Washing the sheath!

[Palomino Mare]

hi, after our lesson tonight jerry "relaxed" and i noticed how dirty his sheath had become...:o i got the yard manager to do it last time and i wasn't around at the time so basically i still don't know how to do it.

i have sheath wash but i also don't know what to do with that.

please help!

amz x

[Pink's lady]

Have a search on here - there's loads of threads about it.

If it's dirty it could do with a clean but most important is to look for a bean. Some horses don't have a bean (build up of solid yuk in the urethral fossa (hole) at the tip) but most do, although they often aren't noticed (for obvious reason:o)

[domane]

Ludo "relaxes" quite a lot and I feel that I should be... ahem.... desensitizing him but he's so quick with lashing out with his back legs, I feel I should wear my hat AND my BP, which I keep forgetting to take to the yard!!! Besides, I really don't WANT to start touching.... but I know I MUST!!!! :o

[Palomino Mare]

Ludo "relaxes" quite a lot and I feel that I should be... ahem.... desensitizing him but he's so quick with lashing out with his back legs, I feel I should wear my hat AND my BP, which I keep forgetting to take to the yard!!! Besides, I really don't WANT to start touching.... but I know I MUST!!!! :o

hahaaa that made me laugh sooo much!!

PL, what a lovely descriptive piece;) :D i will do a search in the morning as i don't want to go to bed with any images. if i still dont understand then i shall have to call on you again i'm afraid.

i could ask someone at the yard but when i tried that last week not only did i not understand but i had created an audience and alot of jokes so i want to do it james bond style, undercover, wouldn't mind daniel craig either....

[KarinUS]

Trim your finger nails. It's the polite thing to do - plus you don't want that crud under your nails anyway. ;)

[ClaireBear_nz]

When Tally was sedated to have his teeth done, I cleaned his. I wore latex gloves to protect my hands...Mum kept cracking up laughing and saying I looked like a CSI.
One warning though...make sure theres no non-horsey visitors turning up! The meter-man turned up while I was cleaning Tally...the look on his face was quite something

[Walnut]

We are all becoming experts at our yard. You can hold a front leg or tail if you are frightened of getting kicked. I often have the baby oil to hand with the kicker that I care for and once he has 'relaxed' give a good squirt in the hope that it will soften all the nasty stuff! It's really important to do it though, especially at this time of year with the flies etc and once clean you'll be surprised by the amount of people on the yard who will remark and congratulate you! Good luck:)

[Trewsers]

I've never found a bean!!!!! Usually I sneakily do Joe's when he's relaxed and dangly, usually when being rugged up! Makes life easier than having prod and poke, tho I have had to do that just to be sure I've got it all. Echo cutting nails - you just don't want that stuff under them!!

[Jessey]

I wear latex gloves and use baby oil, massage it up there and leave it to work for a while, makes getting the gook off/out much easier/gentler and rinsing is not quite so critical as when you use sheath cleaner, and the baby oil keeps on repeling the gook from sticking so makes it easier next time :p
I never found a bean in Bo, until I did it while he was sedated for his teeth to be done, then I found it and it was the size/shape of a kidney bean :eek:

[Palomino Mare]

I never found a bean in Bo, until I did it while he was sedated for his teeth to be done, then I found it and it was the size/shape of a kidney bean :eek:

:eek: oh good grief i am not looking forward to this! i found a very informative post from PL on the search so i think i do now understand...will have to pop to boots and ask for latex gloves to use with "fake tan";)

[*Grey Gelding*]

lolol, same! i got my yard owner to clean my geldings sheath whilst he was sedated! i wouldnt have a clue how to clean him, apart from the fact he usually aims for my head with his back legs, its not the nicest of things to spend the afternoon doing :o

[entreat]

You may have to hunt for the bean. Once you know where it is, you can get it before it gets too big. I pulled one out of a pony that was HUGE! it was actually obstructing his urination. the look on his face once it was gone was priceless!! Oh! the relief!!! I actually had to break it up to remove it.

Mouse has his bean checked for every couple of months, and you'll find that it forms in three parts, and if left to accumulate, it joins up into a kidney-bean shaped lump. Mouse is very trusting and 'relaxes' nearly every day. I swear he almost asks for the loose flakey bits to be brushed off.

[Palomino Mare]

the deed is done...well sort of!

it took me at least an hour! i started by brushing between his legs (he likes that;) ) and once he relaxed i went in for the kill - not the best technique as he then let it disappear into god knows where! so i just put my hand up there and cleaned the inside of the sheath - i can't believe what i found:eek: :eek: !! i was having to pick HUGE black clumps off - no idea what it is, dirt and urine?? anyways he liked this idea and continued to relax so i went in for that Mr bean creature - disgusting! i was suprised to hear that no one on my yard had heard of this before! if it looks like clay, then i managed to pick it out!

unfortunatley he didnt relax enough for me to wash his entirety so i will have to catch him unaware! i took him into the pen afterwards for some join-up which i think was needed (although he did keep grooming me throughout:o ) but when i asked him for trot on the left rein he still made "that noise" they make when it needs cleaned - what have i missed????

