cleaning a geldings sheath

Bucket warm water sponge rubber gloves .
Shirt sheath cleaner in leave a few minutes then get at it.
Watch he does not object most love it once they get the idea.
 
Although I enjoyed the article linked, I always found it better to detach myself from the process in hand. Don't overthink it.

Along the lines of, "just grooming lah lah lah", nothing to see here.
 
A yard buddy said a bucket and sponge wouldnt clean off enough of the sheath cleanser. In 23 years ive only ever had mares!
 
This I just don't get. I've had geldings for ten years and have never cleaned their sheath. Always just left well alone....
 
vieshot said:
This I just don't get. I've had geldings for ten years and have never cleaned their sheath. Always just left well alone....
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You have been lucky, we had a horse arrive on the yard a real grumpy B after a couple of days I noticed a nasty smell and tracked it down to his sheath , I had a go at washing it and got a very strong reaction so I called the vet who sedated him and cleaned the sheath with diluted hibiscrub his penis was covered in scabs and sores the filth that was trapped up there was amazing his relief was evident from his face . We had to apply cream daily and he was on antibiotics and bute for a while it all cleared up and the grumpy B turned into a sweet heart.
 
Dear god were you going to hose it with freezing cold water if you did have access to a hose? I am lucky in that I have never had to wash my stallion's. He keeps it very clean himself with his daily self-pleasures. Only had to do my gelding once as his also looks very clean. I was always told to leave well alone if it looks ok. (I should add before anyone says anything..the stallion has never covered,or he would indeed be cleaned before and after).
 
:o
Coblover63 said:
Erm.... what exactly do you think your gelding will permit you to do with a hose anyway? :confused:

Bucket of warm water is what you need....
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Quite a lot in my case! My gelding had a urethrostomy a number of years back, so I need to clean him frequently, a hose, bucket of water, specially purchased VERY soft bottle brushes, and the 'right up to the elbow' approach, he's seen them all - best I can suggest is plain hand-warm water and a gentle approach to start off with, not always a need for cleaners, I won't go into what I use as it doesn't tend to apply to most cases :-) happy to help out if I can! :)
 
I've had horses (mainly geldings) for over 20 years now, and managed a yard of 15. I am yet to clean a sheath.

IMO it is absolutely unnecessary unless there is a medical condition.

The more you put foreign cleansing products in there, the more likely you are to get infections.
My vet is also of this view - leave well alone!

:)
 
Mr Hand.

1) Check to make sure there are no prospective boyfriends, elderly neighbours, nuns or Brownie troops with a line of sight to the proceedings. They're probably going to show up unexpectedly anyway though once you're in the middle of things. Have a good explanation at the ready.

2) Trim your fingernails short. Assemble horse, hose, and your sense of humour (plus, ideally, Excalibur cleanser and perhaps thin rubber gloves).

3) Use the hose (or a damp sponge) to get the sheath and its inhabitant wet. Uh, that is, do this in a *civilised* fashion with due warning to the horse; he is apt to take offense if an icy-cold hose blasts unexpectedly into his personal regions ;-)

4) Now introduce your horse to Mr Hand. What I find safest is to stand facing the horse's head, with my shoulder and hip snugly against the horse's thigh and hip so that if he makes any suspicious move such as raising his leg, I can feel it right away and am in any case pressed so close that all he can do is shove, not really kick. The horse should be held by an assistant or by your free hand, NOT tied fast to a post or to cross ties. He may shift around a good bit if he's not happy with Mr Hand's antics, but don't be put off by that; as long as you are patient and gradual, and stick close to his side, he'll get over it. Remember that it would be most unladylike of you to simply make a direct grab for your horse's Part. Give the horse a clue about what's on the programme. Rest your hand against his belly, and then slide it back til you are entering The Home of the Actual Private Part. When you reach this first region of your destination, lube him up good with Excalibur or whatever you're using. If the outer part of his sheath is really grungy you will feel little clods and nubblies of smegma peeling off as you grope around in there. Patiently and gently expedite their removal.

5) Thus far, you have probably only been in the outer part of the sheath. The Part Itself, you'll have noticed, is strangely absent. That's because it has retired shyly to its inner chambers. Roll up them there sleeves and follow in after it ;-)

6) As you and Mr Hand wend your way deeper into the sheath, you will encounter what feels like a small portal that opens up into a chamber beyond. Being attentive to your horse's reaction, invite yourself in. You are now in the inner sanctum of The Actual Private Part. It's hiding in there towards the back, trying to pretend it isn't there. Say hi and wave to it. No, really, work your finger back and forth around the sides of it. If the horse won't drop, this is your only shot at removing whatever dried smegma is clinging to the surface of the Part itself. So, gently explore around it, pulling out whatever crusty topsoil you find there. Use more water and more Excalibur if necessary to loosen attached gunk.

