CHAPTER X. 
GENITAL ORGANb. 
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 vety 
much larger. The scrotum contains, supports and jjrotects 
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, 
