Willy Be Gelded?

Ben Theyre's yearling colt, Willy, is growing up fast. Is it time to geld him? Read on to find out what happened during a visit from the veterinarian

On one warm morning last spring, we stood at the fence and watched in near disbelief. Willy, our yearling colt, was rearing, circling, nipping, and generally hassling Beene, our 20-year-old gray Arabian gelding, who suffers from ringbone (a degenerative bone disease).

Usually, Beene's spirits seem lifted when Willy toys with him. But this episode was an escalation of similar aggressive behavior we'd seen earlier that week, when Willy sided up to his more-than-tolerant elder in a pre-breeding behavior.

Willy continued doing his dance, now moving to Beene's head and trying to grab his mane. This time, Beene wasn't so complacent; mane-grabbing was a step over the line. In a flash, the gelding whacked the colt with his neck, knocking the youngster to the ground.

Before I could say "ouch," Willy was back on his feet. He retreated to the comfort of his dam and began nursing. His size and desire to nurse creates an amusing scene. Little Mare will stop and stand for him, but Willy needs to crouch and bend his front legs to get his nose under his mother.

Soaking Up Knowledge
Spring has turned to summer. Regular readers know that I've taken on the task of training Willy. But being preoccupied with a visit in May by our friend from England and with my daughter's wedding in June, I'm the first to admit that I've been less than diligent. I vowed to pick up the training regimen once the wedding was over.

Despite the lapse in hands-on work, my research continues. Vanessa gave me a three-volume set of books by Deb Bennett, PhD (www.equinestudies.org), titled Principles of Conformation, which I'm reading from cover to cover. This set should be part of every horseman's library.

Surfing the web, I always visit MyHorse.com (The Trail Rider's companion site) to read the latest training blogs. I've also become a member of GoldBuckleNetwork.com, where I can play streaming video on a variety of training subjects. This works with my busy schedule.

The new Digital Television age is on us. I found a great show on training that airs on our PBS Create station, Saddle up with Dennis Brouse (www.saddleupwithdennis brouse.com). This Saturday morning series is the perfect way to begin the weekend. The show has taught me about my relationship with Willy, and the importance of subtlety, consistency, and perseverance.

Time for Gelding?
At 15 months old, Willy stands nearly 14.2 hands high. He's already his dam's height, and we expect him to reach 16 hands, the height of PassU, his sire.

Our colt permits us to feel and scratch his underside. As such, we've been able to monitor the development of his manhood over the weeks and confirm that it might be time to schedule his gelding.

And, so it would be.

On a warm, sunny June day, Peter Hecht, DVM, came to the farm prepared to perform the procedure that would take Willy into the next phase of his life. Joining him was his intern, a fourth-year veterinary student at the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph.

An unsuspecting Willy stood quietly, tied in the aisle in front of the stall where his dam was standing. His ears perked when we walked in. Dr. Hecht set his aluminum veterinary case on the barn floor and slowly approached the colt. "Well, let's see what we've got," he said amiably.

Vanessa placed her hand under Willy and gave him a belly-scratch. He instinctively raised his left rear leg to permit an examination. Both vet and intern were duly impressed. We all laughed at the behavior.

Then it was their turn. The vet stood next to the colt, pet his chest a couple of times, then reached under and scratched his belly. Up came the leg and the examination commenced. The manipulation took a bit longer than I expected. Dr. Hecht stepped back and suggested that the young intern also examine him.

"I've never done this examination before," she confessed. "Is there a wrong way to proceed?"

"No, he's pretty agreeable," Dr. Hecht replied. "He really doesn't display any stallion tendencies."

The intern pet Willy's chest and proceeded with caution. "I only feel one," she responded. Her mentor agreed.

Dr. Hecht turned to us and confirmed that only one testicle had dropped. He'd felt around to determine if the missing one was within reach and able to be removed, but that wasn't the case.

We'd need to postpone gelding Willy until he fully dropped. The vet told us Willy might be a cryptorchid (a developmental defect in which one or both testicles are retained in the abdomen), requiring a surgical procedure to geld him. Vanessa and I were disappointed, but accepted the prognosis.

The vet packed up his equipment and walked to his vehicle. "He's a real nice colt," he commented. "It's obvious you enjoy working with him."

The compliment encouraged me to keep up my research and to get back to the hands-on work we'd started.

Willy will be gelded, just like his dark color will lighten to gray. It's only a matter of time. He's a fine horse, and we look forward to the day when we'll ride him on the trails. He'll be our next trail horse, but he'll never really replace his pasture friend, Beene