Reversible Gelding? It’s Possible

Two doses of an “anti-GnRH” vaccine led to full, but reversible, sterility in a group of French study stallions, researchers found.
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

Immunocastration
Two doses of an “anti-GnRH injection” led to full—but reversible—sterility in a group of study horses in France. | Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt/The Horse

Your stallion has all the attributes of a successful sire, and you want him to have a performance record to back up his good conformation and bloodlines. But competing a stallion isn’t for everyone—the many special considerations that come with it run the gamut from stabling arrangements to trailering provisions. Wouldn’t it be great to turn him into a gelding while he’s competing before turning him back into a stallion again?

Thanks to immunocastration via a simple vaccine, this temporary sterilization technique has become a reality. Two doses of an “anti-GnRH injection” led to full—but reversible—sterility in a group of study horses in France.

“Immunocastration is an interesting alternative to surgical castration, but it engages the responsibility of the treating veterinarian and presents variability in efficacy and duration among individuals,” said Jean-François Bruyas, PhD, DVM, a professor at the National Veterinary School in Nantes, France. Bruyas presented his work during the 2017 French Equine Research Day

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.

Share

Written by:

Passionate about horses and science from the time she was riding her first Shetland Pony in Texas, Christa Lesté-Lasserre writes about scientific research that contributes to a better understanding of all equids. After undergrad studies in science, journalism, and literature, she received a master’s degree in creative writing. Now based in France, she aims to present the most fascinating aspect of equine science: the story it creates. Follow Lesté-Lasserre on Twitter @christalestelas.

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

Where do you primarily feed your horse?
249 votes · 249 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Need to update your account?

You need to be logged in to fill out this form

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!