The Unwanted Horse Coalition’s (UHC) Operation Gelding program has aided in gelding 246 stallions to date. The program, which was launched in late August 2010 with the help of seed money from the American Association of Equine Practitioners Foundation and the UHC, is designed to offer funding assistance to organizations, associations, and events that wish to conduct a public gelding clinic under the name and guidelines of Operation Gelding. An organization that has completed an Operation Gelding clinic will receive funding of $50 per horse, $1,000 maximum, to aid in the costs associated with the clinic.

Organizations continue to express interest in hosting and conducting Operation Gelding clinics. As of April 18th, 2011, 246 stallions have been castrated with the help of UHC’s Operation Gelding funding. The nationwide program has sponsored 23 Operation Gelding clinics and offered a total of $12,300 in seed money. UHC sponsored clinics have been offered in 20 states: California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Dakota, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Virginia.

Nadia Lane of High Sierra Wild Horse Sanctuary hosted an Operation Gelding clinic in California. With her efforts, she and a team of vets were able to help castrate 10 stallions. “I would like to thank you for your help in getting the Operation Gelding seed money check processed for us. The extra effort you made on our behalf really means a lot to me. Our organization is very grateful for the financial help the UHC has afforded toward the gelding of colts and stallions”, said Lane.

The Tacoma Equine Hospital, of Tacoma Washington, was able to host a successful Operation Gelding clinic under the tutelage of Dr. Meg deGravelles. With seed money provided by the UHC, they were able to castrate seven horses. “Operation Gelding was a success! We ended up castrating seven horses. The community has been extremely supportive and grateful, and this was a fabulous opportunity you allowed us to pursue,” said Dr. deGravelles.

Ericka Caslin, UHC Director, said, “We are thrilled with the success of the Operation Gelding program thus far. It is very encouraging to see the amount of interest and participation in the program. Participating organizations have helped hundreds of horses and horse owners in need and have done a wonderful job working together to help with the issue of unwanted horses.”

For more information on Operation Gelding, how to conduct a clinic, or the schedule and location of Operation Gelding clinics, please contact Ericka Caslin, UHC director, at [email protected] or 202-296-4031.

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The Unwanted Horse Coalition

The mission of the Unwanted Horse Coalition is to reduce the number of unwanted horses and improve their welfare through education and the efforts of organizations committed to the health, safety and responsible care and disposition of these horses. The UHC grew out of the Unwanted Horse Summit, which was organized by the American Association of Equine Practitioners and held in conjunction with the American Horse Council’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C., in April 2005. The summit was held to bring key stakeholders together to start a dialogue on the unwanted horse in America. Its purpose was to develop consensus on the most effective way to work together to address the issue. In June 2006, the UHC was folded into the AHC and now operates under its auspices.