I have a stallion who needs to be gelded he is a rig can it be done i was told no?

Question

I am starting to see behavior problems sufaceing i have never had a horse like this and i am a little scared of him so if he can be gelded i would like to do this also would like to know an aproximately how much a surgery like this would cost

Answer 1

Yep, it can be done. Only problem is that the surgery needs to be done in a clinic/hospital because of the risk of infection if done in the field.

Cost will depend on where his undescended testicle is...sometimes they're just really high up in the groin area (around the inguinal canal, which is where they are meant to come through during development), but sometimes they can be retained within the abdomen. If the testicle is in the abdomen, the vet pretty much has to go in there and look for it...and they're not always easy to find! I don't know about exact cost, unfortunately (am still studying, so don't have to deal with that side of things yet!)

Talk to your local vet about him (unless they were the ones who told you it can't be done!)...any big equine practice with hospital facilities will be able to do the surgery. Just don't let your local guys take out the one that is there...leads to a lot of confusion about which side to go looking for the other one!!

It's the best thing for him and yourself, both from point of view of his behaviour, but also his health. Undescended testicles are much more likely to become cancerous. The condition also has a genetic component, so if he were to ever accidentally get a mare in foal (reduced chance with only one functional one, but they can do it!) he'll be passing on undesirable genes.

As to whether it WILL settle his behaviour- his testosterone level will drop to near zero within 24 hours of him being gelded, but it may take 8-12 weeks for you to know whether it will change his behviour. Age doesn't seem to make much difference...we've had various equines gelded anywhere from a few months to 20+ years.

Hope that's helped.

Answer 2

Yes rigglings can be gelded. It means that at least one of his testicles in undesended, it din;t drop down like normal testicles do. He will have to be put under general anesthesia at a clinic and have it cut out. It can be pretty pricey depending on where you hav to take him. You can call a local clinic and ask for an estimate. You should definitely have it done if you want a nice riding horse, but it will take time for the hormones to cycle through and get him to act like a gelding, depending on how old he is it might never get to calm gelding completely. You should also have a trainer work with both of you to stop the behavior problems before they get bad.

Answer 3

What's a rig? I have had horses all my life and have never heard that term.

Improvement in quality and performance in the equine gene pool must begin with selection of only the very best individuals for breeding purposes. Because up to 90 percent of male horses are not of breeding stallion potential, gelding is very common. Due to a decrease in the production of androgens (the male hormones) after castration, geldings generally have a more stable disposition than stallions. Gelding makes a male horse suitable for a greater range of uses.

Male hormones are responsible for much more than the desire and capability to breed mares. Athletic performance can be helped or hindered by testosterone. It can make a stallion perform with more energy and brilliance than a gelding yet it can also serve to distract a stallion from the work at hand. Similarly, secondary sex characteristics, such as muscle bulk, that are influenced by testosterone production can manifest as desirable muscle definition and strength or as an undesirable cresty, thick, and inflexible neck.

Gelding is often used as a means to modify a horse's behavior. Vocalization, fractious behavior and sexual interest in mares are frequently the undesirable characteristics noted in the yearling and two-year-old stallion. Although sexual interest is desirable in a stud, sexual aggressiveness is inappropriate and dangerous in a performance animal. The urge to copulate is just one part of the breeding ritual; related breeding behaviors include forms of whinnying, squealing, pushing, rearing, striking, and biting - all socially acceptable behaviors among horses but not between people and horses. A small percentage of young male horses exhibit sexual frustration or self-mutilation tendencies. If such a horse is not intended for breeding, it is best to geld him before habits get established.
Although gelding will remove the underlying cause for such behaviors, it will not change poor manners and bad habits. This must be accomplished by proper training. Behavior learned before gelding, especially if it involved breeding, will not disappear instantly after castration, and perhaps will never be eliminated completely.

Some horses retain sexual behaviors after gelding and are often called "proud cut". In the past this was said to be due to some testicular tissue being missed during the gelding procedure allowing testosterone production (but not sperm production) to continue. In some cases, this may have been true, especially considering the variety of crude methods of castration practiced over the last 2000 years. However, today, with the availability of restraining drugs and the level of knowledge and surgical techniques, it is unlikely that missed testicular tissue is the cause for the estimated 25 percent of geldings that are said to exhibit some type of stallion behaviors. Since the adrenal glands (located near the kidneys) also produce testosterone, it is thought that the cause of so-called "proud cut" behavior may be due to the (hyper)activity of a particular horse's adrenal glands. Other stallion-like behaviors may simply be poor manners due to inadequate training.

Answer 4

well frist how old is he. if he is over 3 or 4 it is really to late to get him gelded he will still act like a stud because he balls have drop but he energy and every will go down a tone.. in alabama it is from 60 to 300 to get gelded. you can call a large animal vet and see how much it costs.. or you can send your horse to a trainer and have him trained. i've seen it done and i've trained studs before if they have to right training than they will come down. but if a mare is in heat near by they will have that eger to mate.. it is a fact of life.. hope this helps.. jada

Answer 5

A friend of mine just had a weanling done, and he was like that and the bill came to a little over $700 total..

Answer 6

they really have to be gelded when they are young....or you will still have behavioral problems......

Answer 7

he has to be halter trained. my vet wouldn't cut my dads horse b/c he wasn't halter broke

Answer 8

no