# What age do they drop their testicles?



## waresbear

He does seem a bit late. He might have dropped both & you just can't feel it, hopefully, don't want a cyptorchid(sp?). That's an expensive surgery. Sure, feed em up & see what happens. After he's in shape, call the vet & see what the verdict is. In the meantime, don't keep him in with mares, he could breed them.


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## CLaPorte432

That does seem kind of late. Malnutrition may have a part in it? I'm not sure.

My boys have all dropped before they were yearlings. Nut-Megg at 3-1/2 months. Jasper at 7 months.


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## TimWhit91

CLaPorte432 said:


> That does seem kind of late. Malnutrition may have a part in it? I'm not sure.
> 
> My boys have all dropped before they were yearlings. Nut-Megg at 3-1/2 months. Jasper at 7 months.


oh wow, that is much younger. I may have not been able to feel it, he was a little antsy, I will do a more thorough search tomorrow...he may not like it much, but I want to see if it is there. The other one is pretty small and he is very hairy, quite possible I missed it when I was groping around down there

and he is not going to be with mares, he has his own stud safe pen until he is gelded


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## csimkunas6

My coming 2 yr old was gelded in Jan 2011....I think he was only 8months old then....might be a good idea to get a vet and just get a double check of whats going on.

As for the feed, I had my horse on Omolene 100 for a few months, and he was sluggish and slow, and something just wasnt right. Switched to Equine Junior, and the difference is like night and day! Hes grown taller, wider, and has more energy and he looks great!

Good Luck!


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## trailhorserider

My colt had them almost from birth. Probably within the first couple of weeks or so I could see them. My friends were impressed! But my vet actually said about 1/2 of the colts are born with them already down, so I guess it isn't all that uncommon. I got mine gelded at 5 months.

It is possible they are both there and you just haven't seen them both at once. I have heard that they can drop them and retract them and sometimes you will only see one at a time. I know I have neighbor's who have had colts gelded and when the vet came out he could only spot one, but he would go ahead and do the surgery if the owner said they have seen both. I think once they both have dropped they can't go all the way up into the abdomen anymore, but sometimes they hide and you don't see them.

Hopefully he isn't cryptorchid and will show them soon!


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## littrella

My boy was severly negelected when we got him, we thought he was under 6 months old due to the fact that he hadn't dropped his yet, that was in August. When he finally dropped & we gelded him in March, the vet finally looked at his teeth & discovered that he was a 3 year old! Get your guy up to a good weight & then see what happens


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## tinyliny

You should probably say, "at what age to the testicles drop?" . you used it in the transitive , meaning that the foal drops his testicles , as he would willfully drop them, like a ball. just sounds funny


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## TimWhit91

Wasn't quite sure how to word it, yours sounds much better, lol

I was at D&B today searching all over for omelene 400. I found 100-300, no400. But I did find equine junior and got him that. Is 400 the same thing as Equine Junior? It was right after the 300. I got him the junior and he loves it. Going to pour the groceries on him and get him healthy again. Farrier comes on friday, his feet aren't bad I just want him to shape them better...they are a little funky, the last farrier didn't do the best job. And the vet will come, he needs his wolf teeth out as well, so I will have the vet check his testicles when the wolf teeth come out. THen he should be good to go. He is now current on shots and worming, can't wait until he gets his weight up and grows a little. He will only be about 14.3, but he still looks like a scrawny yearling with the lack of care. Poor guy, I am so glad I have him now


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## Faceman

I've had them drop from just a couple months old up to almost 2. I've had a few I had to pop out manually.

Sometimes, especially in cold weather they will move up and down into and out of the channel until they grow bigger - that could be why you only felt one of them...


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## Ray MacDonald

Can we see some pictures?? 

You also have to be careful not to bulk him up. If they fill out too much when they are young it can put added stress on their joints which haven't closed up it.


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## TimWhit91

Oh yes, i am going to be careful about that, I am just getting him to a healthy weight, then cutting him back. I just don't like him being so skinny. I mean he isn't HORRIBLE but I can see his ribs a little and his hip bones stick out a little and I just don't want my horse to be unhealthy. I will get pictures tomorrow. I keep forgetting when I go out there, oh how I wish I could have my own place to keep him where he was right outside. I will remember the camera tomorrow, I will find the pics the lady I got him from sent me, though they are not recent.


