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Does anyone geld their own horse colts? If so how do you do it?

Sheldon, you had me scared at first when I read the title of your post, I thought maybe you were gonna save a few bucks instead of letting a surgeon take care of it for you. Glad to see you were talking about horses.

Well, if you have never done it before or have never even seen it done DO NOT DO IT YOURSELF! That being said, I have gelded colts and it is fairly easy if you know what you are doing. First you will need a few things.......
Long soft cotton rope to get the horse down and legs tied up
Sharp sterile knife or surgical blade
Iodine or Betadine
Iodized salt
Hot Iron in the fire

Next put the horse in a clean round pen or large stall
Halter the horse and hobble his front legs. Take the long cotton rope and put it behind one of the horses back legs and though the chin part of the halter. Pull on the rope and this should lift the the leg up back the horse while doing this and he should go down lay across his neck and tie up or have someone hold the rope to keep his leg in place.

Next clean the testicle sack with betadine or iodine. Take the knife or blade and make an incision front to back on the sac. Reach in with clean or gloved hand and gently expose the testicles, (there will be a gland right above the testicles that has to be removed also or else you will have a proud cut gelding) once you expose the testicles and the gland snip above the gland and remove both the gland and testicles. Cauterize where you snipped with the hot iron. Once you have done that take the Iodized salt and pour it in the sac. This helps clot it and you will not get all the drainage.

Next release the horse and it is done..... Like I said before have someone that has done this before help you with it... I learned it from an old time cowboy....... NOT MIKE LEONARD! If you have any doubts have a vet do it.

Tessa,

That was excellent and very well described. Be very sure I will watch my P's and Q's if I ever get around you and you happen to be packing that soft cotton rope. LOL!


We did this a lot of ways on the ranches when we had to go thru a lot of coming two year old stud colts but the way Tessa described is much better, safer and humane.

I have seen a lot of old horse handlers my Uncle Bob for instance packed a pair of oak handles about a foot long and they were pinned on one and and just the proper width to clamp over the vas deferen cord above the epidemis and then they used some even used the hot bar iron to sever and cauterize in one stroke. I don't know which is better seemed like they both worked fine as long as you watched the moon.

Do not cut a horse on the full moon! Atmospheric pressures run along with lunar cycles and it is a known fact that all mamals will bleed more on a full moon. Also it is just plain old bad luck.

Another very important thing to remember to do once you have severed the testicles is to hold them both in your right hand and while they horse is laying on his side throw them both up ahead of him a good ways. Why? Makes for a faster horse because he is always chasing those long gone good times. LOL!

Lots of superstitions about these things and maybe silly but I am not going to be the one to break the tradition and end up with a dead head or worse yet a dead horse. LOL!

I recal when I was young seeing the cowboys come in with a big band of horses. Dust and dirt flying wild manes and tails some nearly dragging the ground. Corraled and cut out the long yearling studs were penned in a big round corral and then the branding and castarating would begin. Watching the skilled ropers move the while dragging a big loop and as they broke into a lope and seperated that long loop would roll out there like a wave and the forefeet of a young stud would be stagged and the roper would set back on the rope over his hip and he would be flipped. Then severl other men would set on his head and tail forward thru the legs in back till the ropes were set. Then quick as you can imagine the brand applied the castaration accomplished and on to the next one.

It seemed more like a celebration than normal work the way calf branding was. I don't thing any of the hands would have missed a chance at being there to help when you cut the colts. Or when you had those tastey appertizers and cold Bud when the work was done.

Mike,
Thanks for reminding me about having 2 small pieces of wood to clamp the cord before cutting and cauterizing. It has been so long since I had my remuda that I knew I left something out there in the steps. I knew you would know. Not too many people do it 'old school' anymore. Probably better a vet does it nowadays as there are not too many old timers left to show how it is done. Unless you live in Wyoming or New Mexico I miss my horses and I miss my hounds, but at least I have fond memories of both and I can proudly say I have experienced some of the best times of my life riding horses and hunting hounds.

Reckon you will get back in to both one of these days Tessa. Sometimes we sacrifice and that is good but a spunky gal like you better not wait too long to get on that red horse and turn them red dogs loose and let that Big Horn wind blow in that red hair. LOL!

Mike,
I am sure I will one day be back on the mountain with a horse and a hound or two. I have to say when you mentioned the red horse.... My favorite horses were my solid sorrel Peppy San Badger, Leo bred mare I called Pretty Penny and my sorrel Colonel Freckles, Doc's Six Chick stud I called Pickles. Good little cow and mountain horses. I miss them the most. Hounds I would have to say I miss Sandy, Scarlett, and Ozzy the most. Sandy is now resting beneath a pine on the mountain and Scarlett and Ozzy have the best homes I could ever wish for them. I hope to be able to get a pup out of that cross sometime soon.

Tessa,

You are talking some of my favorite horse breeding as well.

Little Peppy is the grandfather of my Gus Horse whose registered name is Little Wheeling Peppy. My Shadow horse and my personal favorite for working with the dogs on a cold lion trail is out of a King Ranch stud Doc's Lauro and his mother is a grand daughter of Sugar Bars and double bred Leo on the bottom. Mighty tuff horses as you know Peppy San Badger (Little Peppy) Goes back to Leo as does Col. Freckles, Freckles Playboy, Jewels Bar Leo which is what some caled the magic cross of Sugar Bars on to Leo mares. Lot of the cowboy who ride for the big ranches down Texas and Oklahoma way like a lot of Leo blood in their horses becasue they have tons of endurance or bottom as they call it.

Well I got a young buckskin out here that is out of some real old breeding Beau's Bonanza and Jaguar. He is pretty as can be and soggy built as the old guys you to say about a horse who was muscles up good with some bone on him.He is just four and riding good and gentile as can be, but he needs some miles like they all do to be of the better kind. Guess I better go saddle up.

We castrate all of our own colts here and have for over 30yrs. We used to run them in the round pen and front foot them and tie them down, which sounds way easier than it is. Now days we head and heel them and stretch them out like a calf. I know it sounds like it would be harder on them than the other way but it truely isn't. We have probably cut 400 this way and have only injured one.(Knock on wood). After you get them roped and down you take the rope off the horse's neck so he doesnt choke and put one on his front feet. We always have plenty of help and you have someone hold the horse's head down and cover their eye. Then you just keep the ropes tight and go to work. It sure helps to have some big ol' stout gentle geldings for this part. Another thing when you make your first cut with the knife you need to already have ahold of the testicle through the scrotum and when you cut they will try to pull it away from you, dont let go because they have plenty of strength when it comes to taking care of the family jewels. They can pull them way up into their belly and it make them awful hard to get to. Also as Mike said, we never have to ask for help on colt cutting day the neighbors love to come help. We also end up cutting alot of colts for the neighbors. We dont use the hot iron and chunk of wood anymore we have a pair of emasculators.

tessa do you not have hounds anymore?

Probably cut 30 colts a year here.Emasculators way easier.Glad to know we are not the only ones throwing them out front.LOL one other thing we always do is when untying we always take the foot that gets pulled up to the shoulder and stretch it back as alot of times they will get sore in the stifle from fighting when the emasculators pinch.LOL As everyone else has stated it is always a good time.

hey guys youforgot one very important thing.............a tetinus shot ive seen many dead colts die from castrating and not receiving one

aw shit that didnt come out right ive seen many colts die after castration from not receiving one

make sure your Emasculators are turned the right way . I always tie the cord with a piece of stiching string from the vet also . I use to just let them bleed a little but not so much any more .