When owning a colt, you come to a point where you will have to take the difficult decision of whether you want to keep him as a stallion or if he should be castrated. What will the future role be for your horse? Will he be used for performance or pleasure? How will the procedure affect him long-term and short-term, and what is the best choice for your horse? This article will discuss the reasons for castration and the welfare aspect, taking into account the complications that can arise due to castration.
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The chances of complications are markedly increased by performing castration by crushing the spermatic cord and leaving the wound open” - Pia Haubro Andersen
Removing adhesions connected with spermatic cord adherence can be the difference between life and death. For instance, Søren Kirschoff once treated a racehorse so tense that he could not ride for more than 25 meters without throwing off the rider. The horse could not function, and euthanasia would have been the only option. However, when the castration site was reopened, and the adhesion was removed, the horse performed well and raced for five seasons without any problems.
Castration is the procedure by which a stallion loses its use of one or both his testicles. It can be done surgically in different ways, or in some cases, giving him a hormonal injection can cause temporary loss of use. Professor Christine Aurich is a specialist in reproduction and a member of the European College of Reproduction.
In a report on castration, she explains what castration entails. Castration can be achieved either by surgical removal of the testes or in situ destructions of testicular function. She states that castration methods comprise surgical, chemical, immunological, and endocrine approaches, but this article will focus on surgical castration, which is still the most common method used.
Testicles produce testosterone, which creates the features that stallions are known for, like body development and behavior. Removing the testes can eliminate fighting with other horses or stallions attempting to cover mares. It also removes sexual behavior like erection and masturbation, making the horse easier to handle or ride, says Christine Aurich.
Sexual behavior depends to a certain degree on testosterone production, and stallions who present aggressive behavior may become a problem. However, castrating an older stallion means that he will not be able to reproduce, but he may still keep his stallion-like behavior, she says. Castration can also be used to treat reproductive diseases, like cryptorchism where the testes have not descended or testicular neoplasia, the incidence of cell tumors in the descended testes of a stallion.
In veterinary medicine, there are two main methods of castration: Open and closed. Performing an open castration often occurs at the owner's premises, in a stable, or in a field.
Christine Aurich explains how a veterinarian can do the process while the horse is sedated and local anesthetics are applied. The horse can be castrated standing or lying down, and a small incision is made on each side of the testes, removing the testicles with a blunt instrument called an emasculator. The emasculator crushes the spermatic cords and stops the bleeding, but at the same time, it destroys the complex mass of muscle tissue, blood vessels, and nerves. The wound is left open to let the blood and fluid drain, healing from the inside.
A closed castration is a more delicate operation performed in a clinic in sterile surroundings. The procedure is surgical without crushing the spermatic cords but carefully cutting, suturing, and closing the wound afterward. The benefit is that the wound heals up in a shorter time and minimizes infection risk.
Due to financial reasons, some owners still chose open castrations of their colts at home. It is cheap, saves the horse from transportation, and avoids the problems that can arise in connection with the horse lying down. On the other hand, a recumbent closed castration at a clinic is expensive. Still, it will often be more costly if a vet must redo the procedure a few years later because the castration was not optimally performed from the start, says Christine Aurich.
Castration in horses and mules has been a routine operation for centuries. The general opinion is that males not used for breeding should be gelded, and many believe that stallions can't live with others or work together. Sometimes though, the problem of aggressive behavior results from not keeping the stallion according to his needs or because of the owner's bias.
“Gender, behavior, and sex stereotyping prevail in the horse world,” says Kate Fenner, Doctor of Philosophy and specialist in equine behavior and training from the University of Sydney, Australia.
"Riders often see stallions as bossy. They have a concept of leadership and dominance that encourage or justify the application of punishment. This view can lead to punishment of unwanted behavior, rather than diagnosing the cause," she says.
There is little research about the roles of hormones in riding and competing with stallions. However, there is anecdotal evidence that stallions can be challenging to handle in the presence of mares. Still, studies of male dogs have shown that desexing exacerbates many behaviors that castration should have improved.
“If we interpret the behavior of stallions as arising from gendered beliefs, rather than other causes, they may be at risk of having stress or pain-related behaviors ignored because of this bias," says Kate Fenner.
Kate Fenner did a survey amongst equestrians to see how the application of gender stereotypes affects human-animal interactions. The survey showed that especially female riders appear to have preconceived ideas about horse temperament and prefer riding castrated male horses.
In addition, the survey more often allocated riding stallions to adults, preferably men, and riders believed that girls or children easier could ride geldings. “The combination of bias and stereotyping will shape relationships with horses and likely have a detrimental effect on welfare if underlying pathologies or training failures are not addressed, “says Kate Fenner.
