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Gelding a horse at home.

20K views 64 replies 26 participants last post by  KigerQueen 
#1 ·
Maybe I am nuts....or being over protective or too sensitive. A friend of mine and her husband cut their own horses to save the 100 dollar vet bill. They do this by taking 4 long ropes. I dun know the best way to explain so i will just put the steps out

1. Find 2 sturdy trees about 9 foot apart or so
2. Tie horses head to the first tree
3. then tie the horses back legs and wrap around the tree
4. then they spook the horse so when it backs up, he tightens the legs to the trees so that the horse trips down onto its back.
5. Tie the horses front legs together and secure back legs so they as its owners, do not get hurt.
6. They then as they say "sterilize" the area by throwing a bucket of water and iodine onto the horses testicles.
7. No pain medications or sedatives are used during the first process, or the process of the horse being cut open and his testicles ripped out....they finish by pouring more iodine on the wound.


Now this is the kicker, they buy and sell horses so they do this on a regular basis. The horse after being cut, is put in a tiny stall to "swell" up for 3-4 days that way the horse is in to much pain to buck or fight them while they break it to ride.....

I almost laughed at them when they wanted to cut my horse...I have alot of dirt on them....but this to me is cruelty....they say its the old fashioned way or the "cowboy" way....any opinions?
 
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#12 ·
I would be calling the authorities. This is cruelty to me too, and I really hope this is not true. Sickening.
Agree. That sounds just sickening.

The next time that lady and her husband need a surgical procedure done, let's just tie them up, and administer no anesthetic and no pain killers, and just CUT into them.

See how they like torture.

I can't imagine a more cruel thing you can do to an animal than purposefully inflict pain on them like that, when there is a much more comfortable way to do it.
 
#6 ·
I would think it would be illegal. Wyominggrandma posted "they can geld it anyway they want". What, then, would stop someone who is abusing an animal from saying "I can reprimand any way I want"?

To me, this is sick. No pain killers? Seriously? You would think the men working would at least have that much sympathy.

Anyway, I would definitely call the authorities. The worst that can happen is they say there is nothing they can do... And at least you would know that you did something.
 
#8 ·
That makes me squirm and I don't even have that equipment.

I "have" heard people castrating bulls by tying a string around their "boys" until they essentially "fall off."

I guess some people want to save a buck. I wouldn't even have the personal confidence to take it upon myself to geld a horse.
 
#14 ·
That makes me squirm and I don't even have that equipment.

I "have" heard people castrating bulls by tying a string around their "boys" until they essentially "fall off."

I guess some people want to save a buck. I wouldn't even have the personal confidence to take it upon myself to geld a horse.
If your talking about banding, it is actually one of two vet-approved castration methods. Banding, a super strong band is put around the balls, and they wither and fall off; a tourniquet. Using a Burdizzo, they have to pin the animal, pry it's legs apart, and crush each cord. Its not just a matter of saving a buck- no incision, less chance for infection. If it wasn't for how tight to the body they're held, horses would be treated this way too.

Other little 'fun fact'- in the sheep world, cryptos are intentionally made by pushing the balls up and banding below it. They're used as teasers.

(I know way too much about animal balls...:lol:)
 
#10 ·
I actually did call the authorities and nothing was done...my "friend" and her husband said that this method of gelding their horses is good for them, it teaches the horse to respect them...i've trained with natural methods my whole life and i know there are better ways to achieve respect with your horses.
 
#11 ·
Its very legal here in Texas as well, and it was done at the farm where I used to volunteer. I find it sick and cruel, and there is a MUCH higher risk of infection, complications, proud cutting, etc., but there isn't much that can be done about it. They had one very nice gelding die very shortly after gelding though because he was done incorrectly. It was incredibly sad.
 
#15 ·
That I didn't know :) Thank you for clarifying (Honestly!) I had only heard about it, never knew how it really worked. Sounded painful, but, it certainly makes it much easier on lowering hanging critters!

Never knew they intentional created crypts though! Interesting!
 
#16 ·
We have castrated our own horses for about 40 years. We have never had an infection or a bleeder. I have a very good set of emasculators and have never had a problem with yearlings up to 10 and 12 year old studs. We lay them down and have never had a problem with a single one of them.

