What age to you castrate your boys?

[Sugarbrook]

I had a customer asking me about castrating her pony (i just do ponies) and he is just a yearling (one in a week), not any trouble and in with one of my other small pony stallions who is the same age, and 2 large pony geldings. I normally castrate in the Spring of their 2 yr old year unless they are a pain in the butt :yes:.
It got me thinking that I would like to know what others do.
This customer told me it is routine for many pony farms to castrate at 6 months.

How do y’all proceed with the boys? Meaning PONY BOYS, obviously!!! LOL Maybe it is not different with the bigger breeds…so please join in.

[Almost_Heaven]

ASAP, unless you don’t want height (re: ponies). Younger is generally easier to recuperate. 6 months is good if you can, “most” of ours work out to yearlings, 2 yo’s seem a little old to me and have a chance to retain studdish behavior, as all of my boys have been mature sexually by 2. Hard to say what’s learned behavior and what’s testosterone sometimes. We’ve gelded as late as 10 and it gets a lot harder on them.

[Callaway]

I have mine castrated in the spring of their yearling year. It has worked well for me.

[rideagoldenpony]

I do the same as you, usually, Sandy.

I’ve done one weanling, and my vet said she really prefers to wait until they are older.

[Kerole]

I have horses…

If I want height I geld early - sometimes as young as 4/5 months as long as there are two descended testicles. These ones usually heal fast and mope less.

If I want bulk I may wait til they’re a long yearling depending on behaviour etc.

Usually though they are done before their 1st birthday.

[Sugarbrook]

This little guy has one testicle down, and when my vet palpated him she did not find the other one. This was done without sedation (which, if he were mine, I would do so he was relaxed).

[classicsporthorses]

I have horses and typically I do them as 2 year olds some as long yearlings. In all my years of doing this I truly have seen little difference in the final height of the gelding (or the ones I have kept as stallions).

[Ladybug_Hill]

I do mine prior to weaning if possible. It helps to have them still with their dam who they will follow which forces them to exercise and reduce swelling/promote drainage. They heal much much better the younger they are. No reason to have yearling or two year olds running around uncut unless they are a possible stallion prospect.

[Westglen_Farm]

I have done them (the non racehorses) as young as two months old and love it!! They get done during the day, they come into the barn for the rest of the day and night and the next day it is a normal day. Very little trauma and so much easier than waiting until they are 2 years old.
Now, my husband does his racehorses as long yearlings or early in their two year old year and so much more healing time, swelling, trauma. So much more worry.
So I have had experience with babies being gelded as well as older horses and much prefer doing them as young as possible if we know we do not want them to go on to be stallions.

[Hillside_H_Ranch]

I have horses, not ponies, but I always have them done well before weaning time.

[fordtraktor]

I have horses but had mine done at 4ish months. I don’t know if there is anything to the height story, but I would prefer height, all things being equal. And I wanted him done while still at the breeder’s where I could have my vet of 20 years that I trust implicitly do it.

[camohn]

usually in the fall as weaners when there are fewer flies

[Sugarbrook]

Interesting. In 25 years of doing the ponies I have had two that had swelling post surgery. I mean swelling that makes me go OHHHH they are swollen. I do two at a time and then by the 2nd day they are back in the herd who make them move around. I never have to exercise or hose any of mine, but then they go out in a 25 acre pasture. Lots of grass and buddies to be with.

Never have thought about doing them very young. Would like to know more about it. Is it easy on them? I will have to ask my vet her thoughts on this. Thanks for other opinions!!

[DLee]

I just had mine done this year at 8-9 months and I would seriously consider not doing it that young again. My vet definitely does not want to do them any younger, though he has (he is from Rood and Riddle, so I trust his opinion).
My colt had a very rough time, the testicles were down, but not ‘as’ down and easy to get as the vet would have liked. Plus he was very resistant to the drugs, so was much more awake than anyone wanted.
If I had to do it again, I would definitely have waited.

[Char]

At the barn I used to work at, as soon as they drop - lop 'em off. As every one else said, much less healing time/drama. :yes:

[KBC]

I have two young men waiting to be done at the moment, 10 months old and will be done just as soon as it dries up around here.

I have a 10 week old colt who will be checked almost daily, and he will be snipped as soon as he has anything there.

Between 6 months and a year is when I prefer to do them.

[Hillside_H_Ranch]

It has been our experience, in our practice, that the boys done pre-weaning have easier recoveries and less side-effects than waiting until they are older. I love doing mine before weaning. We castrate them, they wake up, run to mom to nurse and act like nothing has happened. It really seems to help to have them with their dams for the “comfort” and of course being turned out with them their moms gives them all the movement they need. My least favorite way of castrating is waiting until weaning, or shortly thereafter. Too much stress to do both in a close period of time.

[amastrike]

[QUOTE=DLee;5601606]
I just had mine done this year at 8-9 months and I would seriously consider not doing it that young again. My vet definitely does not want to do them any younger, though he has (he is from Rood and Riddle, so I trust his opinion).
My colt had a very rough time, the testicles were down, but not ‘as’ down and easy to get as the vet would have liked. Plus he was very resistant to the drugs, so was much more awake than anyone wanted.
If I had to do it again, I would definitely have waited.[/QUOTE]
I don’t think his age is in related to the drug resistance. And I imagine the testicles would have been easier to get if he was fully drugged.

[Foxtrot_s]

If both are down before weaning - mare keeps gelding moving.

[VirginiaBred]

I think it depends on the situation of the individual.

Typically, ours are done their first year of life. We have never done before weaning but unless they are a late foal, they are done in the calendar year in which they are born.

I had a horse colt that was done later.

My vet does them lying down (which I definitely prefer) and they are always turned out the next day. I also like to follow the signs used for weaning as they are excellent for gelding also (when the blood is in the feet). See the Sticky above for the Signs (not you Sandy, I know you like to follow the Signs also, but for anyone else that may not have tried that).