Geldings are popular horses for children or beginners.
A 'gelding' is a
castrated animal—in English, the term specifically refers to a castrated male
horse or other
equine. The word comes from the
Old Norse ''geldr'' ("barren").
[1] Castration, and the elimination of hormonally-driven
behavior associated with a
stallion allows a male horse to be calmer and better-behaved, making the animal quieter, gentler and potentially more suitable as an everyday
working animal.
History
The
Scythians are thought to have been the first people to geld their horses.
[2][3]
Geldings as war horses
Geldings were once prized by classical
steppe warriors as
war horses because they were quiet; without mating urges, they were less prone to call out to other horses, easier to keep in groups, and less likely to fight with one another. These qualities are still valued today, particularly on modern
cattle ranches where working horses are commonly kept in groups and also need to be ready to go at a moment's notice.
Famous geldings
Famous racehorse geldings include
Red Rum and
Desert Orchid, who raced in the
UK;
Arkle, from
Ireland;
Phar Lap, who raced in
Australia; and American geldings
Exterminator,
Kelso,
Forego,
John Henry,
Lava Man, and the 2003
Kentucky Derby winner,
Funny Cide. Famous geldings in
movies and
television include Mr. Ed (
Bamboo Harvester), and the two geldings that played the
Lone Ranger's horse "Silver."
Reasons for gelding
A male horse is often gelded to make him more well-behaved and easier to control. Gelding also removes lower quality animals from the
gene pool.
[4] Horse breeders choose to leave only their best animals as stallions; lesser specimens are gelded, to improve the overall quality of the breed.
To allow only the finest animals to breed on, while preserving adequate
genetic diversity, it is recommended that only a small percentage of all male horses should remain stallions. Some sources place the percentage of stallions considered unacceptable breeding stock at about 90%,
[5] while others would be more radical and state that only 0.5% should be bred.
[6] In wild herds, the 10% ratio is largely maintained, though via a different mechanism, as a single stallion usually protects and breeds a herd of up to 10 or 12 mares.
[7] There are more males than just herd stallions, but unattached male horses group together for protection in small all-male "bachelor herds," where, in the absence of mares, they tend to behave much like geldings.
Gelding a male horse can reduce potential conflicts within domestic horse herds.
Geldings are preferred over
stallions for working purposes because they are calmer, easier to handle and more tractable.
[8] Geldings are therefore a favorite for many
equestrians, especially amateurs. In many
horse shows, due to the dangers inherent in handling stallions, requiring experienced handlers, youth exhibitors (and occasionally, women) are not permitted to show stallions in classes limited to just those riders.
[9]
Geldings are often preferred over
mares, because some mares become temperamental when in
heat. Also, the use of mares may be limited during the later months of pregnancy and while caring for a young
foal.
In
horse racing, castrating a stallion may be considered worthwhile if the animal is easily distracted by other horses, difficult to handle, or otherwise not running to his full potential due to behavioral issues.
8 While this means the horse loses any breeding value, a successful track career can often be a boost to the value of the stallion that sired the gelding, and the horse himself may win substantial purse money on the track, as he is apt to race for many more years than would a stallion, which is often retired to stud immediately following a short but successful track career.
Sometimes a stallion used for breeding is castrated later in life, possibly due to
sterility, or because the offspring of the stallion are not up to expectations, or simply because the horse is not used as much for breeding due to shifting fashion in pedigree or "look." Castration often allows the retired stallion to live a more social and comfortable existence close to or with a herd of other horses.
Under
British National Hunt racing (i.e.
Steeplechase) rules, to minimize the health and safety risk for horses, riders and spectators, nearly all participating horses are geldings.
[10] On the other hand, in Europe, geldings are excluded from many of the most prestigious flat races including the Classics and the
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
[11]
Reasons not to geld
To perpetuate any given
breed, some male horses must remain capable of reproduction. Thus animals considered to be the finest representatives are kept as
stallions and used for mating. Though the criteria used can be, in some places, rather subjective, a stallion should have a superior appearance, or ''phenotype;'' a superior pedigree, or ''genotype,'' and, ideally, a successful performance record in the area of specialty for that particular breed. A particularly fine horse that is gelded may remove outstanding traits from the
gene pool, an issue that occasionally is raised when a gelding does particularly well, such as when
Funny Cide won the 2003
Kentucky Derby.