7) When Mr Hand and the Actual Private Part have gotten to know each other pretty well, and the Part feels squeaky clean all around, there remains only one task: checking for, and removing, the bean. The bean is a pale, kidney-shaped accumulation of smegma in a small pouch just inside the urethra. Not all horses accumulate a bean, but IME the majority do, even if they have no visible external smegma. So ... the equine urethra is fairly large diameter, and indeed will permit you to very gently insinuate one of your slimmer fingers inside the urethral opening. Do so, and explore upwards for what will feel like a lump or "pea" buried no more than, I dunno, perhaps 3/4" in from the opening. If you do encounter a bean, gently and sympathetically persuade it out with your finger. This may require a little patience from BOTH Mr Hand AND the horse, but the horse will be happier and healthier once it's accomplished. In the rare event that the bean is too enormous for your finger to coax out, you might try what I did (in desperation) last month on the orange horse: wrap thumb and index finger around the end of the Part and squeeze firmly to extrude the bean. Much to my surprise it worked and orange horse did NOT kill me for doing it and he does not seem to have suffered any permanant damage as a result ;-> I have never in my life seen another bean that enormous, though.

8) Now all that's left to do is make a graceful exit and rinse the area very thoroughly in apology for the liberties you've taken. A hose will be MUCH easier to use here than just a sponge and bucket, IME. Make sure to direct the water into the Part's inner retreat too, not merely the outer part of the sheath. This may require you to enfold the end of the hose in your hand and guide it up there personally.

9) Ta-da, you are done! Say, "Good horsie" and feed him lots of carrots. Watch him make funny faces at the way your hands smell. Hmm. Well, perhaps there is ONE more step...

10) The only thing I know of that is at all effective in removing the lovely fragrance of smegma from your hands (fingernails arms elbows and wherever else it's gotten) is Excalibur. Even then, if you didn't use gloves you may find you've got an unusual personal perfume for a while. So, word to the wise, do NOT clean your horse's sheath just before an important job interview or first date ;-) and of course, there is that one FINAL step...

11) Figure out how to explain all this to your mother (or the kid from next door, or the meter reader, or whoever else you've just realized has been standing in the barn doorway speechlessly watching the entire process.) Now, go thou forth and clean that Part!

"Before you criticise someone walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you DO criticise them you are a mile away and you have their shoes!"
 
Patterdale said:
I've had horses (mainly geldings) for over 20 years now, and managed a yard of 15. I am yet to clean a sheath.

IMO it is absolutely unnecessary unless there is a medical condition.

The more you put foreign cleansing products in there, the more likely you are to get infections.
My vet is also of this view - leave well alone!

:)
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Asolutely this

Only problem I've ever had with one was when a sharer decided to put baby oil on one of mine, then it was pouring gank.
 
Patterdale said:
I've had horses (mainly geldings) for over 20 years now, and managed a yard of 15. I am yet to clean a sheath.

IMO it is absolutely unnecessary unless there is a medical condition.

The more you put foreign cleansing products in there, the more likely you are to get infections.
My vet is also of this view - leave well alone!
Click to expand...
Tend to agree with this. Still worth "checking for the bean" though (see above), and being alert to any unpleasant smells or discharges that would indicate an infection with something other than the normal bacterial flora. Then I think you will have to start cleaning (and keep that going forever :().
 
This has got to be the single biggest reason NOT to own a boy horse.
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My boy makes the sheath noise when he's worried/ stressed, I think he slightly holds his stomach in/ holds his breath which changes the shape of it so you get the noise. Once we're pass the 'scary' object and his heart rate drops the noise goes away again.

I've never heard of dirt making it make a noise. Best bet to see if it's really grim is to look on the inside of his hind legs up towards the top where it will 'rest' when it's out and he's laying down. If it's really grim it'll leave the waxy type stuff on his leg.
 
I cleaned my boy's sheath for the first time when he was sedated to have his teeth done. I'd noticed when he was rolling that there was a lot of black smegma stuck to the hairs around the outside of his sheath when he was rolling. The vet very kindly showed me where "the bean" was as I wouldn't have thought to look there!!! :o

This is what she extracted for me.... I'd never seen one before so I am sharing this for education purposes so others will know what to look for....

IMG-20121001-01937_zps29816229.jpg
 
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