Gelding

[SantaVera]

Anyone with a gelding who doesn't clean the sheath? Was debating with a vet about the necessity of this, she gave the impression unless there's a problem to leave alone, I'm not so sure. What's your take on this?

 

[Starzaan]

I think it’s always necessary to check for beans, but not all horses need their sheaths cleaned.
Sadly I have one who needs his done every two weeks which is a real pain!

 

[nagblagger]

I have had geldings over 40 years and have never cleaned a sheath. I do closely look when they are 'relaxed' and identified one with cancer very early on so surgery was successful.
I await to be chastised...

 

[Sleipnir]

I used to have to clean my older gelding often, as his previous owners had let an infection go rampant within his sheath and that destroyed the microflora in it. However, once his health stabilized, there's been no need to really clean his sheath, as it self-regulates. I now only check him and my youngster for beans about once a month and, of course, would pay close attention if I observed abnormal buildup and/or aroma of smegma in any of them.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

Neither of my geldings have their sheaths cleaned. I do have a look when they are relaxed but they don’t produce smegma and pee easily. I would much rather leave well alone unless absolutely necessary but equally would clean if anything changed.

 

[Barton Bounty]

Mine has a habit of just dropping it as soon as he sees me, unless it needs cleaned I dont touch it

 

[AlpacaTeddySJ]

I don’t do mine as much as I should, maybe twice or so a year when sedated for clipping (fussy with legs), so it’s already all hanging out… never notice issues weeing leading up to it, but I always pull a few beans out…
I did it in the presence of my partner once, and he actually ran away lol!

 

[Cortez]

Some horses (male ones only, of course), need their sheaths cleaned, some never do. I'd say 90% don't. Stallions that are covering obviously routinely get thoroughly cleaned every time they cover, both before and after.

 

[Goldenstar]

Some geldings need them cleaning more than others when a horse is fat it may need it cleaning more often than when it’s slim .
But all geldings need checking for beans .
Geldings that hunt can get all sorts in the sheath hunting in filthy conditions so you have to check and clean as necessary .
Fatty arrived with a gross infection in his sheath it stank and when worked out where the stink was coming from he would not let us near it was so sore . Getting it sorted was a vet job .
Fatty needed a lot of sheath care after he came to me ,very ill ,after a virus damaged his heart his immune system was out of whack for years he got sarcoids and stopped sweating he was a poorly boy .
In time he recovered and part from very lack lustre sweating he’s a normal horse now he has not had a sarcoid for years and we do not need to clean his sheath very often .

 

[Abacus]

I’ve never cleaned one and have had geldings for 25 years. I’ve never noticed a smell or problem and when I do see them ‘relaxed’ it all looks clean and ok.

Only exception is a pony on the yard, not mine, who has tumours and a discharge which gets cleaned up, it sometimes bleeds and needs keeping in order.

 

[mavandkaz]

I'm another that has never cleaned one in my life - owned horses for 25 yrs.
As long as they are peeing fine, no swelling etc then I'm happy to leave well alone.

 

[Lady Jane]

Never

 

[spotty_pony]

I have had geldings over 40 years and have never cleaned a sheath. I do closely look when they are 'relaxed' and identified one with cancer very early on so surgery was successful.
I await to be chastised...

I nwver clean my boy either unless he needs it - I had it done a few times about ten years ago and he got an infection as the good bacteria had been upset which put me off. He also has to be sedated and vet has to do it so I don’t bother now, but obviously would if it needed doing.

 

[ycbm]

I have had one horse in the past who needed his done on a weekly basis and other than him I've never cleaned a sheath, though I do pull out any really obvious smeg buildup from my current horse.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

Nope. Never done it here either. Nothing has ever had an issue that needed dealing with so I have left well alone. My boys regularly stand dozing in the sun with it all hanging loose so I can easily see if a problem were to arise.

We had 1 horse at the yard that arrived with a massive tumour on his willy. How on earth his previous yard didn't notice - or if they did they did absolutely nothing about it. Within 2 weeks of him being on our yard he had had the tumour removed as well as half his willy. He is lucky! He was less than a cm away from having the whole thing chopped off!

