Castration of a Stallion
Castration operation being prepared
Now Numbing the area with an injection before opp
Castration being done
Sadly, all too often this is what must run through peoples minds when they take on a young colt and then find that few livery yards or joint grazing facilities will allow a colt on the premises. For the sake of the £150+ castration fee their problems would be solved but many people don't want to dig into their pocket and spend out on the operation. Excuses vary from, “Oh, it's cruel” to “Oh, I'll resell it to someone else and they can do it”. Or, and we've had several of these, breeders who make the purchasers pay for the operation, sometimes having to keep the colt incarcerated in a stable perhaps for several years until someone comes along and has pity and buys it.
Once gelded the gelding can then go out with other mares or geldings, becomes more placid, is less aggressive to others and certainly less likely to injure himself by charging through hedges or fencing. The operation is carried out under general anesthetic and usually within the hour the animal is up and eating grass. It will take a months for the male testosterone hormone to be entirely flushed from the blood so patience is needed before he can be turned out with others.
Even our Charity with 125 acres has to geld young colts that are taken in; any stallion would have to have his own field and at least one field between him and any other animals. We just don't have enough fields to be able to do that. We object to our charity money being spent on solving other peoples problems. If you buy a colt you have to add on in your mind the cost of the operation on top of the purchase price. Furthermore, these days you also have to add on the costs of passport and, in case of death, disposal of the carcass.
Help us Help these Animals, your donation can make a difference