What am I going to do with a COLT?
So, you have bred your favorite mare to your favorite stallion in the hopes of that perfect jumper mare... You have picked impeccable bloodlines, and the perfect conformation match for your sweet, willing, and smart super-star mare. The stallion you chose is known for his amazing temperament, and has tons of fillies on the ground that you have fallen in love with. You have poured over the nutrition books, and followed all the vet protocols (including sexing your lovely filly) for the last 11 months, and have stayed up nights, sleeplessly watching to be there for your amazing mare at her foaling. The night has finally come, and you watch from outside the stall as your beautiful mare's sweat rises and she foals that beautiful, straight-legged.... COLT??? Wait..... WHAT?
He stands up after an hour of not being able to untangle his legs, and mama nickers softly as he shakes on unsteady legs, her milk having come in... he is sucking on everything BUT her, as you gently move him time and again at her udder wishing the Universe hadn't made these udders in such a dark and inaccessible spot. why not on the front of the chest, like human women?? THOSE are obvious!! Little buddy is just so daggone cute, but dumb as a box of rocks, and no manner of getting him to even find the milktruck is working, let alone trying desensitizing! That is a colt for you! Sloooow! LOL!
After about 4 hours of helping little dude to find mama's udder, syringe-feeding him to lead him to the milktruck, he finally gets it!! SUCCESS!!! You are finally able to collapse on your couch, exhausted and happy he is getting a little bit smarter... and then it hits you... A COLT? What am I going to do with a colt? His future flashes in front of your eyes, and you wonder if you can raise a stallion prospect, or is it better to geld him? You chose this breeding, and he is an exquisite colt- exactly what you bred for... maybe you want to see his personality develop, and work with him as if he is a top stallion prospect before you make a decision? Maybe you wait and see what others say and keep him intact? What will his inspection scores say? Whether you ultimately decide to geld him or not is your choice, but this blog will help with tips and tricks, as well as troubleshooting "colt behaviors" and recommending some tricks from over 40 years of experience working with horses of all ages. We hope you enjoy some of our targeted blog posts, and invite you to enjoy them!
Stay tuned for our next post on qualities we look for when deciding to keep a colt intact and bring him along as a stallion prospect.