When would a colt become able to breed? i.e. how to geld before getting in trouble?

[notforyouorme]

Just curious-I want to wait a few more months on my 7 month old, but as he is out in a mixed herd, I don't want any "accidents!" When do they become fertile/able to breed? He doesn't act like a stallion around the other horses, so I think he's fine, but I just thought I would check! Thanks!

[Ladybug Hill]

My colt actually covered a mare at 12 months. Did the whole deed. Good thing sperm count must have been too low to work. I was keeping a companion horse out with him to socialize him. I didn't own any geldings or other colts so he was turned out with that mare. I did specifically choose the mare that would be ok for him to breed if he was fertile.

I would highly encourage you to geld now if you plan to keep in a mixed herd. No reason to let it go on. Why worry? You will get plenty of stories here of young colts being fertile at quite the young age. If you do keep intact for several more months, I hope the mixed herd is your own so that no mares end up pregnant that you don't personally own.

[Home Again Farm]

Anything over 8 months is not safe enough for a mixed herd IMHO.

[not again]

Years ago a friend of mine had a foal from the Tom Fool line named Lucky Fool. He stayed with his mother until he was ten months. The next year she surprised everyone with a colt--who was named Fool's Venture.:eek:;)

[Hillside H Ranch]

I would geld him now. I've seen plenty of yearlings fully will and able to cover a mare and I've seen a couple of 10 month old colts showing plenty of interest in mares, i.e. mounting, etc.

[class]

my colt turned 9 months on january 1st. he is out with one gelding and one older mare. he hadn't shown any interest in the mare whatsoever but last monday he bit me hard and then last thursday while the farrier was trying to work on him he was a real idiot where he has always been a sweetheart every other time. he reared up and kicked out at me while he was trying to 'escape' the farrier. so he was gelded this morning. i only wish i would have done it a month ago though, before i took any damage. ;)

[Shawnda N]

I gelded a colt at nine months after I caught him "doing the deed" with his mother. He did not get her pregnant, but he did give her an infection that took all summer and many $$$ to clear up.

[Sugarbrook]

My Blue Who was so small. He got weaned at 7 months. At that time I turned him in with others his age (not size). All was well. I saw nothing happening with him. I did have one mare in with him that was a coming 4 yr old. We had not bred her yet because I bought her as a starving yearling. I was just being cautious with her. HA HA. Thought she was looking really great. Patting myself on the back for being such a good caretaker. Brought her in for a vet ck (normal inoculations) and went to clean her udder. YIKES!!!!! She was bagged up. Foaled that night. So, long story short, Hootie was 14 months when he very quietly opened his book without permission. Happens. Now i always remove the "boys" from the girls when they are about 10 months regardless of what I might see. They are sneaky devils!!!!!

[Ladybug Hill]

My Blue Who was so small. He got weaned at 7 months. At that time I turned him in with others his age (not size). All was well. I saw nothing happening with him. I did have one mare in with him that was a coming 4 yr old. We had not bred her yet because I bought her as a starving yearling. I was just being cautious with her. HA HA. Thought she was looking really great. Patting myself on the back for being such a good caretaker. Brought her in for a vet ck (normal inoculations) and went to clean her udder. YIKES!!!!! She was bagged up. Foaled that night. So, long story short, Hootie was 14 months when he very quietly opened his book without permission. Happens. Now i always remove the "boys" from the girls when they are about 10 months regardless of what I might see. They are sneaky devils!!!!!

That is an awesome story! LOL Just shows that even experienced breeders get caught sometimes!

What was the foal like?

[shawneeAcres]

I had a good friend who bred and raised QH's. They had ALWAYS run their weanlings, early yearlings colts out with the "herd" which included other weanlings/yearlings and bred and open mares. THis was HUGE place (literally the horses were on hundreads of acres of pasture) and she never had a problem UNTIL on year when two mares showed up pregnant, that had not bee bred. When they foaled, she had to DNA test every colt of breeding age to determine the sire, he was a 9 or 10 month old at the time of cover and covered and impregnated two mares! She ahd to do this in order to be able to register the foals.

[Sassenach]

My Blue Who was so small. He got weaned at 7 months. At that time I turned him in with others his age (not size). All was well. I saw nothing happening with him. I did have one mare in with him that was a coming 4 yr old. We had not bred her yet because I bought her as a starving yearling. I was just being cautious with her. HA HA. Thought she was looking really great. Patting myself on the back for being such a good caretaker. Brought her in for a vet ck (normal inoculations) and went to clean her udder. YIKES!!!!! She was bagged up. Foaled that night. So, long story short, Hootie was 14 months when he very quietly opened his book without permission. Happens. Now i always remove the "boys" from the girls when they are about 10 months regardless of what I might see. They are sneaky devils!!!!!

Yup my lad when he was a yearling jumped the fence and they found him in a pasture with some open mares. He has a filly in Ireland that was the result.

[Sugarbrook]

We gave him the barn name of Lincoln, because I said he would be famous!! His show name is "Who Knew". I thought that was a good one for him!!!!! He is a show pony starting his career up north right now. Thanks for asking.

[GAEventer]

I would certainly geld him now if you're not planning to keep him intact. We generally geld ours around 5-6 months but one year had a cold go through our barn and waited a bit longer to allow everyone to get over the cold. We had our three 10 month colts in a seperate pasture from our mares, yet one randy little fellow jumped our five foot fence and covered a mare. He's never been quite the same tempment wise and gets very excited at shows and such because he's interested in all the ladies. It would behoove you to make sure that he doesn't get an ideas by gelding him rather than wait too long and risk having issues to deal with.

[clint]

Quite a few years ago I got up early one morning, looked out the window, only to see my nine month old colt in full action with an older mare of mine. As near as I could tell, he did everything just right, including flagging his tail just before he dismounted. He was then an emergency castration and I gave prostin to the mare after five days. I would geld. ;)

[Bravestrom]

interest topic - I am in almost the same boat - my colt - at 8 months - still looks and acts so much like a baby I can't imagine it.

He is in a herd of 11 - two other geldings and the rest of them are mares including his mother - who he still takes the occasional nurse off of. I hadn't really planned on separating him until it got a little warmer. He certainly isn't acting studdy at all - still really acts like a foal - so I guess I better keep an eye on it.

I am going to be very sad when I have to separate him - he enjoys being with the herd so much and I haven't quite figured out who he is going to be with. Probably with my gelding and a pony gelding until I have some mares prego - then they can join that group.

I was hoping he could stay with the herd for at least the summer.