Hesitation to geld a horse may occur out of concern that a gelding, once past its athletic prime, will be of no economic value for anything but the
horsemeat market; whereas a stallion can be used for breeding purposes even if injured or too old to be athletically competitive. However, the consideration of whether a male horse is of a quality suitable for breeding stock must not be overlooked. Furthermore, though some nations have an active horsemeat industry, many geldings are actually retired to
pasture and allowed to live out a normal lifespan.
Some cultures historically did not and still seldom geld male horses, most notably the
Arabs.
[12] These people usually used
mares for everyday work and for war. In these cultures, most
stallions are still not used for breeding, only those of the best quality. When used as ordinary riding animals, they are kept only with or near other male horses in a "bachelor" setting which tends to produce calmer, less stallion-like
behavior.
[13] Culled males are often sold away to those in other cultures, some of which lack the cultural taboos against gelding them.
Gelding horses is generally approved of as a way to allow more horses to live comfortably and safely in close proximity to humans and other horses, and as an ethical means of population control, even within the
animal rights community. However, some individuals are concerned that the process may cause pain for the animal or somehow lessen their vitality or spirit. While modern surgical procedures cause far less discomfort to the animal than more primitive methods, there is minor postoperative discomfort when the animal is in recovery. Gelding a horse does not reduce its athletic potential or strength, but the reduced aggressiveness of the animal may be viewed as a minus in some competitive endeavors.
Time of gelding
A horse may be gelded at any age; however, if an owner knows that he or she intends to geld a particular foal, it is now considered best to geld the horse prior to becoming a yearling,
[ Liphook Equine Hospital (2005). ''Fact Sheet: Castration.'' Accessed July 17 2007.] and definitely before it reaches sexual maturity. While it was once recommended to wait until a young horse was well over a year old, even two, this was a holdover from the days when castration was performed without
anesthesia and was thus far more stressful on the animal. Modern veterinary techniques can now accomplish castration with relatively little stress and minimal discomfort, so long as appropriate
analgesics are employed.
[14] A few horse owners delay gelding a horse on the grounds that the
testosterone gained from being allowed to reach sexual maturity will make it larger. However, recent studies have shown that this is not so: any apparent muscle mass gained solely from the presence of hormones will be lost over time after the horse is gelded, and in the meantime, the energy spent developing muscle mass may actually take away from the energy a young horse might otherwise put into skeletal growth; the net effect is that castration has no effect on rate of growth (although it may increase the amount of fat the horse carries).
[15]
Many older stallions that are no longer used as stud due to age or sterility can benefit from being gelded. Modern veterinary techniques make gelding even a somewhat elderly stallion a fairly low-risk procedure,
[16] and the horse then has the benefit of being able to be turned out safely with other horses and allowed to live a less restricted and isolated life than was allowable for a stallion.
Specialized maintenance of geldings
Owners of male horses, both geldings and stallions, need to occasionally check the horse's "sheath," the pocket of skin that protects the
penis of the horse when it is not in use for
urination (or, in the case of stallions, breeding).
[17] This area may need to be cleaned, particularly in geldings. Not only can
smegma, a waxy substance that includes dirt and dead skin cells, accumulate, but some geldings (and occasionally, stallions) may also form a "bean," a hardened ball of smegma inside the sheath or even the
urethra that, in extreme cases, can interfere with urine flow. Although a gelding retains the same beneficial microorganisms in the sheath as a stallion, they seem to accumulate
smegma and other debris at a higher rate, probably because geldings rarely fully extrude their penis, and thus dirt and smegma build up in the folds of skin.
Thus, it is recommended that the sheath be cleaned once or twice a year.
[18] To clean the sheath, a specialized mild cleaner with grease-cutting properties is used, along with warm water and many clean (usually disposable) towels. Ideally, the horse will be desensitized by careful training to tolerate a gentle stream of warm water into the sheath from a hose or large, needleless syringe. This will loosen and soften some of the material and make it easier to remove.
Rubber gloves for the groom are recommended, as the job can be rather smelly and messy.
The process requires either that the horse "drop" its penis or that the groom reach up inside of the sheath to pull the penis gently from the sheath by the
glans (head) in order to apply cleaner and carefully clean the entire region.
The "bean" is often found just inside the opening of the
urethra, so that area must also be checked. Some horses object to sheath cleaning and require
sedation, others will tolerate it if the groom is careful and patient, though light sedation may help the horse "drop" for easier cleaning.
While a
veterinarian can clean a sheath, it is not a medical process and can be done by any person who learns the proper method.
[19]
Castration techniques
There are two major techniques commonly used in
castrating a horse, one requiring only
local anaesthesia and the other requiring
general anaesthesia. Each technique has advantages and disadvantages.
