When would you casterate your colt?

[aussieheelr]

We have a seven month old colt, see avitar. He's looking like he'll be a nice stocky horse for working cows and such (huge hip, neck and WIDE chest with short back!) He's a grade paint (DH has a vendetta with papers lol) so studing him out isn't realistic. Anyway I digress.
We want him to bulk out as much as he can but want to casterate him so he doesn't breed back his dam... they will be in the same pasture once he's finished being weaned. So what would be a good time to utilize the growth from his testosterone yet take care of things before the enevitable of leaving him intact?

 

[lorieMN]

I have read that studies have shown the longer you leave them intact the thicker and more stud like they will get,,if you have a safe and escape proof fence I would leave until coming 2,if you are only interested in the muscle,,this may change his attitude some tho..instead of a easy going gelding he may act more like a stud that needs a job,not breeding,just working.I have infact seen the same results in our own horses,,we dont have any mares so when we buy a colt sometimes he gets cut young sometimes not,in my own horses I have seen the ones cut young tend to grow taller and somewhat leaner then the ones we have left until early 2.But consider safety first, and the potential for an accidental breeding.really the risks are to great,IMO,to leave him until 2 when you can buy a REALLY good broke cow horse for less then $1000.

 

[CountryMom]

Genetically he is going to be what he is going to be as far as build and the finished product. Leaving him a stallion longer means you will have to handling him way differently than a gelding. You will have fences, training and temperment to deal with longer. In the past when we bred, we cut all our young colts before they were a year old. The ones that were kept a stallion had to live a life of their own and had a hard time not being part of a herd. I never kept a stallion, so they were eventually sold. However, being around several in my lifetime, I can tell you that I would rather see more geldings because they don't get to be a horse enough. Even the ones cut in the 2 to 4 range. Growth vs horse's mind is a give or take.

There is a Warmblood I am currently caring for. He was kept a stallion until he was at least 5 years old. Due to injury he was never used (could not mount because of back leg) and was stall kept because they were afraid he would hurt himself more running in the pasture...or couldn't run. Well, they brought him to one of the ranches I work at. We have to keep him medicated all the time, but that is an entire other story. The biggest problem I have with him is that he doesn't know how to just be a horse. He has very little ground manners, has very little idea of how to act with other horses. As much as we have tried to help him adjust in a herd, we have had to seperate him into an adjoining pasture. He either gets picked on too much because he doesn't read horse body language too well, or he pushes other horses (all smaller breeds than him) around. Then he hasn't the ability to get away fast enough.

Just consider his mind in all of this. I realize you are only thinking until he is 2 probably, but I never saw that growth was enough reason over what isolation of a herd would do for their minds.

 

[kbarrett]

I agree 100% with country mom. While they are all individuals and temperment varies greatly they typically have the ability to breed as a yearling. If you had the facilites to accomodate a 1-2yo colt I'd let his attitude be the deciding factor. Having a gelding or 2 as company goes a long way to keep a youngster in line and learning how to act like a horse. I too was taught the longer you leave intact the more muscle you get. However I also believe most of the build is genetics. I've seen enough QH's that were cut young and were still muscular enough to do halter to convince me that the difference isn't huge. On the last farm I worked at (TB's) we typically had 30-35 yearlings to contend with from weaning time until breeding season kicked up and they were shipped out to make room for mares waiting to be bred and mares who had foaled and were ready to come out of the foaling barn down to me for turnout. As soon as they hit 10mo fillies & colts were seperated for turnout. IMO there is no greater pain in the you know than yearling colts. Many of these were headed to sales or farms in the south to finish growing till training time so nothing was ever gelded there on our farm. There were a few every year I would have personally paid for the vet to geld or have done it myself

Winters were my least favorite time of year

A couple days in their stalls due to inclement weather and you could count on a rodeo getting out to the paddocks.

 

[TMNTCkins]

I say the sooner the better. All of my geldings were gelded before 1 yr and all have turned out to be big stout horses with great minds. Stud colts can be (not al) such a pain

 

[al6517]

In your situation I would cut him early, and then start working him early, he'll be fine.

AL

 

[joletabey]

NOW!!!! For all the reasons listed above- you may have to wait on the weather in your area - letting him walk can help keep swelling down. Honestly, the longer you wait, the harder it is on everyone.

 

[al6517]

I once had a very young colt that came from huge parents 17+ hands and he was going to be another big one. I decided to have him cut early and when he returned from the vet that very day I saddled him and began to ride and work him. My point is I would never had the gumption to break him when he got bigger and fiestier, He took to the training well and I never had a problem, He didn't have the heart to buck while healing down there. And he did heal just fine.

AL

 

[shadowpaints]

we have always castated our colts anywhere between 3 months and a year kind of depends on each horse. or now, if one of the minis that are born could be a stud prospect.

i prefer a gelding that has never felt the 'urge' my big horse wiz we waited till he was one, and still acts like a stud in many ways, our show gelding, Mikey ( all 35 inches of him!) was gelded at 44 days old, and he is sooooo calm! im not a BIG fan of the studdy muscle and such either

 

[Camelot Farms]

Keep fly season in mind too. Cut before the weather warms up again.

We cut ours at 7 months and he did wonderfully.

Good luck!