Interestingly, the ethics of castration have been heavily discussed. "Without medical reason, the castration of male animals is increasingly perceived as ethically questionable," says Christine Aurich.
Despite the conventional wisdom that widespread desexing is the best choice, there is debate about how we treat living creatures with respect. In Sweden and Norway, it is not allowed to neuter companion animals like cats and dogs without medical reasons. According to Kate Fenner, horses are also seen as companion animals. Still, unlike dogs or cats that remain part of the same household their entire lives, horses are often seen as commodities that can be traded, sold, and given away with relative ease. She states that excessive and unregulated breeding in many countries has resulted in supply exceeding demand, reflecting poor animal welfare outcomes.
“Gelding your stallion does not need to be the only option. If you have the experience and the facilities, a stallion can live a good life out with older mares and foals or in a bachelor herd with other stallions,” says Christine Aurich.
However, many stallions today live a monotonous and lonely life, isolated from other horses, to avoid covering mares or injuries. Horses are herd animals, and it is very stressful for them to be alone. According to Christine Aurich, stallions housed on their own will show stress-related stereotypical behavior such as box walking, crip biting, and self-harm.
“If breeding is not what you intend to use your stallion for, castration done correctly will enable him to mix well with other horses. In addition, it would be a better alternative to being isolated and punished for showing natural behavior. Gelding would give him a better future,” states Christine Aurich.
In recent years there has been a greater focus on the complications caused by castration horses, both short-term and long-term.
In a stable or a field, the vet has suboptimal working conditions to perform the procedure. Owners can choose to geld during the autumn when the weather is colder and there are no flies around, but it can be hard to keep the surroundings sterile. A lack of hygiene can increase the likelihood of infection, says Christine Aurich.
"If the castration is performed in unsanitary conditions without postoperative care, there is a risk of disease in the scrotum or the urinary tract," states Christine Aurich.
In some cases, an abscess can develop on the spermatic cord, characterized by the discharge of pus from the opening in the scrotum, and you will be able to feel a hard lump in the groin area.
Another complication is bleeding, which requires competent veterinarian intervention or prolapse of the bowels, called eventration. Again, this is very rare, but if the bowels protrude through the inguinal canal and out through the castration wound, euthanasia is often the only option.
Other common side effects are swelling and edema from the scrotum, which should subside after 4-12 days. However, if the swelling persists over this time, it could be a sign of infection.
In countries like Great Britain, equine overpopulation is a significant problem. Many
livery yards will not allow stallions on their premises. Thus, an intact stallion will risk being tethered or fly grazing, where horses illegally are left to fend for themselves on other people's land, causing problems for landowners.
There are more horses than the country can cope with, leading to neglect, suffering, and abandonment. Horse sanctuaries that deal with unwanted horses report that calls to their welfare line have risen by over 50% in the last ten years, and they are struggling to keep up with the many horses facing an unknown future. Castration of the stallions can help, and the British Horse Society has made a campaign for castration and are holding castration and healthcare clinics around the country to help owners with their colts.
“There are many benefits of castration, and when done correctly by qualified vets and in sterile surroundings, they outweigh the risk of complications. Therefore, the risks of castration, should not deter owners from making the right decision," says Dr. Kilcoyne. She works as a professor in Equine Emergency and Critical Care at the Medical school in California, USA. She did a study involving 324 horses that were castrated over ten years.
According to the medical records, 10% of the horses experienced complications, and only one horse had to be euthanized, 0.3%. The difficulties were mainly mild: 25 horses experienced swelling, fluid accumulation, fever, or an abscess in the surgical site. In addition, six horses experienced bleeding, and one horse had tissue protruding from the incision. Of the 33 horses that developed complications, 32 recovered fully with the correct treatment.
247 horses were castrated using the closed method in the study, and 6 % of them developed complications. In contrast, 77 were castrated using the semi-closed technique, and 23% of those developed complications.
Dr. Kilcoyne recommends that horses are castrated before the age of two when masculine behavior sets in and becomes challenging to manage.Castration is not to be taken lightly
“Castration is not a procedure to be taken lightly.” says Søren Kirchhoff, a chiropractor and veterinarian surgeon from Frijsenborg veterinarian clinic in Denmark.
“Performing castration is a procedure in horses that is done so frequently that we often don't notice if the operation works or if it causes complications," says Søren Kirchhoff. "Castration is the only surgery where the owner hands in their fully healthy horse, and as a vet, I feel responsible for delivering back the horse to the owner in the same condition," he says.