Standing castration
Standing castration is a technique where a horse is sedated and local anaesthesia is administered, without throwing the horse to the ground or putting them completely "under." It has the benefit that
general anaesthesia (GA) is not required. This method is advocated for simple procedures because the estimated
mortality for GA in horses at a modern clinic is approximately 1 - 2/1000, and mortality in the field (i.e. where most horse castrations are performed) is probably higher due to poorer facilities.
[20]
For standing castration, the
colt or
stallion is
sedated, typically with
detomidine with or without
butorphanol, and often physically restrained.
Local anaesthetic is injected into the
parenchyma of both
testes. An incision is made through the
scrotum and the testes are removed, then the
spermatic cord is crushed, most commonly with either
ligatures or
emasculators, or both. The emasculators are applied for 2 - 3 minutes, then removed, and a careful check is made for signs of
haemorrhage. Assuming that bleeding is at a minimum, the other side is castrated in the same manner. Most
veterinarians will remove the testis that is held most "tightly" (or close to the body) by the
cremaster muscle first, so as to minimise the risk of the horse withdrawing it to the point where it is inaccessible. The horse, now a
gelding, is allowed to recover.
Standing castration can be performed in more complicated cases. Some authorities have described a technique for the removal of
abdominal retained testes from
cryptorchid animals,
[21] but most surgeons still advocate a recumbent technique, as described below.
[22] The other drawback to standing castration is the risk that, even with sedation and restraint, the horse may object to the procedure and kick or otherwise injure the individual performing the operation.
Recumbent castration
Putting a horse under
general anaesthesia for castration is preferred by some veterinarians because "surgical exposure is improved and it carries less (overall) risk for surgeon and patient."
[23] For simple castration of normal animals, the advantages to recumbent castration are that the horse is prone, better
asepsis (sterile environment) can be maintained, and better
haemostasis (control of bleeding). In addition, there is significantly less risk of the surgeon or assistants being kicked. In addition, in a more complex situation such as castration of
cryptorchid animals, the
inguinal canal is more easily accessed. There are several different techniques (such as "open", "closed", and "semi-closed") that may be employed, but the basic surgery is similar. However, general anaesthesia is not without risks, including post-anaesthetic
myopathy (muscle damage) and
neuropathy (nerve damage),
[24] respiratory dysfunction (V/Q mismatch), and cardiac depression.
[25] These complications occur with sufficient frequency that castration has a relatively high overall mortality rate.
20 To minimize these concerns, the British Equine Veterinary Association guidelines recommend two
veterinary surgeons should be present when an equine general anaesthetic is being performed.
[26]
Aftercare
With either castration technique, the wound should be kept clean and allowed to drain freely to reduce the risk of
hematoma formation, or development of an
abscess. The use of
Tetanus antitoxin and
analgesics (painkillers) are necessary, and
antibiotics are also commonly administered. The horse is commonly walked in hand for some days to reduce the development of
edema (UK: oedema).
[27]
Possible complications
Complications following gelding are uncommon - according to one in-depth study, for standing castration the complication rate is 22%, while for recumbent castration it is 6% (although with a 1%
mortality).
16
The more common are:
★ Post-operative swelling (
edema) - minor and very common
[Railton, D (1999) "Complications associated with castration in the horse", ''In Practice'' 1999 21: 298–307]
★ Scrotal/incision infection - either local or
peritonitis have been reported.
Chronic infection leads to a 'Schirrous cord' - the formation of a
granuloma at the incision site, that may not be obvious for months or even years
★
Hemorrhage (bleeding)
★
Evisceration (a condition where the
abdominal contents "fall out" of the surgical incision - fortunately, this is uncommon,
[ and has a survival rate of 85 - 100% if treated promptly.]
References
1. Thompson, D. F. (ed.) 1995. ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English.'' (9th edition.) Oxford: Clarendon Press.
2. Levine, M. A., Bailey, G.N. & Whitwell, K., et al. (2000). "Paleopathology and horse domestication: the case of some Iron Age horses from the Altai Mountains, Siberia" in G.N. Bailey, R. Charles & N. Winder (Eds.) ''Human Ecodynamics and Environmental Archaeology'' (pp. 123–33). Oxford: Oxbow.
