To Geld Or Not To Geld

Do you see this adorable face?
All winter I have waffled back and forth as to whether I wanted to geld Shooter or not. I have really been leaning toward NOT gelding him right away. Let me tell you, this would be the first time THAT thought has ever crossed my mind. Only one horse on this place has ever made it to the fall of his yearling year intact. As soon as the temps made it possible he was hauled to the vet and received his brain surgery. I don't know what my brother was thinking.;)Looking over the herd, there is not one single horse that we ever regretted gelding. We just are not "stallion" people.

But there has always been something a whole lot special about Shooter. I just hated the thought of gelding him and then regretting it. As a stud prospect, he is perfect. He is not related to any of our mares. Yet he possessed the exact bloodlines we want to cross them with. Also, his mother has outproduced herself every single time and Shooter is the last colt she will have. And well, he is going to be an absolutely gorgeous horse. The only thing I didn't think was perfect about him is the fact that he is a bit long in the back. But looking at the mares that I would potentially breed to him, that would be compensated for.

Well, guess what...he has an appointment with the veterinarian on Monday. My sweet, well-mannered colt has turned into a screaming monster. He got his cahones and he is letting the whole world know he is now a stallion. I was suddenly reminded of why everything is gelded around here. I HATE young stallions. They are the biggest pain in the butt things to have around EVER! I have weighted the pros and the cons and I don't want to raise a stallion. I want a nice gelding. So brain surgery is scheduled and I can't wait.

I had to make a short day of working horses today. I am on my way to the ranch to get things arranged so I can bring my bred-mare into town. In case you are wondering about the running tally on what got done that last few days, I'm trying to keep track of what's been done and who is doing what. Seems if I don't write it down somewhere, I forget by the next morning. Must be my age showing-LOL!

G got her "broke-horse" brain back...
She is a firecracker of a little mare, but darn nice when she hits her stride.

Turk was awesome today. Getting his teeth done was just the ticket. He walked out, jogged and loped off without so much as a swish of his tail. Before, he had a difficult time holding a jog and every time you asked him to lope, he rung his tail and kicked up in the back. I need to take him to the arena and work on his right lead. He just cannot seem to pick it up, so some roll-backs off the fence are in order.

VooDoo, the monstrous 4y/o got groomed up, sacked out and got the little bareback pad strapped to him while he ate his grain. He needs so much work. He is being a PITA about his feet and he has one really long front foot that is in desperate need of a trim. I am going to have to use a foot hobble to teach him to stand on three legs, cause he is so tall that when I bend to pick that foot up, he just steps over the top of me. I have no doubt he would do a happy dance on me if I pushed the issue. Ohhh Mikey...Wanna trade?

Boon-the little black mare we bought back last fall is a changed woman. No longer is she unfriendly toward people. Rather, she has decided that pocket pony status is for her. She still grinds her teeth occasionally, but you can tell it is more from habit than stress or nervousness. It's time to start saddling her. She is broke, but we just weren't too sure how broke. I'm just going to start her all over again to make sure there are no holes.

Roan Dog got the saddling treatment again. At least today, I did not feel the need to softly chant "Please do not kill me...please do not kill me", while saddling him in the stall. I even took him out of the stall to unsaddle him and trim his hind feet. He still won't let me pick up those front feet unless he is in the stall, but at least he isn't trying to fall down to avoid it anymore. Mom came tippy-toeing in the barn while I was working with him and I told her to stop acting like that around him. He knows when people are acting overly nervous around him and that makes him think he has something to worry about.

And these are the best dogs...ever...
There is not a move I make that I do not have these two keeping up with me. Where I go, they go. They just make my day!

And now I am off again...I am hoping to get my mare and the pony, Mighty Mouse moved to town tomorrow. It won't be long and I will be on foal watch again.