In many cases if you're looking for family oriented horse and you have your heart set on a boy, consider a gelding, or rather a male horse that has been neutered.

Stallions were originally the horses used in battle because of their aggression. A stallion would be taken in to battle by a rider because the horse would usually fight as well with their teeth and hooves. A stallion is a thousand plus pound animal that is full of male hormones and can be as territorial and aggressive as he can be alternately sweet and nice. When neutered (made into a gelding) the stallion will lose most of his aggression and the sweet and nice parts of his personality will be brought out.

A gelding makes a wonderful companion animal and you'll find if you don't have to fight the hormone battle that is raging in most stallions during your training period, it will go much better. The territorial and challenging aspect your horse's personality will be greatly lessened and his want to please and be a companion will be increased.

Gelding is best done on young horses. Some vets won't work on an older horse and in many cases, once the horse has reached maturity, gelding him won't damper his stallion spirit too much. Once you've removed the hormonal rush factor in your horse, you'll be seeing a wonderfully trainable animal that will make a fabulous companion for years to come.

Labels: gelding, horse