3. Parker, R.O. (2002). Equine Science. Clifton Park, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning. ISBN 0766835316
4. Rose, Reuben J. & Hodgson, David R. (2000). ''Manual of Equine Practice'' (2nd ed). Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders, p. 371. ISBN 07-2168-665-6 & ISBN 978-07-2168-665-3
5. Cherry Hill Horse Health [1], accessed 2150 13th July 2007
6. Dabney, Ed. (date unknown). Stallions Aren't for Everyone. ''Gentle Horsemanship.'' Accessed July 18 2007
7. McCrory, Wayne P. (2002). Preliminary conservation assessment of the Rainshadow Wild Horse Ecosystem, Brittany Triangle, Chilcotin, British Columbia, Canada. Report for the Friends of Nemaiah Valley (FONV). Accessed July 17 2007.
8. Bramlage, Larry R. DVM, MS (2003, May 29). Castration: Creation of a Gelding from a Colt or Stallion. ''American Association of Equine Practitioners:Newsroom.'' Accessed July 17 2007.
9. See, ''e.g.'' United States Equestrian Federation Rule Book, Accessed June 29, 2007 at http://www.equestrian.org , ''and'' Welsh Pony and Cob Society In-Hend and Under Saddle Showing Rules, Accessed 0830 29th June 2007 at http://www.wpcs.uk.com/society/showrules.html
10. ''Sporting World'' accessed 0900 29th June 2007 at [2]
11. Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe [3] (accessed 1000, 5th July 2007), English language
12. Wentworth Day ''Sport in Egypt'' (Pub 1938). See [4], accessed 2140 13th July
13. Campfield, Jeremy (2007, June 25). Working with Morocco's Horses: Journey's End. ''The Horse: Your Guide To Equine Health Care.'' Article # 9681. Accessed July 17 2007.
14. R Eager (2002) "Evaluation of pain & discomfort associated with equine castration" UFAW Publications
15. Seong, PN, Lee, CE & Oh, WY, et al. (2005). Effects of castration on growth and meat quality in finishing male Jeju horses. ''Journal of Animal Science and Technology'' 47.3:391–396.
16. Mason, BJ, Newton, JR & Payne, RJ, et al. (2005). Costs and complications of equine castration: a UK practice-based study comparing 'standing nonsutured' and 'recumbent sutured' techniques. ''Equine Veterinary Journal'' 37.5:468–472.
17. "Cut Through Smegma." ''Horse Journal'', August, 2007, p. 19-20.
18. Crabbe, Barb. (2000). Cleaning a horse's sheath. ''Equisearch.com''. Reprinted from ''Horse & Rider,'' June, 2000. Accessed July 17 2007.
19. Harris, Patricia. (1998). Sheath Cleaning Without Fuss Horsequest.com. Accessed July 17 2007.
20. Bidwell, Lori A. DVM, Bramlage, Larry R. DVM, MS & Rood, William A. DVM (2007). Equine perioperative fatalities associated with general anaesthesia at a private practice – a retrospective case series. ''Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia'' 34.1:23–30.
21. Hanrath, M. & Rodgerson, D.H. (2002). Laparoscopic Cryptorchidectomy Using Electrosurgical Instrumentation in Standing Horses. ''Veterinary Surgery'' 31.2:117–124.
22. Sedrish, Steven A. MS, DVM, Diplomate ACVS & Leonard, John M. VMD (2001). How to Perform a Primary Closure Castration Using an Inguinal Incision. ''AAEP Proceedings'' 47:423–425. Accessed on July 17 2007.
23. Searle, D, Dart, AJ & Dart, CM, et al. (1999). Equine castration: Review of anatomy, approaches, techniques and complications in normal, cryptorchid and monorchid horses. ''Australian Veterinary Journal'' 77.7:428–434, p. 430. Accessed July 17 2007.
24. Franci, P, Leece, EA & Brearley, JC (2006). Post anaesthetic myopathy/neuropathy in horses undergoing magnetic resonance imaging compared to horses undergoing surgery. ''Equine Veterinary Journal'' 38.6:497–501.
25. Lyon Lee (2006) "Equine Anaesthesia", Centre for Veterinary Sciences, Oklahoma State University. Web site accessed June 28, 2007 at http://www.cvm.okstate.edu/courses/vmed5412/pdf/23EquineAnesthesia2006.pdf
26. British Equine Veterinary Association guidelines, accessed June 11, 2007 at http://www.beva.org.uk/
27. College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University Fact Sheet: ''Castration Concerns for the Equine Owner'' [5] (Accessed 1010, 5th July 2007)
See also
★ Horse
★ Stallion
★ eunuch, ridgling, wether, and steer
★ Spaying and neutering (for animals)
★ Horse behavior
★ Horse breeding
★ Castration
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