Gelding a 4 year-old ex-racehorse

Question

splash   QUESTION: In April of this year I bought a 4 year-old ex-racehorse stallion. (see picture #1) I had him gelded, and shipped from Kentucky to Pennsylvania 2 weeks later. I could not believes the difference in the appearance of the horse. Prior to gelding, he had a muscular neck and haunches. and moved beautifully. When he arrived here, he had a U-neck, lack of muscle in chest and rump, and appeared very different. (see picture #2) His attitude also is changed, as he is sluggish, lazy, lacks enthusiasm. We have eliminated all possible health and soundness issues. Can gelding a horse at this age manifest itself in such a drastic way?
With the pic i sent , i also have a pic before he was gelded and a recent one that shows some improvement, but no where near looks like he did..

ANSWER: Hi Jennifer - This service only lets you load one picture which is a shame ... I hope they are able to change that soon.  I'll remind you that I'm not a vet but I have seen physical/emotional changes like this in post hospital recovery horses before.  Gelding a horse at 4 isn't all that uncommon and I've known many stallions that have had this procedure at much later stages in life do just fine.  My best guess is that this horse has experienced a great deal of stress in a pretty short period of time.  As a race horse, he was a top athlete and ate and trained like one.  Then one day he was yanked off his training routine and his amped-up diet disappeared.  He underwent surgery and was tossed on a van where he got off in a yet another new environment.  I know it's been about six months but some horses are more sensitive than others and take longer to adjust to all of these events plus, by the comments in your question, I'm guessing that Splash may also be experiencing some level of depression. I would recommend incorporating beet pulp into Splash's diet if you haven't already done so and spend a lot of time grooming him and just being with him.  I'm not sure what your routine or schedule is with him or what his current boarding situation is but I'm hoping that he's out on pasture or in a paddock with some other geldings most of the time.  Since all health and lameness issues have been eliminated, this is my best guess as I have seen several horses lose a great deal of weight and enthusiasm after very brief hospital stays.  I have yet to see anything that will take weight off of a horse faster than stress. I bet that with time and a great deal of affection and reassurance from you, Splash will slowly come around and bloom right before your eyes!  I would love to receive updates on his condition if you think about it and have the time.

Thank you Jennifer!

Judi

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QUESTION: Thank u much ur insight was very helpful. This makes perfectsense since he was takin from track (only 4 races)  turned to pasture until  gelded in ky last week may /11 put on a truck 24 hrs to arrive to me in pa ( he looked like something ready 4 glue factory) nothing likepics/ video. Been in  5 day/wk training for leg yields-lat movement, softening jaw and manners. Is on 2 scoops 11-12% protein grain plus supp morn n eve n let's not forget treats!!!;-) video of him along with more pics on Facebook pg Jennifer Simons - Rodriguez. Any further advice greatly welcomed. He does not get much turnout while training. Another thing that I like u mentioned depression his ears 90% time to the side or back, so I will bepicking up some beet pulp.

Answer
Yay Jennifer ... I'm so glad I was able to help and thanks for the fb info.  I thought I should have included mine in my answer but I had already sent it.  The beet pulp will help Splash put on weight without jacking up his sugar levels and it will increase his fibre intake as well.  Most horses do very well on it but it can be a stable management pain in the a$$ because it comes dehydrated and has to be soaked for at least 20 min prior to feeding.  Hopefully your barn folks will be willing to do that for you.  Anyway, I look forward to staying in touch on FB and watching his progress.  Your daughter's pony is adorable btw :)  

Thanks for your feedback Jennifer and I can't wait to watch ya'll going forward!!

Judi