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Member
Posts: 6
| When should I expect my colt to drop? I know it can vary. At what age should I start to get worried? Anything I can do to help it along? He doesn't act studish at all.
Also, other than xray, is there a way to tell if their knees are closed up and they are okay to ride? When does this usually happen? |
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Expert
Posts: 3300
  
| A couple of months but mine have always been dropped when they were born |
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  Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | We've been scammed on 2 we bought that supposedly had both testicles down. Waited until they were 2, and castrated them. If they aren't there by yearlings, I would lose hope. Now before we even go look at a stud prospect, I pics of both of his "boys". One we bought through a sale and he was announced to have dropped both. Nope. |
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| CRYPTIDS are usually rare and inherited from sire or dams genes. Under two years old .... If they are visible at all they look like a larger and a smaller peanut sitting above the larger peanut. You are not going to see two baseballs dangling down there!!
If a colt is dangling and aroused ... you will see nothing dangling down there because he has his testicles sucked up above his scrotum ...
A colt will suck up his manhood anytime you want to do a real look-see ... so catch them at a very relaxed moment like eating and take a peep... it may take several peeps over a period of time... lol . Also if colt is given a shot to relax him for an injury or whatever ... his manhood will usually show up.
There is a membrane above a colts scrotum for his testicles to drop thru .. so many times you will only see one and then around 2 years old both will be dangling ... so do not get excited when your cat and dog vet tells you he only has one hanging and calls him a cryptid ... wait another 6+ months and let Mother Nature take her course and while colt is down ... have his wolf teeth extracted at the same time when gelding him.
NOTE: Anytime you sedate a horse to go down ... make sure you have a clean soft towel to place over both of their dilated eyes to protect them from any sunshine damage.
The male hormones put muscles and growth on a colt as he grows so my standard procedure is to wait on gelding one until 2-3 months prior to starting his riding training in his 2yo year. .. If gelded too early they build fat tissue between their muscle fibers and his muscles would look like a good marbled steak from a steer calf. I firmly believe this fat is responsible for a lot of unconditioned horses tieing up.
My mode for never having had a cryptid is simple ... buy the most modern day successful bloodlines you can to suit your event. Inherited cryptid syndrome can take 40 years to disappear from just one stallion or mare line that is responsible. i.e. 20 years for stallion or mare to stop producing and 20 years for their last crop to stop producing = 40 years ... the number of cryptids do get fewer and fewer with each generation .... they are no longer banned by registries but must be listed and stamped as such on their papers. ... same as parrot mouthed ..
KNEES CLOSING ...
FILLIES a few months earlier than colts or geldings typically around 26 months old
COLTS OR GELDINGS ... 28-32 months old
What you are seeing is the horse is finally growing his knee caps ... human kids don't grow any knee caps until 4-5 years old.
Toed in or toed out or crooked from knee down which includes let down pasterns are the 3 conformational things that are the most destructive to a horse's knees and reduces their time of being usable for their chosen careers ...
When buying ... you want to see flat knees facing forward and if you dropped a plumb line from the center of the knee it would be centered in the middle of the hoof. .. Let down pasterns is another of my no-no's ... sign of weak ankles and ligaments that will carry over into problems as a horse grows older.
My most critical analysis of one of my foals is within 48 hours of birthing. You can see the overall skeleton, any let down pasterns, straight legs, forward facing knees, cow hocks, or over at the front end or spraddled in the rear. Very minor defects will correct themselves within 30 days of foal growing and conditioning their muscles along with a good healthy mama with a good feeding program. .. Your eyes will tell you if foal is correct or not ...
Edited by BARRELHORSE USA 2014-12-13 2:26 AM
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 Sock eating dog owner
Posts: 4557
Location: Where the pavement ends and the West begins Utah | I let them go to 3 years if home permits. The more there the better to work with is my motto. Some horses knees will remain open till there late 3's depending on fast they grow breed and nutrition. One gelding we were readying for the track had C+ open knees as a 3 year old 17 hand horse so we sent him home. C+ is a pretty big gap. Xrays is the way to go if you really want to know. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2041
Location: home for the winter...what a dumb idea | If he hasn't dropped by 3 ...I would be worried . we waited because are vet said to on a colt .....he got extreamly aggressive by spring of his 4 year old year still only had one down.....took him in to the big vet hospital and had surgery do....his non descended nut was swelled to the size of a grape fruit and up by his kiddies. .....that was Y he was so ornrie all the time |
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