Spermatic cord
The spermatic chord of the stallion is shown along with a diagram of the same structure in the second image. The spermatic chord has the vas deferens, cremaster muscle and pampiniform plexus. The cremaster muscle can raise and lower the testis to bring it closer or farther away from the body wall. When frightened or cold, a stallion will use this muscle to control how far the testes are allowed to descend into the scrotum. The pampiniform plexus is a series of veins draining the testis that are coiled around the artery supplying the testis with blood. The pampiniform plexus is involved in temperature regulation of the testis in that cool blood in the veins will cool the warm arterial blood before it reaches the testes. Injury can damage the ability of the pampiniform plexus to participate in correctly keeping the testes cool.
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