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## TimWhit91

Here are pics I got from the previous owner. These were before he was turned out with the pregnant broodmares for awhile, I am guessing they ran him off the food and he did not get enough. He does not look good right now, I think he would need a little more weight from the pics too, but now he needs even more.




























not confo shots by any means, but you get the idea of what he is like until I can get better pics tomorrow


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## TimWhit91

His poor long tail is gone too. She said aother baby chewed it and the cut it off about an inch below the tail bone. Can't wait till that grows back, he looks funny with it so short


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## Trinity3205

My gelding dropped his last one at about 3yo and was finally properly gelded last fall (Long story but he was an auction baby with no history that obvoisly had one removed not by a vet as a youngster so he could be sold as a "Gelding" and dropped the last one as a BIG surprise to me as a 3 yo. I had even checked him several times after i first got him not trusting because of this VERY thing happening with other auction horses back when I worked at a riding stables) Lucky he was very mellow and completely ignorant of what to do because he was pastured with my 2 yo filly at the time til the surprise was discovered. When he was gelded, we checked the other side where a faint jagged scar could be made out and yep, someone intentionally cut one and not the other.

Sometimes you may think they are hiding, but when the vet sedates them, it is there or just barely out of the ring and the vet can get ahold of it. When its hot out, they will also drop them naturally and it can be easier to make out one that is shy or after they exercise and sweat a bit.


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## tlvmiller

i am having the same problem.We just got a 2 yr old who was neglected and he has nothing at all.I have been asking around and apparently all horses mature diffrently and if they didn't have a good start it will be take longer.i started feeding him purina grow colt and in 2 weeks we have seen such a big diffrence.i also have been giving him Grand Coat because of his coat looking so bad.I love that stuff.


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## Fargosgirl

According to The Horse Owner's Veterinary Handbook: "2-3 days after birth the rings in the abdominal wall close tightly. A testicle that has not passed through the inguinal ring at this time remains intra-abdominal. One that makes it though the ring and remains in the inguinal canal may yet descend. *It is reported that descent can occur up to as late as 4 years of age*." 

I raised two colts who both appeared to be "one nutted"(that's the scientific term my vet used) but when we went to have them gelded one of my boys had both testicles on the same side of the scrotum making it appear that he had only one. I can't remember the Latin term he used for it but it was a lot easier surgery than the one that really was cryptorchid.


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## TimWhit91

lol very scientific term. I hope my boy isn't a crypt. Hope his other one is there. The one I could feel is pretty small, so it is possible I just missed it. I'm hoping it is there, if not I will do what need be done, I love him already and he knows it. We clicked when I saw him the first time 2 days ago and I had to have him, now he is never leaving. Horsey love at first sight


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## Ray MacDonald

I think he looks like a very good weight! Maybe even a little on the chubby side on the last picture with his apple butt!


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## WSArabians

I've got a colt that will be two in April, and some days they are both there, other's not. If I get him gelded, they'll come down.
I've also got a yearling waiting to be snipped that has had balls as big as basketballs since he was five months old. That'll be a nice snack for the puppies!
It definitely varies, but if they're not down by two and a half, you could have a crypt.


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## TimWhit91

I just got back from playing with him and was feeling around down there and felt 2. They aren't big, but both are there. No crypt, yay!!! 

Haha WSArabians "Balls as big as basketballs" I can just picture a little baby walking around with huge basketball sized nuts. Poor baby!


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## TimWhit91

Also when do they normally start getting "Study" ? My guy is about as wild as a golden retriever, lol. The mares start coming into heat around march right? Only reason I ask is my vet is on vacation for 3 weeks so we can't cut him. He is in a safe pasture, and if he gets bad he can go in a stall for a time out. The mares are accross the little alleyway from him and he has a gelding in the pasture right next to him, so the mares are about 20 ft away, but I was just curious


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## minihorse927

Equine Junior and Omolene 400 are not the same. Omolene 400 is more of a textured feed with beet pulp added into the mix while Omolene 300 is more of a mare and foal feed.
Feed label information on Omolene 400 is here http://www.horse.purinamills.com/st...sites/documents/web_content/ecmd2-0033840.pdf

Equine Junior is more of a feed meant for weanlings to two year olds. Meaning a higher protein and fat content. It is a pelleted feed also that contains their amplify nugget. If it was me I would be feeding the equine junior and not the 400. If you really wanted to do a textured feed, I would use Omolene 200. Typically Omolene 300 contains a too much protein for a two year old. To much weight and protein can cause bone growth problems.
Feed label for Equine Junior is here
http://horse.purinamills.com/stelle...sites/documents/web_content/ecmd2-0033341.pdf

Here is Omolene 200 feed label just for comparison to Equine Junior
http://horse.purinamills.com/stelle...sites/documents/web_content/ecmd2-0033842.pdf

If he has been malnourished, I would not be to incredibly worried about him not dropping yet, and he might just be hiding them from you also!

Horses can become studdy just about anytime. I have had them act like idiots from a few months old to going to be 4 and 5 and never act studdy at all. It depends on the personality of the horse. Once he gets some weight on and spring hits, he most likely will show his studdy side which can vary from paying more attention to the mares and talking to them to trying to tear down the fence to get at them.


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