Oh and i forgot to get gloves although my hands don't smell too bad - the horse next door was drowned in cloves to get his mane pulled so thats all i can smell! and i used a syringe to "flush" the sheath cleaner out!

amz x

[Pink's lady]

I'm sure you had a most pleasurable day;)

Sounds like you got the bean out - looks like a smooth roundish lump of semi-solid clay that sits in the hole right at the tip.

Brodie has a huge bean (he was otherwise very clean) and once it was removed he was a lot less grumpy, so it probably was uncomfortable:o

The noise is thought to be air inside the sheath, not dirt - gelding have smaller bits than stallions but the same sized sheath so there's excess room :eek:

[Equine.Eventer]

Hey, i find my boy gets a dirty sheath too, so i clean it once every 2-3 months. I use a special sheath cleaning liquid or what works good is baby oil. Use either of those two to sophen the sheath gunck because it can stick to their inner skin and cause pain when pulling. I also get ride of the bean .
But i'm glad you have done it! I know when i first saw someone do that i was so grossed out know sometimes i don't even wear gloves, lol but i still wash my hands right after:p

[Laura+Phantom]

I don't think it needs cleaning that often, there is such a thing as overdoing it :eek:

Shoot me down in flames but I have never done either of my geldings. I have however finally been guilted into it by these threads so I will attack them this week, armed with double gloves - did a gelding at the yard where I used to work and the smell made me retch! And you can't scrub the smell off! Bleh! (maybe that was a particularly stinky boy)

[entreat]

i dont 'clean', but i brush off the flakey bits every month... or whenever its out & looks like it needs it. Mouse is otherwise very clean.

[horseygirl123]

Reading all your replies as kinda left me a tad bit intrigued to say the least :rolleyes:
I've never even ever ever thought about cleaning a geldings 'bits' (I dont own my own horse btw!) so all this fascinates me. I'm a dog groomer so am used to cleaning anal glands etc but the thought of going near a horses ding dong.....erwwww :eek:
So, whats all this 'bean' business. what is it?
And what exactly do you have to do to clean a geldings 'bits' ?
Whenever I am at the yard and one of the boys are 'relaxed' I get a bit embarrased, especially if I have to ride him :o

[magicalmac]

Having had to deal with my dogs anal glands that kept blocking when she was a pup - give me a yard full of dirty sheaths any day. How can anything that small smell so bad?

[Palomino Mare]

Reading all your replies as kinda left me a tad bit intrigued to say the least :rolleyes:
I've never even ever ever thought about cleaning a geldings 'bits' (I dont own my own horse btw!) so all this fascinates me. I'm a dog groomer so am used to cleaning anal glands etc but the thought of going near a horses ding dongs.....erwwww :eek:
So, whats all this 'bean' business. what is it?
And what exactly do you have to do to clean a geldings 'bits' ?
Whenever I am at the yard and one of the boys are 'relaxed' I get a bit embarrased, especially if I have to ride him :o

:eek: :eek: anal glands??!! oh no do i have to clean that now too?? (on my dog i mean;) ). PL made a very informative post that i found on the search that you could look for under "sheaths" - i would explain it but i dont think i would do it properly. i get embarassed by it all too - jerry was the first horse that ever pee'd with me riding, i was always proud that i had avoided it! it was the longest pee my instructor had ever witnessed from a horse and so now jerry has a bit of a reputation for that area, bless him:o

[horseygirl123]

:eek: :eek: anal glands??!! oh no do i have to clean that now too?? (on my dog i mean;) ). PL made a very informative post that i found on the search that you could look for under "sheaths" - i would explain it but i dont think i would do it properly. i get embarassed by it all too - jerry was the first horse that ever pee'd with me riding, i was always proud that i had avoided it! it was the longest pee my instructor had ever witnessed from a horse and so now jerry has a bit of a reputation for that area, bless him:o

Yeh most dogs need their anal glands emptied, due to the diets they have nowadays. Naturally they should empty themselves when the dog has a poo but as most dogs poos are soft it doesnt always empty (a bit of useless information there :rolleyes: )

[Laura+Phantom]

Ew, dogs poo stinks! Don't envy you! :)

[Tots N Dots]

well a friend and I tried to "do" Pickle the other week :eek: he was having none of it! I hung on the front end while friend went to work (had promised to school her pony for weeks in exchange ;) ) Pickle did handstands :o I did try to tell him he would like it if he relaxed but "NO!" was the response.
not sure where to go from here? :rolleyes:

[puzzles]

according to a vet i asked about this a years ago, sheaths are best left; horses tend to hate it, it takes time and effort, and to be honest it sin't worth the hassle.
none of the people i know who own geldings clean their sheaths, and all are healthy and happy from a grand prix dressage horse to pet veteran.

