diff --git a/src/global.c b/src/global.c
index 32e497507..eee0aea57 100644
--- a/src/global.c
+++ b/src/global.c
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ static int synchronized_threads_init(void)
 
 	_tls_index = TlsAlloc();
 
-	win32_pthread_initialize();
+	git_threads_init();
 
 	if (git_mutex_init(&git__mwindow_mutex))
 		return -1;
diff --git a/src/unix/pthread.h b/src/unix/pthread.h
index 773ce22f9..0f3f17927 100644
--- a/src/unix/pthread.h
+++ b/src/unix/pthread.h
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ typedef struct {
 	pthread_t thread;
 } git_thread;
 
+#define git_threads_init() (void)0
 #define git_thread_create(git_thread_ptr, start_routine, arg) \
 	pthread_create(&(git_thread_ptr)->thread, NULL, start_routine, arg)
 #define git_thread_join(git_thread_ptr, status) \
diff --git a/src/win32/thread.c b/src/win32/thread.c
index 8222c65fe..80d56ce5d 100644
--- a/src/win32/thread.c
+++ b/src/win32/thread.c
@@ -10,6 +10,14 @@
 
 #define CLEAN_THREAD_EXIT 0x6F012842
 
+typedef void (WINAPI *win32_srwlock_fn)(GIT_SRWLOCK *);
+
+static win32_srwlock_fn win32_srwlock_initialize;
+static win32_srwlock_fn win32_srwlock_acquire_shared;
+static win32_srwlock_fn win32_srwlock_release_shared;
+static win32_srwlock_fn win32_srwlock_acquire_exclusive;
+static win32_srwlock_fn win32_srwlock_release_exclusive;
+
 /* The thread procedure stub used to invoke the caller's procedure
  * and capture the return value for later collection. Windows will
  * only hold a DWORD, but we need to be able to store an entire
@@ -25,6 +33,26 @@ static DWORD WINAPI git_win32__threadproc(LPVOID lpParameter)
 	return CLEAN_THREAD_EXIT;
 }
 
+int git_threads_init(void)
+{
+	HMODULE hModule = GetModuleHandleW(L"kernel32");
+
+	if (hModule) {
+		win32_srwlock_initialize = (win32_srwlock_fn)
+			GetProcAddress(hModule, "InitializeSRWLock");
+		win32_srwlock_acquire_shared = (win32_srwlock_fn)
+			GetProcAddress(hModule, "AcquireSRWLockShared");
+		win32_srwlock_release_shared = (win32_srwlock_fn)
+			GetProcAddress(hModule, "ReleaseSRWLockShared");
+		win32_srwlock_acquire_exclusive = (win32_srwlock_fn)
+			GetProcAddress(hModule, "AcquireSRWLockExclusive");
+		win32_srwlock_release_exclusive = (win32_srwlock_fn)
+			GetProcAddress(hModule, "ReleaseSRWLockExclusive");
+	}
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
 int git_thread_create(
 	git_thread *GIT_RESTRICT thread,
 	void *(*start_routine)(void*),
@@ -152,15 +180,6 @@ int git_cond_signal(git_cond *cond)
 	return 0;
 }
 
-
-typedef void (WINAPI *win32_srwlock_fn)(GIT_SRWLOCK *);
-
-static win32_srwlock_fn win32_srwlock_initialize;
-static win32_srwlock_fn win32_srwlock_acquire_shared;
-static win32_srwlock_fn win32_srwlock_release_shared;
-static win32_srwlock_fn win32_srwlock_acquire_exclusive;
-static win32_srwlock_fn win32_srwlock_release_exclusive;
-
 int git_rwlock_init(git_rwlock *GIT_RESTRICT lock)
 {
 	if (win32_srwlock_initialize)
@@ -218,23 +237,3 @@ int git_rwlock_free(git_rwlock *lock)
 	git__memzero(lock, sizeof(*lock));
 	return 0;
 }
-
-int win32_pthread_initialize(void)
-{
-	HMODULE hModule = GetModuleHandleW(L"kernel32");
-
-	if (hModule) {
-		win32_srwlock_initialize = (win32_srwlock_fn)
-			GetProcAddress(hModule, "InitializeSRWLock");
-		win32_srwlock_acquire_shared = (win32_srwlock_fn)
-			GetProcAddress(hModule, "AcquireSRWLockShared");
-		win32_srwlock_release_shared = (win32_srwlock_fn)
-			GetProcAddress(hModule, "ReleaseSRWLockShared");
-		win32_srwlock_acquire_exclusive = (win32_srwlock_fn)
-			GetProcAddress(hModule, "AcquireSRWLockExclusive");
-		win32_srwlock_release_exclusive = (win32_srwlock_fn)
-			GetProcAddress(hModule, "ReleaseSRWLockExclusive");
-	}
-
-	return 0;
-}
diff --git a/src/win32/thread.h b/src/win32/thread.h
index f5dd41ba3..0d01822a6 100644
--- a/src/win32/thread.h
+++ b/src/win32/thread.h
@@ -35,6 +35,8 @@ typedef struct {
 	} native;
 } git_rwlock;
 
+int git_threads_init(void);
+
 int git_thread_create(git_thread *GIT_RESTRICT,
 	void *(*) (void *),
 	void *GIT_RESTRICT);
@@ -57,6 +59,4 @@ int git_rwlock_wrlock(git_rwlock *);
 int git_rwlock_wrunlock(git_rwlock *);
 int git_rwlock_free(git_rwlock *);
 
-extern int win32_pthread_initialize(void);
-
 #endif /* INCLUDE_win32_thread_h__ */