 

[Cragrat]

I never ever clean sheaths. Sometimes I might gently remove a particularly humungous flake of loose dead skin if I notice it. I have to admit to having been around horses all my life, and only learning about beans in last 6? years. Since then I learnt my 18 y/o homebred only gets small beans, very rarely - but he wasn't ever checked until he was about 12! My younger gelding gets larger beans more often....but I have owned him 5 years and check him every few months. He had a large one the first time I checked him, and usually has a decent one every few months. Does more frequent checking cause beans??? only slightly tongue in cheek question!

 

[rara007]

Don’t mess with it unless an issue!

 

[Birker2020]

Anyone with a gelding who doesn't clean the sheath? Was debating with a vet about the necessity of this, she gave the impression unless there's a problem to leave alone, I'm not so sure. What's your take on this?

Had a former livery cause loads of problems by over washing his jorses shesth. Once you upset the PH balance you can cause loads of issues.

 

[Patterdale]

I have had geldings all my life and have NEVER cleaned a sheath.

People who clean their horses’ sheaths will tell you that they have to, because it gets so incredibly gunky. They never seem to see that they are most likely causing this by the cleaning.

 

[twiggy2]

I agree with your vet.
Why mess about if its not needed?

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

One of mine gets disgusting and gets beans so he has the sheath woman when he needs it normally once or twice a year, the other one is fine so I leave him and have never cleaned it.

 

[ycbm]

I have had one horse in the past who needed his done on a weekly basis and other than him I've never cleaned a sheath, though I do pull out any really obvious smeg buildup from my current horse.

To add to this. I tried leaving it alone for 3 months and it was packed with hard smeg by the end of that. In the end my vet advised me to wipe it out with baby oil, even though my understanding is that baby oil is the wrong PH for that purpose. I started doing that and as long as I kept it up he never had a problem again. Something in his system made it go hard and build up in layers like over-baked puff pastry.
.

 

[Merrymoles]

I'm in the leave it alone camp generally.

First horse, however, used to get such a build up of smeg that it ran down his legs, so he got done fairly regularly. Second one I think I only did it a few times in ten years, although I did use to rub flaky bits off when he was dangling.

New horse, however, let me know in no uncertain way that he wanted it cleaned! He was knocking electric fence posts down to try to scratch on them, standing spreadeagled over our three ft high thistles and spent one evening waving his back leg around in the air at weird angles. I had only had him a month at that stage so was slightly worried about getting my head kicked in but when he had the (new) farrier the next day I decided to give it a clean while there was help around because I was worried there was something sinister like maggots going on. It is fair to say, he absolutely loved it! Lips quivering, holding his leg out of the way and generally being a saint. Needless to say we were all, including new farrier, in hysterics watching him.

And there was nothing wrong with it at all, no bean or real build up of anything but he obviously feels the need to keep it pristine! That was six months ago and he hasn't needed it touched since so fingers crossed it will only be an annual job. I'm sure he will tell me when it's time

 

[SpotsandBays]

One of mine I leave alone completely really. Might give it a rinse with water at bath time but that’s it.
The other ones pink skinned and I don’t know if that just makes it look dirtier or whether it’s just him but I do have to give it a clean a couple of times a year because it gets abit gross! I make sure to use sheath cleaner and rinse it well

 

[windand rain]

Mine is left well alone he quite likes a cold hose up there at Bath time but that's it he rarely gets bathed either

 

[Tarragon]

I have always had geldings and have never felt the need to interfere, and that is in about 20 years ownership of 4 different ponies.

 

[SantaVera]

Al lthis is good to know. I thought I was the only one not sheath cleaning.

 

[Jenko109]

Sorry to drag this up, however where did the misconception that sheath cleaning was required actually come from?

I don't know any vets that recommend doing it, so why do people feel they have to do it?

Is this just a case of people being taught something by the Pony Club when they were kids and are now unable to accept there could be any other way?

 

[Hormonal Filly]

I never cleaned my geldings, owned him for 6 years from a baby. I notice the end of his willy looked big one summer.. a friend said she would have a look/clean it and check. He had a huge bean tucked in the skin folds on the end, was about an inch big. he also had big chunks of smeg at the back.

So I never cleaned any geldings willy before but made me feel guilty, god knows long that had been there!

 

[Muddy unicorn]

My gelding got a bit dehydrated a few weeks ago when the temperature changed dramatically overnight from freezing to ridiculously warm and he was struggling to pee. I called the vet for advice who asked me if I ever cleaned his sheath, when I said no, she said carry on leaving it alone as in her experience once owners started messing about with it then it needed doing constantly.