Brindabella Farms

Excerpted from Chardy Shealy's new book entitled, Practical Horse Management^©.

Last Spring we gelded Prestige. If no other purpose was served, the resulting opportunity to educate the equine public has made the surgery worthwhile. Prestige had everything going for him as a stallion. He is well pedigreed; he is an attractive leopard with good size and the kind of build and gaits that make an all-day trail ride downright delightful, even the next day. Prestige was the kind of stallion that fits right into family life. He loves people and they find his big, warm eyes a perfect accompaniment to his friendly nicker.

A year ago we bred Prestige to five good mares, and we came up with the expected high quality foals, including color. Two leopards, one near leopard, one bay roan and a solid sorrel filly with strong characteristics. There are a lot of Appaloosa owners who would give their right arms for that kind of quality and color in a breeding year.

Then, why would we geld a stallion like Prestige? In one year, more stallions are produced than could possibly ever be used for stud service. Many of them are first-rate stallions with every qualification necessary to turn them into outstanding sires. No "ifs", "ands" or, "buts". THE GELDING MYTH is just that, a myth. The myth states that any stallion that is gelded has a problem, "wasn't good enough to be a stallion." Absolutely untrue! In our domesticated horse world, gelding is an act of humane kindness. When a stallion is not needed for stallion duties, he should be gelded, and that is why we gelded Prestige. We rarely use our junior stallions more than a year or two; they contribute the outcrossing we look for in our herd, and then we go on to use other bloodlines. Those young stallions that are not sold are gelded. We geld with joy for the life of a gelding is by and large of far nicer quality than the life of a stallion.

For instance, Prestige has just returned from a two day trailride. No stallions are allowed. He had a great time; he is a sociable sort with boundless energy. How much nicer than being penned up in a paddock. He has been on lots of trailrides this summer. He never lacks for company out in pasture. Now that he is a gelding he can be put safely in with almost any horse. He is company for the fillies, and company for other geldings. In the winter he will be company to some of the stallions. If he has had a day's depression about this new arrangement in his life, he has hidden it well.

We will happily geld any stallion a customer purchases if it is not needed for breeding duties. A well trained gelding is in great demand; many command very good prices once they have accumulated some show winnings. The hunter-jumper people prize their geldings. Among Thoroughbred owners, a stallion is rarely seen; there are relatively few of them and mostly they are penned up in the fairly unhappy life of a stall, and perhaps a paddock. Appaloosa people are spoiled by the general good nature of their stallions. Many owners are therefore hesitant to geld even when the stallion is clearly not needed for breeding duties. Nevertheless, the horse's opportunity for socializing and use is clearly limited, often thoughtlessly. The Appaloosa world is moving into areas that had formerly been dominated by the solid color breeds. The competition is keen but a top-quality Appaloosa gelding often places very well. They have moved into Olympic level competition also.

Some people think they want to own a stallion to see if they can "handle him alone." Television and adventure books have kindled the imagined challenge. Wandering among Appaloosa breeding herds, however, they find the docile stallion is not the fire-snorting body mass of the authors' fantasies. They may then begin asking, "Who needs a stallion anyway?" Considering the difficulty of finding a suitable boarding facility, that some states require that stallions be penned at all times, that show rules and other events often forbid their use on these occasions, the gelding looks like the more suitable alternative to most prospective owners.

Sometimes people hesitate about getting a gelding because "then he can't be used for anything if he goes lame." As the years with horses and people go by, however, we are increasingly certain that most of their health and accident problems are the result of errors in human judgment. The horse is a hardy animal. Given a good set of legs, a pedigree that exhibits a lineage of athletic prowess, overall reasonable conformation and consistently good care, chances are the horse will be sound for many years. A gelding has less chance of getting hurt than a stallion, basic care being equal.

Maybe we could sum it up this way: "If he's good enough to be a top stallion, he's good enough to be a top gelding."