Posted 2009-05-01 8:59 AM (#104261) Subject: The Gelding Project - MN
Elite Veteran
Posts: 792 Location: East Tennessee, USA, Planet Earth
What an awesome project. Kudos to the U of MN for stepping up to help the horses!!
Dr. Julie Wilson is one of the U of MN vets working on this proejct. We LOVE Dr. Julie Wilson!! She's an wonderful, caring vet. I hope other Vet teaching hospitals consider offering this program.
** The Gelding Project: Helping the Unwanted Horse One Stallion at a Time
The Minnesota Horse Welfare Coalition, the Minnesota Horse Council, the Animal Humane Society, and the University of Minnesota in cooperation with the Minnesota Association of EquinePractitioners are launching The Gelding Project.
This program is designed as a key step to reduce the number of unwanted horses in Minnesota. The first aspect of the project, Education Earns Stallions to Geldings, will encourage horse owners to choose to make stallions into geldings through education and financial incentives.
An interested horse owner who enrolls in the program will be eligible for a voucher to cover the cost of castration surgery by a participating veterinarian(includes the University of Minnesota Large Animal Hospital), once the owner attends 8 horse health and management educational sessions.
Here’s how the program works:
1. Get an official voucher from participating veterinarians, the Minnesota Horse Council, or members of the Minnesota Horse Welfare Coalition (more information listed on www.mnhorsecouncil.org ). Vouchers cost $5.
2. Attend 8 horse health and management educational sessions, including: General HorseCare, Reproduction, Nutrition, Facilities/Manure Management, Equine Dentistry, Vaccinations and/or De-worming, Horse Behavior, and a Lecture on the Unwanted Horseor volunteer 2 hours at a MN Horse Rescue.
3. Contact a participating veterinarian to arrange castration of the stalliona. The stallion must be halter broke b. The stallion must have 2 descended testicles c. Farm calls are not covered by the voucher
4. The voucher covers the cost of castration, anesthesia, post operative antibiotic and tetanus vaccination or anti-toxin.
5. Complete The Gelding Project evaluation before you leave the clinic.
6. You must be at least 18 years old and a Minnesota resident to participate.
7. For more information, contact Krishona Martinson (krishona@umn.edu or 612-625-6776) or Julie Wilson (wilso011@umn.edu or 612-625-3745).
Posted 2009-05-01 12:19 PM (#104276 - in reply to #104261) Subject: RE: The Gelding Project - MN
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 489 Location: CA
Sounds like a good project. I can't tell you how many people I know who bred their mares because "there was a stallion at the barn". They didn't think anything through, didn't research bloodlines, just bred their mares. Some came out nice. Others did not. Sad.
Posted 2009-05-03 10:51 PM (#104409 - in reply to #104261) Subject: RE: The Gelding Project - MN
Veteran
Posts: 114 Location: Home of the WNFR at Christmas
It is about time ... No one needs anymore crappy backyard bred horses, in fact we don't need more really well bred horses. There will always be enough and then maybe just maybe the prices will climb and only people that are willing to care for them will end up with them.
My wife and my vet are both grads of the U of M and I am glad to see it happen maybe more places will follow the lead.
Posted 2009-05-04 5:39 AM (#104411 - in reply to #104261) Subject: RE: The Gelding Project - MN
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 474 Location: White Mills, Ky.
2. Attend 8 horse health and management educational sessions, including: General HorseCare, Reproduction, Nutrition, Facilities/Manure Management, Equine Dentistry, Vaccinations and/or De-worming, Horse Behavior, and a Lecture on the Unwanted Horseor volunteer 2 hours at a MN Horse Rescue.
I must attend eight seminars? I'm afraid my free time is more precious to me. I just had a yearling gelded a few weeks ago. It cost me $150 and only took about 3 hours of my time, including the drive to the vet.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all in favor of continuing education. In 20 years of horse ownership, I have attended numerous seminars and clinics on all of the above mentioned subjects.
I don't live in MN so this doesn't really apply to me. I just can't help but wonder how many of these backyard breeders (and they are the ones who really need educating) will take the time to attend 8 seminars. JMHO
Posted 2009-05-04 7:19 AM (#104413 - in reply to #104261) Subject: RE: The Gelding Project - MN
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 378 Location: Nebraska
I think Dwight is right. Three things that are the root cause of this horse thing, closing killer plants, fourwheelers, and associations fees are to low. You can't stop the production of fourwheelers, it's going to take along time to reopen the killer plants,and the associations refuse to raise their fees. Poeple like horses are lazy, and for real incentives they want money for doing nothing. I believe if the associations would raise their fees and require more for registration it would be a good start.
Posted 2009-05-05 9:00 PM (#104509 - in reply to #104261) Subject: RE: The Gelding Project - MN
Location: KY
Registrations at all breed registries are off.....when a grade horse is worth the same as a registered horse, there is no incentive to register. Nice, broke horses are around and for sale at low prices; went to a registered sale recently, the horse's appearance and training level made the only difference in price (and it wasn't a lot of difference either). Only time and a reduction of supply is going to make a difference.
The Gelding Project - MN
