Agelding (/ˈɡɛldɪŋ/) is acastrated malehorse or otherequine, such as apony,donkey or amule. The term is also used with certain other animals andlivestock, such as domesticatedcamels.[1] The equivalent terms for castrated malecattle aresteer orbullock, andwether forsheep andgoats.
Castration renders the male animal calmer, better-behaved, less sexually aggressive, and more responsive to training efforts. This makes the animal generally more suitable as an everydayworking animal, or as apet in the case of companion animals.[2] Thegerund andparticiple "gelding" and the infinitive "to geld" refer to the castration procedure itself.
The verb "to geld" comes from theOld Norsegelda, from the adjectivegeldr'barren'.[3] The noun "gelding" is from the Old Norsegeldingr.[3]
TheScythians are thought to have been among the first to geld their horses,[4][5] as they valuedwar horses that were quiet and less defensive, as well as easier to keep in groups and less likely to be territorial, without the temptation of reproductive/mating urges.Aristotle is said to have mentioned gelding as early as 350 BC.[6]
A male horse is often gelded to make him better-behaved and easier to control. Gelding can also remove lower-quality animals from thegene pool.[7] To allow only the finest animals to breed on, while preserving adequategenetic diversity, only a small percentage of all male horses should remain stallions. Mainstream sources place the percentage of stallions that should be kept as breeding stock at about 10%,[8] while an extreme view states that only 0.5% of all males should be bred.[9] In wild herds, the 10% ratio is largely maintained naturally, as a single dominant stallion usually protects and breeds with a herd which is seldom larger than 10 or 12 mares, though he may permit a less dominant junior stallion to live at the fringes of the herd.[10] There are more males than just herd stallions, so unattached male horses group together for protection in small all-male "bachelor herds", where, in the absence of mares, they tend to behave much like geldings.[11]
Geldings are preferred overstallions for working purposes because they are calmer, easier to handle, and more tractable. Geldings are therefore a favorite for manyequestrians. In somehorse shows,[which?] due to the dangers inherent in handling stallions, which require experienced handlers,[12] youth exhibitors are not permitted to show stallions in classes limited to just those riders.[13]
Geldings are often preferred overmares, because some mares become temperamental when inheat and the use of mares may be limited during the later months of pregnancy and while caring for a youngfoal.
Inhorse racing, castrating a stallion may be considered worthwhile if the animal is easily distracted by other horses, difficult to handle, or otherwise not running to his full potential due to behavioral issues.[14] While this means the horse loses any breeding value, a successful track career can often be a boost to the value of the stallion that sired the gelding.
Sometimes a stallion used for breeding is castrated later in life, possibly due tosterility, because the offspring of the stallion are not up to expectations, or simply because the horse is not used much for breeding. Castration may allow a stallion to live peacefully with other horses, allowing a more social and comfortable existence.[8]
Under BritishNational Hunt racing (i.e.Steeplechase) rules, to minimize health and safety risks, nearly all participating horses are gelded.[15] On the other hand, in other parts of Europe, geldings are excluded from many of the most prestigious flat races including the Classics and thePrix de l'Arc de Triomphe[16] (with an exception being the French classicPrix Royal-Oak, open to geldings since 1986).[17] In North American Thoroughbred racing, geldings, if otherwise qualified by age, winnings, or experience, are allowed in races open to intact males. The same applies in Australia.
Some cultures historically did not and still seldom geld male horses, most notably theArabs, who usually usedmares for everyday work and for war.[18] In these cultures, moststallions are still not used for breeding, only those of the best quality. When used as ordinary riding animals, they are kept only with or near other male horses in a "bachelor" setting, which tends to produce calmer, less stallion-likebehavior.[19] Sometimes religious reasons for these practices exist; for example, castration of both animals and humans was categorically forbidden in theHebrew Bible and is prohibited inJewish law.[20]
Although castrations generally have few complications, there are risks. Castration can have complications, such as swelling,hemorrhage or post-operative bleeding,infections, andeventration. It can take up to six weeks for residual testosterone to clear from the new gelding's system and he may continue to exhibit stallion-like behaviors in that period. For reasons not always clear, about 30% of all geldings may still display a stallion-like manner, some because of acryptorchid testicle retained in the horse, some due to previously learned behavior, but some for no clear reason. Training to eliminate these behaviors is generally effective. If a standing castration is performed, it is possible for the horse to injure the veterinarian during the procedure. If complications arise, the horse must be immediately anesthetized.[21] Castration does not automatically change bad habits and poor manners. This must be accomplished by proper training.[8]
A horse may be gelded at any age; however, if an owner intends to geld a particular foal, it is now considered best to geld the horse prior to becoming a yearling,[22] and definitely before he reaches sexual maturity. While it was once recommended to wait until a young horse was well over a year old, even two, this was a holdover from the days when castration was performed withoutanesthesia and was thus far more stressful on the animal. Modern veterinary techniques can now accomplish castration with relatively little stress and minimal discomfort, so long as appropriateanalgesics are employed.[23] A few horse owners delay gelding a horse on the grounds that thetestosterone gained from being allowed to reach sexual maturity will make him larger. However, recent studies have shown that this is not so: any apparent muscle mass gained solely from the presence of hormones will be lost over time after the horse is gelded, and in the meantime, the energy spent developing muscle mass may actually take away from the energy a young horse might otherwise put into skeletal growth; the net effect is that castration has no effect on rate of growth (although it may increase the amount of fat the horse carries).[24]
Many older stallions, no longer used at stud due to age or sterility, can benefit from being gelded. Modern veterinary techniques make gelding an even somewhat elderly stallion a fairly low-risk procedure,[25] and the horse then has the benefit of being able to be turned out safely with other horses and allowed to live a less restricted and isolated life than was allowed for a stallion.
