Vet Insight: Castration Focus

Photography by Polo Times

Standing castrations can be performed in situ with sedation

Castration Focus

When & where?

For small scale home breeding, there can be lots of questions you may have surrounding bringing up your foal in the best way possible; for those with colts the topic of castration is an inevitable bridge which will need to be crossed. Different disciplines and vets have varying opinions, but here we have answered some of the most commonly asked questions.

When?

Castration is usually done in spring of the yearling year, before the summer and the onset of flies which can cause infections and complications post-castration. If you cannot perform the castration in the spring, then it is best to wait until the autumn in order to avoid flies but before the conditions become too wet and muddy, which increases the risk of infection.

You should also consider what is suitable to you and your set up. If you have limited access to separate paddocks or do not have a suitable ‘bachelor’ group for the colt to mature with, then you may wish to castrate earlier rather than later in order to ease management – some brood mares are not sufficiently tough with their colts and allow their offspring to run roughshod over them and (sexually) bully them in the paddock. This can cause issues such as injury to the mare, as well as the colt becoming more stallionlike in its behaviour and difficult to handle. If castration isn’t an immediate option due to reasons such as age or the wrong time of year, weaning the colt and moving in an older, gelding companion can be a good way to teach the colt some manners and begin to teach them herd etiquette.

Although colts can technically be castrated at any age, opinions differ across different disciplines and locations – some suggest you should wait as long as possible in order to allow the colt to mature, while others believe that foals should be castrated at a younger age such as just before or just after weaning. In general, the consensus is that castration should occur between six to 18-months-old, as younger colts tend to recover faster and have fewer post-operative complications. If you leave castration until later then the colt will be more likely to develop stallion-like behaviours, and may require more advanced surgical castration.

It is important to check before castration that both testicles have descended, if you can only feel one (the colt is a “rig”) then you can either give the colt more time for the other testicle to descend (as this should happen before the colt reaches one-yearold) or have the castration performed at an equine clinic.

Straightforward castrations can be performed whilst standing and will usually last around 30 minutes

Where?

Different veterinary practices prefer general (field) anaesthetic over standing sedation and local anaesthetic, this depends on your vet’s preference. Standing sedation and local anaesthetic have the advantages of reduced costs, no travelling required and none of the risks involved with general anaesthetic; most owners prefer the option of standing sedation and local anaesthetic at home in order to reduce stress for the colt, but this is not possible in every scenario, such as with rigs, older stallions or scrotal hernias (gut in the scrotum).

For an at home castration, you will need a flat and dry field, or an indoor/ outdoor school, but the surface should not be too dusty, and a bucket of clean water. Once sedated, the operation is relatively quick, lasting about 30 minutes, unless complications are discovered.

Generally, recovery is uncomplicated remarkably quick, but it is still important to check daily for signs of swelling, bleeding or herniation (gut protruding from the incision). Gentle exercise is highly recommended, this is usually covered by self-exercise in the paddock.

There will be bleeding from the area, but this should be a slow dripping not a constant flow of blood. Your vet will likely prescribe a short course of painkiller/anti-inflammatories for the first 5-7 days after the procedure in order to reduce swelling. If you notice excessive swelling or fast flowing bleeding, then you should contact your vet.

Castrated colts should not be turned out with mares for at least six to eight weeks in order to ensure they are no longer fertile.

Waterlane Equine Vets Tel: 01452 770268 www.waterlaneequinevets.co.uk waterlaneequine@gmail.com