To spare the unimportant details - I was more or less given a horse. I have been involved with/owned horses for over 15 years. This guys is still intact - and would be my first stallion. He is a doll, has excellent bloodlines, and is off to the trainer in December for 120.
However, due to his previous situation, he has not quite blossomed. He is an April 01 baby - and to look at him, you can see that he has not grown fully. He was more or less neglected via ignorance. He looks much younger/smaller than your average 3 y/o QH (and especially considering his breeding). He did recently hit a growth spurt as late as August, though - shooting up about 4 inches.
The vet that checked him before his coming home said get him on some good feed and he should still grow. Our usual vet has said he could, but don't hold your breath. Trainer says geld him now, it'll be easier on all of us that way. He is kept with geldings right now, was kept with mares before we got him. Has never so much as called to a mare let alone shown any interest in breeding. The most popular opinion on that is that he hasn't hit puberty yet. I realize some mature slowly, but he's 3 1/2.
He's got excellent conformation (although a little lanky from his growth spurt) and his bloodlines are top notch, and he's homozygous black to boot. I really think if he could rebound from his not so great start that he has awesome potential. But how long do I wait for signs of that rebound?
Also - I am seriously considering trainer's advice to geld in the very near immediate future. But while lovin on him today I happened to notice that his "boys" weren't visible. And while he is getting really good about his handling, I didn't want to stick my head or hands all that much closer to check it out. Could he be sucking up this late? Can he still be gelded this way (would it have to be done similar as a crypt gelding)?
I know that a good stallion can make a great gelding, but this guy is just awesome. I did not physically get him "home" until about 3 weeks ago, but I have been working with him for a few months. Once we got him, over the summer (before his growth spurt) he looked really nice and was finally starting to gain the weight he should've had all along.
I do plan on discussing things at great lengths with his vet - but I'd been thinking quite a bit about this today having talked to the trainer (and it's sat)- and if I do decide to geld I realize it has to be rather quickly so that he can heal before training.
I know for him to rebound (gelded or not)it's going to take a considerable amount of time - more than a few months - should I wait until after training and reevaluate the situation (would be the beginning of April)? I guess I feel a bit pressured to make the decision now and am just curious to see what others think.
Thanks =)
Eagle View Arabians Posted From: 64.12.116.22
Posted on Wednesday, October 13, 2004 - 01:16 am:
Jay, if he has a good attitude and you can work with him easily, I don't see why you have to rush to make any kind of decision. I would go ahead and send him to the trainer's. You could always geld him later if you feel it's neccessary. Don't feel pressured to do anything you are not comfortable with. Yes, geldings are easier to deal with and I know most trainers prefer them even over mares but if your gut is saying "lets wait and see" I would.
Jay Posted From: 68.61.157.194
Posted on Thursday, October 14, 2004 - 11:26 pm:
Hi. Thanks for the encouragement. He has an outstanding attitude - best one I've seen yet, and I was convinced my last stallion couldn't be beat. Honestly, he's not any kind of inconvenience for me - there's no boarding problems, not many mares on the property, spending a day with him, you wouldn't know he's still a stallion. When I contacted the trainer, she said his being a stallion was fine, no big deal. So that's what we're going with. His being a stallion is just fine. =)
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