There has historically been quite a mystique about the procedure itself – probably because people are a bit shy to discuss it. As a result, there is sometimes serious confusion – remember, gelding is NOT the same as a vasectomy, and it can't be reversed…
The easiest way to prevent the behavior is to not turn geldings and mares out together. If this is not an option, a veterinarian can prescribe drugs for the gelding that will make him less anxious when he is separated from “his” mares.
There are some things to consider though. Your mare can be turned out with other mares as long as they get along. A pregnant mare should not be turned out with a stallion or even geldings. Geldings, while they no longer have the sex drive of a stallion, can still get an erection.
To keep a gelding from mounting mares, herding or guarding them, or fighting with other geldings, pasture him away from mares, even disallowing fence-line contact with them if possible. Without access to mares, the gelding will also be far less likely to act aggressively toward humans.
It can take a month. It can even take 6 months. When his testosterone levels drop, so will his stallion-like behavior. His metabolism will slow down and he will require less food and more exercise to maintain condition.
Depending upon the horse's age and maturity level, it may take several weeks for the testosterone levels to decrease. Aggression, especially to other horses, may still be seen for this short period of time.
In horses, as many as one third of completely castrated geldings will still achieve full erection, mount, insert, thrust, and ejaculate, especially when given pasture free access to females in estrus.
A rig is an entire male horse with no signs of external testicles so appears to be a gelding; but one or two testicles are still present, producing testosterone. A rig behaves like a stallion and, potentially, may be fertile.
Summary. In a normal castration, the two testes and the associated epididymis (sperm storage site located next to the testes) are removed. A gelding is termed "proud cut" if the horse has been castrated, but all or a part of a testis remains after castration.
These geldings may mount mares, act possessive of mares in a band, achieve an erection, or pursue mares even while being ridden. They may be generally more aggressive and harder to handle than a typical gelding. They may or may not show stallion physical characteristics like heavy muscling of the neck and jowls.
Mares and geldings also squeal – and for similar reasons. Squeals often occur when unfamiliar horses meet, or when one violates the space of another, especially when there's an important resource at stake, such as food. Much like humans, horses sigh as a means of releasing tension.
Having owned both geldings and mares in my lifetime, I find that geldings are considerably more reliable, affectionate and generally cooperative.
Q: Can a proud-cut horse still breed? Proud-cut horses are unable to breed. Even in those that have a full testis, the higher temperature makes the sperm un-viable. This doesn't stop them from behaving like a stallion, however, so keep them away from mares in heat.
Continued stallion-like behaviour can be a complication of castration. Geldings that display stallion-like behaviour are sometimes called false rigs. False rigs may display masculine behaviour ranging from genital investigation and squealing to mounting and even copulating.
An odd groaning or honking sound originating from the sheath can occur when a stallion or gelding trots. This is thought to be caused by tensing of the abdominal muscles causing air to be sucked into the sheath.
Some geldings may still show signs of riggy behavior especially if they were gelded late in their life, they are known as riggy geldings. These horses will require some form of behavioral therapy to calm them down and alter their mood, or certain supplements and herbs can also be used.
It may be that overstimulation of the dopamine pathway is causing the horses to become hyperaroused. Alternatively, spontaneous erections have been cited in the literature as a comfort behaviour, and Franzin has considered that dropping may simply be a sign of relaxation.
Colts gelded before sexual maturity tend to grow taller and stay leaner, because the absence of testosterone delays growth plate closure. Colts gelded before sexual maturity may never develop stallion-like behavior and are usually much easier to handle during surgery and recovery.
The most common time to geld a colt is between six and twelve months of age.
Some of our readers may have heard the term 'rig' before, when someone talks about a horse that is believed to be a gelding but acts like a stallion, especially around mares. Rigs can be unpredictable, moody and potentially dangerous, especially in inexperienced hands.
Regu-mate (altrenogest) is a synthetic hormone used to suppress the behavioral signs of heat (also called oestrus or being in season).
In first place we have the Belgian Draft Horse. This breed of draft horse originally comes from Brabant, which is in Belgium, and is known for being one of the strongest breeds of horse on the planet.
Studies have linked manure-eating in adult horses to those that are either underfed, or are fed diets that are low in fiber. This means horses that are not receiving enough roughage each day may start to eat feces to get the nutrients (i.e. fiber) that they are lacking.
Technically, there is no reason not to geld a young colt. Gelding well before puberty means your horse usually will not develop sexual behaviors and habits. It also may be less traumatic for the horse because there is less tissue to remove and a smaller incision.