In routine castrations, horses will experience various degrees of postoperative swelling. Haemorrhage from the surgical sight will be minimal. In the case of excessive haemorrhage or inflammation, contact your veterinarian. Sometimes it is necessary to determine whether a horse with no palpable testis, that displays a stallion-like behaviour, is a bilateral cryptorchid, a cryptorchid that has its descended testis removed, or a gelding with behaviour problems. These stallion-like horses can be a major source of frustration and cause aggravation to mares, which are in heat, and a danger to their handlers.
Hormonal concentrations are lower in geldings than in cryptorchids.
Until recently, laparotomy was the only way to explore the abdomen of these horses. Now laparoscopy can be used successfully for these purposes. Again, its main advantages are that the surgical incisions are small, the postoperative pain is minimal and the horse can go back to exercise soon after the surgery. Contact your local veterinarian for this and other health concerns you may have regarding your horse. A Complication of Cryptorchid Castration in Three Horses.