. . . but fair enough if you want to do it.

[Tots N Dots]

. . . but fair enough if you want to do it.
lol I dont want to, but Pickles looks a bit... erm.... well.... gunky? on the end? :o

[puzzles]

lol, completely understandable - what does your vet think?

[Laura+Phantom]

according to a vet i asked about this a years ago, sheaths are best left; horses tend to hate it, it takes time and effort, and to be honest it sin't worth the hassle.
none of the people i know who own geldings clean their sheaths, and all are healthy and happy from a grand prix dressage horse to pet veteran.

. . . but fair enough if you want to do it.

Thats what i've always though! No-one I know cleans their geldings sheaths either, only that one livery yard where I worked. I watched Phantom pee yesterday as all was as it should be so maybe i'll leave him be :)

[Palomino Mare]

for me its peer pressure!:o

everyone at my yard cleans their geldings regularly and i'm embarrased that jerry has loads of flaky bits and their horses dont!

i think its just a case of preference, if your doesnt mind it then it cant harm to have a wee wash, if he hates it then dont hassle him!

[puzzles]

for me its peer pressure!:o

everyone at my yard cleans their geldings regularly and i'm embarrased that jerry has loads of flaky bits and their horses dont!

i think its just a case of preference, if your doesnt mind it then it cant harm to have a wee wash, if he hates it then dont hassle him!

so true!

[entreat]

But what about the bean? They can block the end & cause great discomfort. I'm surprised a vet would suggest leaving that there.

but each to their own. If you don't wanna, ya don't have to.

[Pink's lady]

according to a vet i asked about this a years ago, sheaths are best left; horses tend to hate it, it takes time and effort, and to be honest it sin't worth the hassle.

They are best left IF they aren't dirty. If they are dirty they are much more pron to SCC:eek: And you do need to check for a bean. Some horses don't accumulate one in which case leave well alone, but you do need to check., at least once.

[KAB]

Perhaps this could be a start of a new business venture for someone......cleaning shealths - dont know how you would advertise it tho, :D plus you may get a lot of unwanted interested to say the least! Or, may be this is one for our men to sort! :D

[puzzles]

well there was one case i heard of who's horse had maggotds in his sheath...but that wouldn't necessarily be prevented or cured with cleaning, only regular checks.

[Lovejoy]

I can't belive it, I thought you were all having me on, I'd never heard of it!

I tackled Rocky's today with baby oil as I found sheath cleaner useless. It worked a treat and as I was foraging I found it.

I agree it's probably not essential to clean your horse's sheath but it must feel nice having had it done!

[mayoguinness]

Oh god, I'd never even thought about it..........yuck, I feel sick.................

[Pink's lady]

I can't belive it, I thought you were all having me on, I'd never heard of it!

Honest, we weren't making it up! It really does exist and to really could do with being removed/checked for once a year (or more if your gelding is dirty)

[Haphazard]

Thanks everyone, I have not laughed so much for ages .the tears in my eyes are making it difficult to read :D :D :D

PS How do think a male feels about having to do this? :D

[entreat]

Dunno about anyone elses boys, but as long as I don't have cold hands, I think Mouse likes being clean... but in a non-sexual way.

However, I did know a gelding that would get aroused... very alarming!! He's my ex's problem now!

[Palomino Mare]

However, I did know a gelding that would get aroused... very alarming!! He's my ex's problem now!

hahahahaha bitter sweet!!:D

[Blair Witch]

Let me just say that Flash has never been cleaned in his life and he's never had a problem. It's just personal preferrance IMO.

[Daffy Dilly]

Daffy's will be done at least once a year when he has his teeth checked. He needs a sedation of some sort. Whether or not we'll get to the point where I can just do it without a hoof lifting I don't know.

TBH I don't have a problem with handling Daffy's masculinity, he's always been a clean boy but that bean was huge. :eek:

[Denbenj]

ok... so hows do u fish the bean out exactly!.. Not been one for washing regulary horses bits... I have always tried to leave well alone unless a problem.. I just inspect regulary more so.

