CHAPTER X. 

 GENITAL ORGANj>. 



THESE organs in the horse reproduce the young. To 

 bring forth the young there must be two animals, 

 one the horse or male, the other the mare or female. 

 In other words, there must be one of each sex, male and 

 female. 



I. — THE MALE. 



The genital organs of the horse are as follows: The 

 scrotum or bag, the testicles, the spermatic cord, the vesiculae 

 seminales or the pouches which hold the semen, the urethra, 

 the penis and the sheath. 



1. The Scrotum. — The scrotum is the sac or bag which 

 contains the testicles. It is situated between the hind legs, and 

 is covered on the outside by a very fine soft skin. Passing up in 

 the center under the sheath and scrotum is a well marked line in 

 the skin called median raphe. This can be plainly seen when 

 the horse is on his back. It continues up, gradually getting 

 fainter until it reaches the anus. Under the skin are layers 

 of white fascia or tissue, which can be seen by cutting 

 through the scrotum. There is a partition in the scrotum 

 separating the two testicles. The size of the scrotum is 

 affected very much by the weather. In cold weather its 

 fibres contract, causing it to get very much smaller, while in 

 warm weather the fibres relax, causing it to become very 

 much larger. The scrotum contains, supports and protects 

 the testicles. 



2. The Testicles. — The testicles are the organs which secrete 

 the semen. They are two in number, one situated on the left 

 side, the other on the right. They are oval in shape, and are 

 attached above to the spermatic cord. Before the animal is 

 born the testicles are situated in the abdominal or belly cavity 

 and attached to the serous membrane which has already been 

 spoken of in connection with that cavity. At or about the 

 time of birth, there takes place what is known as the descent 

 of the testicles into the scrotum. In their downward course, 