After my arthritis got bad, I lost my dexterity and nearly cut my arm off, so I had the Vet out to do 4 or 5 of them. One nearly bled to death and one got so infected I had to open him up twice. He was so bad, we had to lay him down the second time and completely open him up and enlarge the original incision. She did not open him up far enough the first time and he closed over.

After that, I made a deal with a cowboy that lives 1/2 miles from us. I furnish the sterilized emasculators, the 'know-how' and a sharp sterile knife and he helps us do it. We do any he has art the same time. We have done this for about 6 or 7 years now. I repeat -- we have never had one infected, proud cut or injured in any way.

Horses are livestock. Like cattle and other livestock, they handle just fine working them like other livestock. We lay them down and never have a problem with that, either. It is all in knowing what you are doing.

I learned to do this and other surgical procedures when I lived 75 miles or farther from my Vet. All I can say, if you want to use a Vet for everything, that is your business. If we, or other ranchers, do not need one for everything, that is ours. I use Vets for many things but routine things like castrations is just not one of them.
 
#17 · (Edited)
Speaking from a purely clinical standpoint (or at least as much of one as I can manage because that disgusts me) I've seen something similar here a few times. I do believe that this is cruelty, no if and's or buts. Without any sort of local anesthetic or sedation plus the fact that they are tying a horse up and using that method to lie a horse down is not humane nor is it sensible in the slightest. I for one would be up the authorities AND the owners behinds like there was no tomorrow. Also I don't think that it teaches respect in the slightest. In my experience doing a procedure even in a good way does not endear or make the animal respect you in the slightest. Work with the animal does.

IMO they're going to get a horse or themselves killed when this goes awry. Seems to me like they've been pretty lucky to not have a horse bleed or fall out when they're doing their 'training' (and I've seen that happen, not pretty).

When a similar method was common around here we had four different people get killed. I do believe the common death blow was the horse fighting back and kicking the crap out of them. They'd all been "Doing this for years" and "It worked always".

Cherie: I for one have no problem using your method. None at all. In all actuality that's the method most of my vets and/or my bosses use. The main problem I have with this (and maybe I've read the OP wrong and grant it I'm not there) is not using the proper equipment and not having the proper knowledge of how to do it and the after care. (Not talking about a degree but just a simple "I was trained how by someone who knew what they were doing) I've seen some pretty hack jobs by individuals who had been doing this their 'whole life'.
 
#18 ·
Like Cherie, my husband cuts our horses. I have said it here on HF before and I will say it again, my husband does a better job than most vets. Like Cherie, never had an issue with bleeding or infection and heals faster than most vets jobs.

We don't do like the OP described but they do get roped and laid down which is a hell of a lot safer than stretching between trees.
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#19 ·
My honest opinion, I see no problem with people cutting their own Horses. I do however, believe that it needs to be done in a humane way.I know alot of people who would rather do it! Shoot, if I wasn't scared i would mess it up I would do it myself. Vets are not perfect and aren't quite needed for every scratch that appears on an animal.

its true..... Horses are livestock, just like cows and goats....but none of these animals should be cut in a cruel way.....yet people still do it. Such a shame :/
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#21 ·
I find it hard do believe that a vet who has done this procedure likely thousands of times has a lower infection or bleeding rate then "do it yourselfers".

People get pain and anesthesia ALL the time for things that don't seem as invasive as this. Having a superficial lesion removed usually involves lidocaine. I watch a circumcision in school, that baby got 4-5cc of lidocaine around the penis area. Women with tears after childbirth also get local anesthesia to the area before they stitch it together. Hell, even HORSES get numbed up for sutures!! These are VERY minor procedures compared to having you scrotum cut open and your testicles ripped out.

This isn't the 1800's. We have medication to prevent pain, make someone comfortable and to prevent medication. Not taking advantage of theses really is down right cruel!!
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#24 ·
I find it hard do believe that a vet who has done this procedure likely thousands of times has a lower infection or bleeding rate then "do it yourselfers".

People get pain and anesthesia ALL the time for things that don't seem as invasive as this. Having a superficial lesion removed usually involves lidocaine. I watch a circumcision in school, that baby got 4-5cc of lidocaine around the penis area. Women with tears after childbirth also get local anesthesia to the area before they stitch it together. Hell, even HORSES get numbed up for sutures!! These are VERY minor procedures compared to having you scrotum cut open and your testicles ripped out.

