Question about gelding age

[Mila.B]

Hi! Just have a general question about a non-issue. I’ve done some googling but not getting any answers, so I’m wondering if someone here has some insight!

I have a 6 year old OTTB gelding who raced a handful of times before moving on to a second career where his slothlike tendencies weren’t such an issue. He started out as a dressage horse and now he’s with me to hopefully saunter around as a hunter.

According to his JC papers, he was born in early 2017 and gelded in late 2019. I mentioned this to another rider at my barn and she said that he was gelded unusually late for a racing TB. Is that true? I don’t have any concerns about his behavior - nothing studdish except may his unusually strong urge to sniff and lip everything, which might just be due to his age. Despite being slow, he’s a very athletic guy with a great brain and even better, in my humble opinion, conformation. If he actually was gelded unusually late, is it possible that his track owners were keeping him intact as a potential breeding prospect?

Thanks!

ETA - thanks for the thoughts, everyone! Looks like my guy is on the spectrum of normal for his circumstances (and of course perfect in every way, in my eyes). I appreciate the collective expertise!

[jvanrens]

@Mila.B

According to his JC papers, he was born in early 2017 and gelded in late 2019. I mentioned this to another rider at my barn and she said that he was gelded unusually late for a racing TB.

Not necessarily (coming from the STB world). If he was easy to handle as a colt, gelding as a 2 YO wouldn’t be that unusual. We had one we didn’t geld until he was 4 or 5, since he was so laid back, DH didn’t think that he’d have any spunk if he was gelded. Turned out he was a better racehorse after brain surgery.

[NancyM]

If there is no problem with his attitude (stallion behaviour), many race trainers and owners will hold off gelding a colt for a while, and see how it goes, even if a potential career as a breeding stallion is probably not in the picture. Keeping the extra testosterone helps to drive growth plate closure, earlier maturity, and more muscle mass. Gelding early removes extra testosterone, and retards growth plate closure. If a colt is being difficult to handle, or “hard on himself” (likely to hurt himself due to being overly aggressive, or hurt other horses, or hurt people), then gelding early (usually as a long yearling around the time he is green broke to ride) is an option. This colt was gelded in the fall of his two year old year. That’s not “late”.

[2DogsFarm]

My 2¢ says your barnpal may have it wrong.
If he showed any speed as a 2yo he’d have stayed a stud.
OTOH, if - like my own racebred TB - he was too slow to bother getting registered w/JC (no tattoo), very likely he would have been gelded tout suite.

Hope your boy turns out to be the gem mine did.
I got him from a trainer at Arlington as a 6yo, had him 20yrs.
He may never have had track speed, but he was 110% Heart & Try.
Failing his Speed Test as a 2yo:

Being my Hunter - EOY Reserve AA:

Eventing BNH in his late teens:
(we schooled to Training)

[JB]

Unless a colt is really rank, they really don’t tend to geld them until they decide they’re not a fit for racing - geldings are way easier to sell/rehome than colts/stallions. They want the testosterone, they want the 'drive" that a stallion has over a gelding (in general), they want the muscle development that testosterone offers. And most of all, if they find at some point he’s a great racehorse, they don’t want to have cut off their stud fees! You can take them off at any point but you can’t put them back on.

The fact that he was gelded as an almost-3yo after racing a handful of times makes him normal.

My 12yo, gelded at 11 months, wants to sniff and lip everything, so it’s definitely not a gelded age

[Mila.B]

He is so beautiful, thanks for sharing!