Saturday morning the Hubby and I were getting ready to leave when I notice 2 of my "up front" pasture horses whinnying about something. Well I just assumed they were talking to my other horses in the back pasture as they often do. But then the Hubby says to me, "I've been watching them trying to figure out what they are so worked up about...Do you see Bubba"? ME: "NO...actually I don't...Where is he"?! Hubby: (pulling me out further from where I was standing) "Look over there"...And there he was...NOT in his pasture!! Nope he was all the way across the field standing next to Rita and Bella...Great just what I want to do! Chase around a hopeful stud! SO the Hubby instinctively goes straight and grabs a bucket of feed thinking he can shake it and Bubba will come running. UMMM...Excuse me?!?! HELLO!!! I DO NOT bribe my horses!!! So at this point I was a *teeny* bit irritated because he knows the rules and this is a big one!
So I head over and grab a halter (of course I grabbed my camera out of my truck on the way *giggles*) and head out there and proceed to tell the Hubby that he is not going to come for that feed we just need to halter him! So the Hubby takes the lead with the bucket of feed and heads out there, I'm hobbling along through the freshly turned under pasture in my flip flops trying to catch up! So finally Rita see's us and she starts heading to the front of her pasture and Bubba takes off along the fence chasing her. So they get stopped and the Hubby goes to walk up to Bubba and makes some comment about "he's being to antsy to halter because he has other things on his mind" So he plops the feed in front of him, I guess thinking this would get him to stand still?! But nope of course not because he just wants to be where Rita is! Hubby had luckily laid the halter on the ground so I scooped it up and walked right up to Bubba and haltered him...YEP...That simple Hubby...WHY oh WHY do they always have to make something bigger than it is?!
So I head off with Bubba but quickly handing him over to the Hubby because of my flip flop issue, I've had toes stepped on 1 to many times! Bubba was none to interested in going back to his pasture but we got him there and his friends were glad to have him back! He ran the fence line and whinnied for a couple of minutes then he just went on about his business. We never did find his escape route...We are assuming he just slipped through the wires after having stuck his head through because he does have silver rub marks at the top of his withers.
Needless to say he must go in soon to be cut!
I know nothing about studs and gelding, but I'm assuming there's a reason for waiting, like helping them grow?
ReplyDeleteHow early can you geld a stallion? Is it better to wait until a certain age?
I've heard the term proud cut. Is this related to a stallion that is allowed to breed before gelding, or is that called something different?
Oh, and why don't you ever use a bucket of grain to capture a loose horse? That's the first thing I would have thought of doing, of course, not realizing that food is the last thing on a stallion's mind! lol!
~Lisa
Cor, never a dull moment with horses, is there? At least he let you catch him, though.
ReplyDeleteI don't "bribe" my horses, but they are trained to come when I whistle/shake the feed can. When I have them in a 400+ acre pasture I can't be chasing them around trying to halter them.
ReplyDeleteOuch!
ReplyDeleteI just love when those horses get out --- NOT -- I hate it! Now that we don't have any babies or real young uns it hasn't happened for awhile....
ReplyDeleteOiy! There is nothing worse than a young stallion. LOL-I can't stand it when they figure out they have cahones and start screaming. That's how Shooter ended up being a gelding. I had really contemplated leaving him a stallion, but when he started screaming at the mares...the deed was done!
ReplyDeleteGlad the youngster made his escape without damaging himself and ya got him back where he belonged. When is that appointment scheduled for? LOL
LOR~ A colt can be gelded early, sometimes they are gelded at weaning age (approx 6 months) and typically it is a good idea to get it done before they hit "puberty" 18-24 months. But the wait is typically for their growth. It does help their muscle growth etc. but sometimes they will develop to fast and one would have them cut. "Proud cut" is basically what happens when they do hit puberty and then carry that same attitude after being cut. My choice on not "bribing" with feed is because I don't want my horses to equate me with food...For example, we had an old horse friend that did not believe in using ANY type of manual encouragement to load his horse in a trailer so he would dump feed in the trailer hoping he would lead to it, well it would result in 2 hrs of waiting for the horse to do it! This friend passed away and left the horse with us and when it was feeding time he was very pushy about getting his food...We promptly trained him to trailer loading and he has no problem since! In my experience using food has made them to pushy and I don't like that...
ReplyDeleteBK~ LOL yes I can understand that on 400 acres! We have our back pasture that is only 20 and I will go out there and they will follow me up front then I close them in to catch whichever one I am needing!
BEC~ VERY SOON LOL!!!
Hahahahaha CGTCG.
ReplyDeleteA small addition of info on the Proud Cut thing. Technically, a proud cut horse is one that has either been cut incorrectly or one that was possibly a crypt and they only removed one testicle. Incorrect castration usually means that they removed both testicles but failed to cut the cords above that small knob, which leaves the horse with enough hormonal drive to actually breed a mare, although he would be incapable of getting her bred. A crypt that only had one testicle removed would also be able to breed a mare and on the rare occasion, is also able to settle her.
There are plenty of geldings out there that still have the drive to act rather 'studdy' that have been castrated early(as soon as both testicles have dropped) and properly. Some even go so far as to mount mares, although I have never seen one capable of the full breeding act. Obviously it's a hormonal level thing, but they are not quite sure why some geldings are affected and others are not.
Stinkin' boys!
ReplyDeletehaha, my WV is prego!
If its any condolence - he is a REALLY cute handful! LOL!
ReplyDelete