This isn't the 1800's. We have medication to prevent pain, make someone comfortable and to prevent medication. Not taking advantage of theses really is down right cruel!!
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It may be hard to believe, but yes, I would trust my husband over a vet for cutting colts. I have seen my husband cut hundreds just in the time that we have been together, not sure how many he has done before that.
He used to cut colts for a few stock contractors and our ranch raised colts. I have worked in training barns on and off through my career and seen plenty of colts cut by vets. Seen more complications from vet jobs.
I am not talking out my ***, just speaking from my experience.
 
#25 ·
I use a vet. I watched one gelding take place by a vet and that was enough. I don't even like cleaning fish that have been caught. Maybe if I grew up on a farm or hunted, it might be a different story. If I was transported back in time where hunting meant survival, I would be dead.
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#26 ·
Regardless of the outcomes, you don't think there is a better way to do it for your horses sake? If it was easier or quicker don't you think the vet would be doing it that way?

I really can't see any vet, money aside, who would condone gelding without anesthesia.
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#27 ·
Something else to consider, ya'll. Sometimes the horse that needs gelding (and needs gelding NOW) may not be gentle enough for a vet to administer anesthesia.

Personally, I have no problem at all with folks gelding their own so long as they know what they're doing but since I trust my vets and don't begrudge the bill for the rare occasion I need one gelded (and I have the time to get them trained enough to stand for the shots), I just have them do it.

Some of you may remember the herd of feral horses that we captured last year about this time, the herd where I got my little filly? There were 5 or 6 mature studs in that herd and several weanling/yearling colts. They were going directly to a broker and, likely, to a slaughter house...but the transporters won't transport studs or recently gelded animals. It needed done quickly, no time for training.

The only other option besides using ropes and good stock horses to lay them down was to squeeze them up into a chute and try to give a thrashing horse a shot of anesthetic. If they had tried that, they likely would have had several bleed out from having the vein in their neck shredded by the needle while the vet tried to give the shot.

Cattle are cut without anesthesia all the time, thousands are handled that way every year on ranches all across the country. That's the way it's been for over 200 years. Horses are no different. IMHO, people just get all squirmy because horses are "pets" and cattle aren't *shrugs*.
 
#28 ·
Cattle and horses have a much higher pain threshold than humans.

I do not cut horses as it is slightly different than doing bull calves, but from cutting my fair share of bull calves I found the worst part of it is actually cutting the bottom of the sack off not the process itself.
 
#29 ·
And they didn't have a difficult time with laying a 100% alert horse in survival mode and cutting his testicle open then ripping them out? One little needle would of sent them over the edge?

I don't agree with castrating live stock medication-less either. Smaller animals I can under stand, they can be taken off with one quick snip.

My solution? Well I don't know, I'm not a vet and I'm not a rancher. I just don't see the point in trying to save a dollar when your horses comfort is at stake.
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#31 ·
And they didn't have a difficult time with laying a 100% alert horse in survival mode and cutting his testicle open then ripping them out? One little needle would of sent them over the edge?

I don't agree with castrating live stock medication-less either. Smaller animals I can under stand, they can be taken off with one quick snip.

My solution? Well I don't know, I'm not a vet and I'm not a rancher. I just don't see the point in trying to save a dollar when your horses comfort is at stake.

It's not about the needle, it's about trying to put the needle into a very large vein on a part of the animal that it's impossible to immobilize without choking them. You can't keep the horse from flinging his head around, but if you put a rope around the front feet and another rope around the backs and stretch him out gently, then he simply lays over on his side and nobody is going to get kicked or trampled. The horse isn't going to get more seriously hurt because he can't squirm around or move his body at a bad moment. It's not easy, but it's a lot safer for everyone involved, including the horse.

As for just trying to save a buck, there's a lot more to it than that. You have to remember that this practice is most common in situations where there are multiple animals needing cut. Maybe an entire herd. $100 a pop is no big deal to me because I've only had to do it every couple of years to a single horse. However, if I needed 30-50+ horses gelded this spring, that's a lot of money.

As for cattle, well, when I was working calves on one of the smallest ranches in this part of the country, we'd commonly cut 500+ calves in a weekend. Not exactly feasible to pay for anesthetic without the price of doing business, and therefore the price of meat, skyrocketing.
 
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