this, you do have to ask yourself "Why am I putting him through this when there is no need?"

The QH stallion I am presuming, has been a saddle horse, has got out and worked all his life.

I still do not agree with keeping them entire if you do not intend to breed, though, sorry.

Even my dog is neutered!

 

[ohmt]

I agree with others who have said that he is YOUR horse so it is 100% your decision. For me though, I would geld him. I love the saying, 'A good stallion makes a GREAT gelding'. Have you ever heard of Winners Circle Adonis? He is one of the only stallions to ever win both AMHA World Grand Champion Jr Stallion AND World Grand Champion Sr Stallion. He is now a gelding. Or Meridians Eklektic Destiny? He was a World Grand Champion Amateur Stallion and Reserve World Grand Champion Jr Stallion. He is now a gelding who has won many World Grand Championships and World Championships. There are just some really amazing show geldings out there and they win a lot of money for their owners. I gelded a few stallions/colts last year. One of which I used as a stud for many years. I changed my program and I just wasn't using him anymore so I gelded him at 16 years old. He now gets to run around with my mares all year long and he just seems so much happier than having to be in a pen by himself. I don't have to worry about him at all. He's on the yard right now with my preggie mares. He 'guards' them and calls for them when I put them in their stalls at night, so cute. He is absolutely no different than when he was a stallion, he just doesn't try to jump everything he sees.

 

[Molly's Run Minis]

I keep my boy intact (he lives with a mare 24/7)

how do you keep him from breeding her if he lives with her 24/7?

not being a nag, just seriously curious

 

[Nathan Luszcz]

I used to cycle my mare that lived with my stud every two weeks with Lutalyse.

 

[Tremor]

I used to cycle my mare that lived with my stud every two weeks with Lutalyse.

That a very interesting method. I would assume that with the numerous rounds of Lute that she never foaled?

We gave a mare Lute last fall as a precaution, just in case. Then we tested her with Wee Foal test and she came up negative. I'm praying that the test was telling the truth, even though the mare was only with our stallion once, so I'm told.

Bu I've heard people having foals after Lute treatments and negative Wee Foal tests!

 

[Nathan Luszcz]

If you give Lutalyse or Estramate (what I used) correctly, its 100% effective. But if you miss the window, or use it too soon, its not useful. So when I gave the estramate, she'd loose her CL and build a new follicle. After about a week, they'd breed. Two weeks, she'd go out of heat. Two weeks after that, she'd form a new CL. Then she'd get another shot (guess it wasn't two weeks, it was once a month). Then it'd start over again.

Estramate doesn't have the side effects that Lutalyse has, but its a little more costly. Its not a method I'd use again... I'm not a big fan of pasture breeding due to injuries. Next time I'll get him a gelding for a friend, not a mare.

 

[miniwhinny]

how do you keep him from breeding her if he lives with her 24/7?

not being a nag, just seriously curious

You're not being a nag...it's a perfectly good question (and you're the only one to have picked up on it

)

I have a Bond Showboy granddaughter (Bond Brown Betty daughter)STUNNING mare, who had a bad dystocia 3 years ago. She has bad scarring and cannot conceive. She's worth her weight in gold because she's as good as being spayed and is only 6 years old. She's very much a boss mare type and has my stallion in fear for his very existence if he doesn't bring her breakfast in bed, over easy , cream and two sugars

. He's THE most incredible boy...he has impeccable manners because of her bossy disposition while being incredibly happy because he has his own little harem (of one) to care for and gets to live the life a stallion should be living (not isolated and alone).

 

[Blackwater Farm]

She's very much a boss mare type and has my stallion in fear for his very existence if he doesn't bring her breakfast in bed, over easy , cream and two sugars

.

LOVE IT! Now how do I apply this to the husband........

I think my plan will remain to be show him a while...see what happens. I'm with miniwhinny and Nathan though, I LOVE stallions! Thanks everyone!