STALLIONS, BROOD MARES AND FOALS. 139 



idea that castrating a stallion after he has 

 arrived at mature years will make him dull, 

 sluggish, and lazy, is altogether erroneous. 

 Such displays of animation as are caused purely 

 by his sexual desires will of course be wanting, 

 but aside from these little change in his tem- 

 perament will be noticed. Most horses that are 

 kept closely stabled and given but little exer- 

 cise, as is usually the case with stallions, will, 

 when brought out, show a playful disposition; 

 but when put at regular work much of this 

 will disappear. Very few horses are gelded on 

 the European continent, and yet the stallions 

 that are used for work are found to be as tract- 

 able and quiet as geldings would be under 

 similar circumstances. 



Stallions are usually greatly superior to mares 

 and geldings in courage. It is a rare thing to 

 find a stallion that is " skittish " or easily scared. 

 In this particular castration produces a great 

 change in most horses. The horse that, as a 

 stallion, was not afraid of anything, could not 

 be frightened, and was never known to shy or 

 run away from any object, often becomes a 

 timid, flighty creature when gelded. The stal- 

 lion in a herd of wild horses appears to con- 

 sider himself the protector of the herd, and, 

 instead of flying at the approach of danger, 

 is rather disposed to stand his ground, and in 

 many cases even to act on the aggressive, and 



