Would Gelding Have Helped the Palmino Colt?

The yellow colt was already three years old, and after all the mishandling he'd received up until then, it's unlikely gelding would have helped much. The owner was very ignorant and selfish; she should have had the colt gelded long before as his behavior problems were clearly of long standing.

If you have the DVD, check the "Extras." There is more of the conversation between Buck and the owner of this horse; it ends with him rubbing his cuticles.

I noted something about Buck's interaction when loading the palomino stud; managed to see him at a Q & A in Gainesville, FL and ask him about it. When he initially asks the horse to load, it goes behind him. He sets up the ask for loading again, maintaining his space/territory.

At this point, the horse turns, lowers its head, flexes it neck and licks and chews. This is a horse's way of indicating understanding of/for a feel being offered. It felt something different from Buck. Could he have helped it? The horse was indicating it was receptive to him.

In Gainesville, I asked him if I had read that interaction correctly and he confirmed that I had. He also told me that much more had happened to that animal than had been conveyed. It had been shot at by kids (i.e., pellet guns), chased with ATVs or golf carts; basically turned into a place of total fear and feeling that it had to attack for preservation. He said it was only a matter of time before someone's child or some adult would be hurt or killed. That is why he moved both flags and asked that horse to load and go to its death.

If you listen carefully, you will hear heavy breathing in the microphone as he walks off. It was a waste of that animal's life; granted, it had a hard deal from the start, being oxygen-deprived at birth (anoxic brain damage possible)and then put in her house and not allowed to be socialized by dominant mares/ geldings or studs, which would have taught herd space and manners, though she claimed she had put it in with studs.... And, of course, gelding could have helped. The animal did not have much of a chance, given those conditions.

Buck said it could have had a useful life, could have packed someone around, if it had been handled correctly and with more support, as one does with a "Special Ed" student. Maybe not a record holder, but could have served a purpose.

Another classic example of a horse with a human problem. She did seek help; unfortunately for that horse, too late.

Yes. Gelding will almost always "help" with an aggressive stallion.
Three years old is not too old to make a difference. I have a gorgeous American Quarter Horse whose bloodlines, intelligence, and conformation made him a worthwhile stud, but at five years old he became aggressive and couldn't be kept with other horses because he kept attacking them. Rather than setting him up in a solitary environment, I had him gelded. Within a few months he was calm and tractable, and has seemed like a happier horse. He has never been a behavior problem since then, and in fact is more manageable than his pasture mate, who was gelded very young.

HOWEVER, there were more problems going on with this horse than too much testosterone. So though gelding would have helped, he would have needed a lot more than that, and from a totally professional trainer like Buck. Meanwhile, he was, as
Buck said, like "a predator."

The owner said she had about 18 studs, which was fantastically stupid.

There's no reason, NONE, to have studs, unless you're a breeder. If she couldn't afford to have them gelded, she couldn't afford horses, period.

I'm not a horse lover per se, but I'm married to one. He used to train horses using the gentler methods, and he was appalled at her ignorance.



Camera adds 10lbs;internet subtracts 50.

This is an interesting discussion, and in a way I can only hope that the owner did not follow through with her threat; it sounds as if gelding might have helped.

I was a little surprised at Buck's strong condemnation of her handling of the horse; I almost felt as if it was a little bit of the lashing out that he somehow managed to avoid in spite of the abuse he had received. I am not sure the woman was all that selfish ... ? I think she just might have taken the wrong tack with the horse. She said she kept it in the house for the first three months and bottle-fed it, etc.

However, she does remind me of those people on Animal Planet's show Fatal Attraction ... someone who wants to be close to wild animals, to somehow prove to the world that he or she understands them better than anyone else and can somehow tame them. Maybe the woman in question wants to be close to studs because they are as close to wild horses as one can get in a contained pasture. Eighteen does sound like a lot. Do you think she is perhaps making money off of them?

I also didn't necessarily feel she wasn't listening to Buck, just that she had never really listened to anyone before. I also wondered about Dan. I think he was one of the sponsors of that particular clinic, which I take it means he lived at that location. Do you suppose he had insurance? Who would have paid for his medical care?

Interesting movie. I noted on Amazon where I rented it that more than 500 people must have given it a five-star, top rating because it had a solid five-star rating. Seems like nobody didn't like this movie.

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