Kadoo, our young stallion, will be two years in August.

For the past three months he has been living with his buddy Shoni and not with the mares, in case they would let him mate them..

 

 

We do not want to make more horses, so we had to call the vet Dr. Collin Boyle from Unique Animal Care (left in the picture) and it took some time to decide which operation to choose. Should Kadoo be castrated or sterilized (vasectomy) and we looked into what the difference really is?

Castration of a stallion means to remove the testicles through a surgery.
The testicles are the male’s reproductive organs. They have several functions besides making new foals such as the production of hormones, especially testosterone.

Testosterone is vital to produce testes. The testes secrete testosterone, which is necessary for proper physical development. Testosterone maintains libido, muscle strength, and bone density.

Sterilization or Vasectomy of a stallion means to cut the vas deference – see picture below;

When the vas deference is cut, the sperm will not pass through and Kadoo will not be able to make any foals. With sterilization Kadoo will keep his testicles and continue his natural hormone production.

Among male humans, the method of sterilization is commonly used, but not among male horses because the advantage of removing the testicles will result in a calmer horse and possibly less stress to the mares in the herd. A gelding is usually easier to handle, more experience is needed to handle stallions.

So what to choose?

Stay tuned for the next blog.

Stina & the horses