This Bean intrigues me!.. :D

[YR_SHOWJUMPER]

okay... having had a few gldings in my time, i can't say it is NOT (whooops bad typo!) a particular part of horse ownership which has particularly delighted me! however, mum always said human boys can do it themselves but horses cant! so we are left with the delightful job !!!!!!!!!!!!! i dont mind cause the gunk n flakey bits are unsightly but it is not one of my better time passers!!!!!!!!!

i had to 'do' monty's manhood the otherday and he likes it too mch, which is a little disturbing!! but i returned from the yard, to the pub for a swift pint before going home to bed when one of the 'boys' asked me what d been doing, being a hosey person, i told them!!!! now it is the subject of much debate.. the rest u do not need too much of an imagination for i can say!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

its just one of those jobs that has to be done but no one (no one normal anywa!!!!!) will particularly enjoy doing xxx

[joshes mum]

I'll be honest none of us clean our boys bits i've owned josh nearly 3 years and i've not touched his.If anyone has any good tips on how to clean it without being booted across the yard please let me know.:o

[Palomino Mare]

I'll be honest none of us clean our boys bits i've owned josh nearly 3 years and i've not touched his.If anyone has any good tips on how to clean it without being booted across the yard please let me know.:o

i think i read it in another thread but someone suggested sneaking in and squirting baby oil up there and let the oil do the work!!

amz x

[joshes mum]

Is baby oil a good thing to use wont it upset the natural bacteria thats already there?

[joshes mum]

Thought this might be interesting http://www.liphookequinehosp.co.uk/llsheathwash.htm

[Pink's lady]

Thought this might be interesting http://www.liphookequinehosp.co.uk/llsheathwash.htm

Thats the reason you shouldn't 'clean' it regularly unless it's dirty. However, you do need to check for the bean. Brodie was relly really clean (never any smegma) so I hadn't done it before but last summer I have a rummage and found the most enourmous bean:eek: :o and he was so much more comfortable afterwards. I didn't 'clean' it at all otherwise - just removed the bean.

If your gelding is clean, all you need to do is check for the bean (being careful not to do any damage) and leave it at that and maybe check again next year. You only need to 'clean' when it's properly dirty.

It's one of these things people really don't like doing (understandably;)) and therefore like to say it's not nessesary, mostly because it's embarassing:o. That doesn't mean there isn't a 'bean' lurking which the horse would be much happier without.

[Denbenj]

any thoughts on starting a bean retrieving service PL? :D

[Pink's lady]

Could you imaging the advertisments for it!?:eek:..................

[mogadoga]

I used to think the squeeky noise was meaning it needed cleaned. But what PL said must be true- as he does it when its clean...when there will be more room up there for air.

[Sexy Sietske]

My boy has been doing naughties and now he is cleanish..the only evidence. :rolleyes:

Naughty boy thinking he can keep secrets from mummy!! :p

[Roofio]

Right... I've been lurking on this thread and putting it off for a few days, but yesterday I donned my latex gloves and went in for the kill....

J is not dirty, just a few tiny black flecks so i went in search of the mysterious bean. He was not impressed and rather rapidly 'removed himself from the situation' and gave me a look i can only describe as deeply concerned.

I couldn't feel anything i don't think... should i be digging deeper??

:o

[entreat]

It's deeper than you think & there's a lot of flesh around where it hides, so you may not feel it. I'll take a photo tomorrow of my boys willy (now explain *THAT* to the passes-by!!) & post it. I just cleaned mouses tiny excuse for a bean out as part of a demonstration for some new horse owners. They were surprised!

[NicP]

Why oh why did I read this while eating my lunch...

[Palomino Mare]

Why oh why did I read this while eating my lunch...

lol!!

i would like you all to know that....jerry's is still not clean!!!

so, everyday when he "relaxes" i take the opportunity and manage to get about 10secs worth of erm "picking" before he takes offence. think i'm going to try the baby oil thing:rolleyes:

[entreat]

I took out the 'bean' of one of the riding school ponies & it is HUGE!! It's in my shed, I must take a photo for you guys so you know how big they get, and why they severely restrict urination.

The people at the yard got a real education session that day! I showed everyone that would watch where to find it (on Mouse as he's very compliant about such things). I was asked by my neighbours to look on their gelding & when I did (i got all of 3 seconds before he'd had enough), I was quite surprised to see what looks like quite a gooey 'end' where the bean should be. I anticipate the bean being in there somewhere, but they need to work with his handling skills before I want to tackle that again. It looks like it'll get infected soon!

[Lucyad]

There was a sheath cleaning service advertised in equi ads last month!

[lizayr]

well i managed to get te gunk of my boy but never seen any sign of the bean? Not sure if im not doing it properly :o but he did not seem to like me doing it stamping of feet :eek: and lifting feet but i held on still no bean, just wondered if they all have a bean or not?:confused:

[horse_lady43]

hi i used to clean my geldings sheath every couple of months,untill he got an infection,the vet said to leave it alone, most of the black stuff on there is for protection,hence i dont clean it ,hes 15yrs old now he was 3yrsold when he had infection,hes ok,fraid i take notice of my vet.