Pedigree Query

I understand that a lot of the greats were "difficult" to handle. I'm most educated on how Northern Dancer was threatened with gelding, but E.P Taylor would not have it.

So why was Wise Dan, beautifully bred, gelded? Was he too difficult to be bothered with as a stallion?

Actually, I am not sure that you would really call Wise Dan "beautifully bred". The dam is amazing, but Wiseman's Ferry? As a sire of sires?

There is no evidence, though, that pedigree played a pivotal role in the decision to geld this horse. MANY colts are cut during training due to discomfort. My own horse was cut his first month of serious training and we found torsion on the left testicle that resulted in back soreness. Sometimes the horse just can't hold them up high or tight enough and they end up sore.

I have also gelded a colt to relieve scrotal pain and discomfort or because as a weanlings it exhibited dangerous dominant pasture behavior.

I view gelding as a long term kindness since geldings are much more likely candidates for retraining programs for secondary careers. Geldings have fewer distractions and are easier to handle. Absent hormonal swings affecting mood or territorial issues, their minds aren't on sex all the time.

Since only a minuscule percentage of stallions prove to be successful sires, saving a colt for breeding purposes is not unlike playing the lottery. My guess is that more of them end up in a slaughter pen than in a breeding shed.

I saw a beautifully bred Bernardini colt who could NOT break his maiden for $4,000 being sold as a stallion prospect. I ask you- why is he even complete anymore?
He had a nice body, but was a bit upright in the pasterns.

Headscratching why all of LISA DANIELLE's sons ended up being gelded!

http://www.pedigreequery.com/progeny/lisa+danielle

I have no idea why Wise Dan was gelded but I recently gelded one as a yearling who was just getting too heavy and unbalanced to be a racehorse.

The odds of Wise Dan being what he became are astronomically high. It's more important for a son of Wiseman's Ferry (or a similar "working class" stallion) to be a good racehorse first and even graded stakes winners by these kind of stallions generally don't have much of a prospect of a stallion career.

So the smart thing might be to just geld first and hope you have regrets later.

Any breeder who selects Wisemans Ferry to cover his mare is likely not considering subsequent sons to be stallion prospects. Lisa Danielle is a nice mare in my opinion but not a quality enough to produce a sire until Successful Dan came along. Wise Dan was likely gelded before Successful Dans success. Choosing Wisemans Ferry at that time, says alot about the mare.