LARGE part of the lives of many thoroughbred horses revolves around training and racing. But, breeding and reproduction forms a vital part of our industry. Many male thoroughbreds start their racing careers entire and will be tested at the racecourse against their peers once they are fit to run. Only the elite colts will earn their chance to become stallions by proving they are among the best of their generation. Once their racing career is over, these elite colts move to stud to stand as stallions.
Standing as a stallion is not as easy as the job sounds. During the breeding season, which runs from February to June, they can be expected to cover three to four mares every day, which in itself is quite an arduous task. For this reason the stallions are extremely well-fed and looked after to maintain peak performance in the breeding sheds. For the rest of the male population, their future consists of a continued career in racing or as general riding horses.
Gelding is the term used for the procedure of castrating a colt or stallion. When used as a noun, gelding refers to a castrated male horse. There are several perceived benefits of gelding a colt:
Geldings can generally be easier to handle and ride than ungelded colts.Colts and stallions can be distracted by the presence of fillies and mares in their surroundings and at the racetrack.Colts tend to carry more condition than geldings due to the effect of testosterone on their bodies. They have a thicker neck and heavier top line which is not always ideal for racing as this extra weight has not only to be carried throughout the race but puts more force through the bones and joints of the limbs.Geldings have a tendency to be tougher than colts and be able to stand up to higher levels of training and racing.PROCEDURE
The procedure of gelding a colt is regularly performed by experienced equine veterinary surgeons throughout the world. It is a relatively simple short procedure, but there are several factors that can complicate things.
A rig is a colt where one or both testicles have not descended, a condition known as cryptorchidism. The presence of a non-descended testicle can cause the colt to lose his action or appear intermittently lame as the testicle becomes trapped in the inguinal canal between the inside of the abdomen and the colt’s scrotum during exercise. In these cases, the internal testicle can be removed, leaving the normal testicle so that if the horse proved to be very good he could still have a role as a stallion. The internal testicle in cryptorchids is sub-fertile as it is maintained at a higher temperature inside the body than it would be normally within the scrotum. This retards sperm production and testicle growth. But if one testicle is within the scrotum, it can maintain a reasonable level of fertility on its own.
Removal of the retained testicle must be carried out at a specialist surgical facility as a general anaesthetic is required to find and remove the testicle from within the abdomen or inguinal canal. Sometimes small portions of abdominal fat or intestine may have herniated into the scrotum. This also requires specialist surgery to remove the testicle and return the abdominal contents to where they belong.
ROUTINE
A clean box is prepared for the colt. It is completely mucked out, disinfected and has new shavings placed in it.The colt is then brought to the vet room where its identity is checked against its markings and microchip in its passport.The colt is then sedated with Detomodine and Butorphanol, drugs which calm the horse and reduce anxiety so it will stand still during surgery.The colt is given non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs intravenously for pain relief during and after surgery.Antibiotics are administered to the colt depending on the time of year and whether the colt is due to race soon after gelding. Some are given Trimethoprim potentiated sulphonamides which clear the body quickly and means horses are soon able to race. However, procaine penicillin can be used instead, but it has a prolonged withdrawal period during which the horse cannot run.The tail is then bandaged up so that it is kept out of the surgical site during and after surgery.A preliminary wash with Clorhexidine “hibi” scrub is then carried out on the scrotum, inside the thighs and sheath.Local anaesthetic is then injected into the testicle and under the skin of the scrotum. This prevents the horse from feeling any pain during the surgery.A full scrub of the surgical area is then completed which consists of five minutes’ scrubbing with chlorhexidine. This is the duration of time the chemicals in the scrub take to eliminate any bacteria from the surgical site.The surgery is undertaken from the left side of the horse. An incision is made in to the skin of the scrotum and through the fibrous tunic that holds the testicles. This is done on the right testicle first so the surgeon’s view is not obscured by any bleeding from the first surgery site when he goes to remove the second testicle.The testicles are allowed to drop through the incision. The testicles will then dangle at the lowest point with the blood vessels and spermatic cord to the front and the cremaster muscle at the back, this being the muscle used to lift the testicles.A small tear is made in the fascia between the vessels and cord at the front and muscle at the back.
Emasculators are the instruments used to cut the two separated portions of the cord. They have a dual action, crushing the end of the tissue left in the body to prevent bleeding and cutting on the side of he testicle being removed. The muscular portion is emasculated first, leaving the instrument to crush the tissue for a short time before relocating them to the vascular segment and spermatic cord which are done together. At this point the testicle will drop to the floor and the procedure is repeated on the other side.Once both testicles are removed at Mark Johnston Racing, the peace of mind of our owners is a priority. This is why we have included the vet fees in our inclusive daily rate for horses in training.AFTERCARE
The aftercare of a gelding is highly important. After the day of surgery, maximal controlled exercise is required. We advise twice daily on the walker and ridden, walking and trotting, to remove any filling and allow any discharge to drain from the surgery sites. Any discharge is immediately cleaned from the back legs to prevent scalding or sores forming.
After five days, if all is well, the horse can return to canter exercise. Turnout if possible in a clean paddock is ideal for newly-gelded horses, as the walking around reduces any filling. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories and antibiotics are continued until healing in the surgery site is complete, usually up to 10 days, but can be longer in some cases.
There are a few complications of gelding surgery, each with varying severity:
Infection, often local to the scrotum and incision, causing mild filling and discharge, is common as between the hind legs of a racehorse is difficult to keep sterile. In a few unfortunate cases, infection can track deeper up the cord and into the abdomen. These present as very sick horses and require intense antibiotic therapy and often referral to a specialist equine hospital.Haemorrhage at the time of surgery is relatively common and selflimiting. It usually stops with time, while keeping the horse still. In some cases ACP, a drug that is a mild sedative and blood vessel dilator, is given to quieten the horse and reduce blood pressure.Infrequently, haemorrhage may persist or re-start. Repeating ACP administration and standing the horse still often resolves this. In some circumstances, the scrotum may be packed with fabric bandage material to aid clot formation and stop bleeding in persistent cases.
In very rare cases, a small portion of fat or intestine can work its way from the abdomen and out of the surgery site. Once a small portion is out it tends to bring more abdominal contents with it. This is a very rare but severe complication. If it is possible to keep the abdominal contents clean and healthy they can be replaced during surgery at a specialist hospital, but this is often not possible in which case the condition is fatal as the horse’s abdomen becomes severely infected and the horse cannot recover from the peritonitis.Once the surgical sites have healed and drug withdrawals observed, the horse is then fit to return to the racecourse. Here at MJR in most cases this is around a month after surgery. All gelding operations are performed under the best conditions and horses are given optimal aftercare to prevent any complications and reduce the severity of any that occur.
Neil Mechie is in practice in Mark Johnston Racing. This article first apepared in the Kingsley Klarion.