Owners of male horses, both geldings and stallions, need to occasionally check the horse'ssheath, the pocket of skin that protects thepenis of the horse when it is not in use forurination (or, in the case of stallions, breeding). Geldings tend to accumulatesmegma and other debris at a higher rate than stallions, probably because geldings rarely fully extrude the penis, and thus dirt and smegma build up in the folds of skin.[26]
There are two major techniques commonly used incastrating a horse, one requiring onlylocal anaesthesia and the other requiringgeneral anaesthesia. Each technique has advantages and disadvantages.
Standing castration is a technique where a horse is sedated and local anaesthesia is administered, without throwing the horse to the ground or putting him completely "under". It has the benefit thatgeneral anaesthesia (GA) is not required. This method is advocated for simple procedures because the estimatedmortality for GA in horses at a modern clinic is low, approximately one or two in 1000. Mortality in the field (where most horse castrations are performed) is probably higher, due to poorer facilities.[27]
For standing castration, thecolt orstallion issedated, typically withdetomidine with or withoutbutorphanol, and often physically restrained.Local anaesthetic is injected into theparenchyma of bothtestes. An incision is made through thescrotum and the testes are removed, then thespermatic cord is crushed, most commonly with eitherligatures oremasculators, or both. The emasculators are applied for two to three minutes, then removed, and a careful check is made for signs ofhaemorrhage. Assuming that bleeding is at a minimum, the other side is castrated in the same manner. Mostveterinarians remove the testis held most "tightly" (or close to the body) by thecremaster muscle first, so as to minimize the risk of the horse withdrawing it to the point where it is inaccessible. The horse, now a gelding, is allowed to recover.
Standing castration can be performed in more complicated cases. Some authorities have described a technique for the removal ofabdominally retained testes fromcryptorchid animals,[28] but most surgeons still advocate a recumbent technique, as described below.[29] The primary drawback to standing castration is the risk that, even with sedation and restraint, the horse may object to the procedure and kick or otherwise injure the individual performing the operation.[30]
Putting a horse undergeneral anaesthesia for castration is preferred by some veterinarians because "surgical exposure is improved and it carries less (overall) risk for surgeon and patient".[31] For simple castration of normal animals, the advantages to recumbent castration are that the horse is prone, betterasepsis (sterile environment) can be maintained, and betterhaemostasis (control of bleeding) is possible. In addition, there is significantly less risk of the surgeon or assistants being kicked. In a more complex situation such as castration ofcryptorchid animals, theinguinal canal is more easily accessed. There are several different techniques (such as "open", "closed", and "semi-closed") that may be employed, but the basic surgery is similar. However, general anaesthesia is not without risks, including post-anaestheticmyopathy (muscle damage) andneuropathy (nerve damage),[32] respiratory dysfunction (V/Q mismatch), and cardiac depression.[33] These complications occur with sufficient frequency that castration has a relatively high overall mortality rate.[27] To minimize these concerns, the British Equine Veterinary Association guidelines recommend twoveterinary surgeons should be present when an equine general anaesthesia is being performed.[34]
With both castration techniques, the wound should be kept clean and allowed to drain freely to reduce the risk ofhematoma formation, or development of anabscess. The use oftetanus antitoxin andanalgesics (painkillers) are necessary andantibiotics are also commonly administered. The horse is commonly walked in hand for some days to reduce the development ofedema.[35]
Minor complications following castration are relatively common, while serious complications are rare. According to one in-depth study, for standing castration the complication rate is 22%, while for recumbent castration it is 6% (although with a 1%mortality).[25]The more common complications are:
...in the US, expect to spend around $10,000 for a maturegelding and up to $17,000 for a pregnant female.
Gelding has been carried out for centuries, and written work byAristotle mentions gelding as early as350 B.C.E.
