Several of Central Kentucky's equine veterinarians are pitching in to help lower the number of unwanted horses bred in the Commonwealth.

On December 4, the Kentucky Horse Park, along with the Kentucky Horse Council and the Kentucky Equine Humane Center, will offer free gelding surgeries for horse owners who cannot afford to have the surgery performed on their stallions. In addition to rendering a stallion unable to reproduce, gelding surgery often helps horses become easier to manage, train, and if the need arises, adopt or rehome.

Lori Bidwell, DVM, of Veterinary Anesthesia and Pain Management Services, is enlisting the veterinarians and coordinating the surgeries that will take place at the Kentucky Horse Park.

"As equine practitioners, we make our living from horses," she said. "The gelding clinic is an opportunity to give back to the community and to the animals to which we owe so much. We are all invested in finding a solution to the unwanted horse dilemma