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Re: [RC] Prineville, Injured riders and horses - heidiMaybe a vet or breeder can comment on the health, not racing, consequences of cryptorchidism (retained testicle). I'd imagine there would be problems as the horse gets older. The flat track racing world routinely does surgery to remove the retained testicle, even if they plan to use the horse for breeding, because the discomfort of working with the testicle in the wrong place can be a detriment to maximal performance. And although it has not been particularly documented in horses, it has been well documented in several other species that the retained testicle is considerably more apt to become cancerous. I rode for years with a friend on his stallion. Eventually the horse was gelded. After a year of being a real wimp as he discovered the world without his testosterone shield, he became a really nice riding animal with much better recoveries. And much happier too! They do indeed perform better at this sport if gelded. I've ridden some very content and capable stallions, but in all cases where we've had any comparison, their brothers and half-brothers out-performed them, even though they were very good individuals. That doesn't mean we left the wrong ones intact--not at all. They just do better at this sport if they don't have to deal with testosterone. Heidi =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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