He says people want the castration done with as little expense as possible, but he values doing the job in the best way, with respect for the horse's welfare.
Riders often see stallions as bossy, and they have a concept of leadership and dominance that encourage or justify the application of punishment. This view can lead to punishing unwanted behavior, rather than diagnose the cause."
- Dr. Kate Fenner
“The short-term complications of the procedure are well documented, but there is a lack of research on the long-term complications of surgical castration,” says Søren Kirchhoff. He has specialized in treating complications resulting from castrations.
Søren Kirchhoff believes that there is a risk of incorrect healing, where the muscles that kept the testes in place adhere to the tissue in the scrotum. The adhesion can lead to severe pain and lack of performance. This diagnosis is called spermatic cord adherence, and vets agree that the risk is markedly higher after an open castration.
"If the castration is not done correctly, it can have severe consequences for the horse,” Søren Kirchhoff says. He has seen how geldings suffer from excruciating pain from scar tissue in connection with the castration. They react when touched in the scrotum area and often use compensatory movements. As a result, some geldings show lameness; others have asymmetrical movements, and they may be lethargic or show conflict behavior.
Geldings can also have problems performing the exercises in dressage, avoiding working in specific gaits. Some geldings are in so much pain due to complications that they are unrideable. However, if the trauma is healed, the prospects for the geldings are positive: studies have shown that with the removal of the adhesion in 21 geldings diagnosed with spermatic cord adhesion, 18 of the geldings recovered, removing the cause of lameness.
“By performing castration by crushing the spermatic cord and leaving the wound open, the chances of complications are increased markedly. In addition, the scrotum is an area that moves, which increases the chance of infection, leading to painful neuromas, and the more infection, the higher the likelihood of neuromas,” says Pia Haubro Andersen. She is a professor associated with the Swedish University of Agricultural Science, and she has studied pain in castrated geldings.
She and her colleagues examined the spermatic cords of 20 geldings, euthanized for causes without connection to their castration. She found several examples of scar tissue and nerve ends, also called neuromas. A neuroma is a mechanism where the nerves protect themselves against damage by bundling together and causing phantom pains, similar to pains in connection with amputations.
When the nerves are ripped or crushed, the nerve cells send sprouts to find the other end of the nerve. Usually, the nerves heal, and nothing more happens, but the damaged nerve sometimes forms long nerve sprouts, resulting in a neuroma.
65 % of the geldings in the study showed signs of neuromas, while 40 percent had double-sided neuromas. The neuromas found in the geldings were similar to the traumatic neuromas found in pigs with docked tails. Researchers don't know the reason behind the pain symptoms, but similar pains are seen in humans who have amputated a leg or an arm. These patients report severe chronic pain that comes unprovoked and feels like having an electrical shock.
The traditional open castration procedure is 100 years old. The process was performed in the field and frequently without sedation. At the time, emasculation of the spermatic cord was the only method to stop the bleeding. Still, Pia Haubro Andersen believes that it is time that we review the outdated techniques of castrations.
“We have a different view of horses today, and this should be reflected in the castration procedure," she says. According to her, there has been a marked increase in the methods of anesthesia during the last 20 years. As a result, the suture materials have improved, and we know more about inflammation in connection with traumas from surgical operations. Therefore, she recommends castrating our horses similar to how we castrate our pet dogs.
“By performing the castration procedure under general anesthetics, in sterile surroundings, and closing the operation wound, we minimize the risk of complications and improve our horses' long-term welfare," concludes Pia Haubro Andersen.
Sources:
Aurich, C. (2018, July 30). Castration. Encyclopedia of Reproduction (Second Edition). Retrieved May 23, 2022, from https://www.sciencedirect.com
Kilcoyne, I., Watson, J. L., Kass, P. H., & Spier, S. J. (2013). Incidence, management, and outcome of complications of castration in equids: 324 cases (1998–2008). Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 242(6), 820–825. https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.242.6.820
Echte, A.-F., Schmidt-Ott, C., Claaßen, W., Heczko, K., Gremmes, C., & Gremmes, S. (2006). Lameness of horses caused by adhesion of the spermatic cord-a delayed complication of castration. Pferdeheilkunde Equine Medicine, 22(4), 445–448. https://doi.org/10.21836/pem20060406
Fenner, K., Caspar, G., Hyde, M., Henshall, C., Dhand, N., Probyn-Rapsey, F., Dashper, K., McLean, A., & McGreevy, P. (n.d.). It's all about the sex, or is it? Humans, horses, and temperament. PLOS ONE. Retrieved May 23, 2022, from https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0216699