Good Deeds Done by Gelding Steeds

Reducing the number of unwanted horses through Operation Gelding

(GREENVILLE, TX); Thursday, November 16, 2017 – The SPCA of Texas hosted a free gelding clinic last weekend on Sunday, November 12, resulting in the castration of 21 stallions.

Operation Gelding is a collaborative effort among The SPCA of Texas, local veterinarians and the Unwanted Horse Coalition. SPCA of Texas Equine and Livestock staff organized the event to help owners who might not otherwise be able to afford the procedure. The program not only benefits owners, who may not have the proper facilities or knowledge to care for a stallion, but it ensures the horse cannot be bred, and often results in a horse that is much calmer and easily trained, which means he is more likely to find a new home if the owner can no longer care for him.

"The SPCA of Texas is proud to partner with the Unwanted Horse Coalition for this gelding clinic, as preventing the births of unwanted horses, preventing homelessness and preventing cruelty to horses are critical parts of our mission," said James Bias, President and CEO for the SPCA of Texas. "We hope to offer more of these events in the future to help horses and their owners in our community."

The SPCA of Texas rescues, heals and finds homes for thousands of pets each year, including dogs, cats, horses, livestock and small mammals. The SPCA of Texas' Equine and Livestock team works to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome hundreds of horses and other livestock who have been removed from various situations of cruelty or neglect. The SPCA of Texas provides necessary medical treatments and training to the equines in their care. Training includes everything from halter-breaking, improving ground skills, evaluating to determine what training the horses already have and also starting them under saddle. All equine and livestock receive ongoing care at the SPCA of Texas until they are placed in new homes. For more information about the SPCA of Texas' Equine and Livestock, please visit www.spca.org/livestockadoptions.

Funding for the clinic is provided in part by the Unwanted Horse Coalition, whose mission is to reduce the number of unwanted horses. “By funding these clinics, we hope to prevent unwanted foals, says Jennifer Purcell, UHC Director. “Imagine that 10 of the stallions gelded today sired just one unwanted foal; at a cost of $2,000 annually, today’s clinic potentially saved local rescues $20,000 for just one year of care.”

The Unwanted Horse Coalition has set a goal to geld over 800 stallions in 2017. For more information or to support the Operation Gelding program, please visit www.unwantedhorsecoalition.org.

For more information about the SPCA of Texas, please visit www.spca.org.