It’s that time of year again when Santa Claus and his reindeer start to attract international attention. I often get asked questions about this, naturally, since we live here in Santa’s hometown of Rovaniemi, sharing our lives with reindeer. One of the most common questions I get is about the gender of Santa’s reindeer. Surprised? Let me explain.
When people find out that reindeer shed their antlers every year, many come to the same conclusion: Santa’s reindeer must be female. After all, male reindeer typically shed their antlers in the autumn, while females keep theirs through the winter and only shed them in spring, usually after giving birth in May.
At first glance, that sounds like solid logic. Surely, it’s easy to imagine Santa’s sleigh being pulled by a team of strong reindeer girls. After all, females are often the hardest workers anyway (smiley).
But the correct answer is: No, Santa’s reindeer are not female.
In reindeer herding, we distinguish between two types of male reindeer: Hirvas, a stag, meaning an intact breeding male, and Härkä, a gelding, a castrated male. Out of these two, it’s the gelding that makes the perfect sleigh-pulling reindeer — and Santa’s reindeer are no exception.
A stag (breeding male) scrapes the velvet off his antlers in late summer, usually in August, as he prepares for the rutting season. After the mating season ends, typically in November, he shed his heavy antlers. A gelding, on the other hand, keeps his antlers much longer. He often scrapes the velvet later in autumn or even in early winter, and keeps his antlers all through the winter. They usually fall off in February or March. Sometimes it happens earlier, there is individual differences. But anyway, that means a gelding usually has his full antlers at Christmastime, unlike a breeding male.
There are also clear physical and behavioral differences between the two. A stag develops a thick, muscular neck in the autumn in preparation for fighting with other males over a harem of females. His antlers ate heavy weight and strong.
A gelding’s neck stays its normal size, and he doesn’t engage in rutting battles at all. That also makes geldings much safer.
Another difference is energy use. Stags lose weight during the rutting season because they’re too busy fighting and mating to eat properly. Geldings, on the other hand, maintain their body condition well throughout the winter. This makes them strong and reliable.
That’s why all sleigh-pulling reindeer — including Santa’s team — are geldings. They’re calm, powerful, and steady, and they keep their antlers through Christmas. They’re exactly the kind of dependable animals you want leading your sleigh through the snowy wilderness.
Female reindeer don’t work in sleigh pulling because they’re typically on maternity leave in the winter, preparing for the spring calving season.
So while the antler theory sounds convincing at first, the real answer comes from traditional reindeer herding knowledge: Santa’s reindeer are castrated males with antlers still on their heads, steady temperaments, and the strength to work through the Arctic winter.
