how often should you clean your geldings bits!

Depends - Cairo was originally couple of times a year but as he got older and less active, he needed it done about every six weeks.

Chancer - horrible little bugger - very smeggy and also rubs his belly on the ground filling it up with mud - needs to be flushed out every week to two weeks.

I only use water and my hand. In winter I do it less often and sometimes can go a couple of months then I do a spring clean with a proper sheath cleaner - but only once a year and then back to the hose or warm water if cold.

Finally I have to check and remove "beans" hard lumps of smeg that get lodged either side of the pee tube - Cairo got these as he got older and needed checking every three months. Chancer unfortunately needs to have them popped out about every weeks weeks or they get very big and difficult to do.

Vet said nothing to worry about, just regularly check and get them out before they got big and hard, some geldings are just like this.
 
Never! I like my head where it is!
My vet attempted whilst he was sedated once and still got kicked for his trouble so I leave well alone.
 
my yo did it for me a few weeks ago for the first time in 3 yrs. whlist he was heaviely sedated after having an endoscope exmination.

ditto marchtime i do like my head on my shoulders lol
 
If the horse has never had his sheath cleaned out, then he may never need to have it done, as the natural balance of oils normally does this for you, therefore no intervention is required for the most part. I do always check my boys once a while to make sure they don't have a bean, but I've never cleaned them as they've never had a bean.

Once you start cleaning, get used to it, as very often the moment you start doing it, you'll have to continue regularly.

Thankfully I get all of mine as youngsters so no-one has ever meddled with them.
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Tia, Chancer never had his cleaned until I got him and at first I didn't do it but he developed mild SI and rubbed his belly, filled his sheath with mud and that was it. Vet said I had to keep it clean (a) to get mud out and (b) to help with the SI.

Yes, once you start it seems to need it. I only use water and agree with you about the natural oils etc - believe me if I could leave it, I would but he then gets black gunge down his legs and it gets all stuck in the feather, and don't get me started about beans - first one was when he was 2 1/2 - big as the top half of my thumb - when it popped out, I couldn't believe it.

Cairo definately needed some tlc down there as he got older due to not be so active.

I am very lucky, Chancer likes having it done, even popping out beans does not phase him - he keeps it hanging out so it is easy to do - great when you have a mucky beany oik.

Must confess that having another mare makes me appreicate how easy they are - quick wipe between the boob and down the back end and done.
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so if his bits are pink with a little brown smeg hear and there would you leave it? saying that i dont think he would let me any where near it even if he was sedated coz when he was castereated it got an infection so in stead of the vet cutting the wound open and clening it he found a gap in the stiches and tore it apart so i can fully understand why he is a little funny in that area!x
 
Not very often. If he dangles it around I dust it off but I don't go mad.
There is a school of thought that says you must get in there and have a good rummage round.
There is a school of thought that says don't rummage because it doesn't happen in the wild.
However my friends gelding did have a very nasty infection up there because he wouldn't let her rummage round.
Basically I don't know.
 
Never!!!!!!!

No one cleaned a horses sheath when they ran wild. Why interfere with nature, leave well alone!

At a previous yard the lady in the next stable to me used to clean her horses sheath regularly.

She thought she was doing good but her horse ended up with a serious infection, which ended up with no riding for a couple of weeks and a large vet bill.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Never!!!!!!!

No one cleaned a horses sheath when they ran wild. Why interfere with nature, leave well alone!



[/ QUOTE ]

In the wild, they used them, so they got cleaned naturally.
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My horse was done by his old owner, however that doesn't necessarily means that he likes it!
I'll usually have a quick check, every couple of weeks when i'm feeling for any other lumps and bumps on him generally. but i usually leave well alone because like many other people have said "i don't want my head kicked in!"
If he needs doing then i usually sedate him and hes slowly getting better.
 
My boy is awful to do but his thing is awful too sometimes, crusted with dry stuff and little bits of black goo down his back legs.....but almost impossible to do him without sedation and Im reluctant to sedate.....mind you he seems to pee and everything fine.

Sometimes rather than peeling stuff off I put baby oil on to soften it all up and then a day later wash it off with dilute (very dilute) Hibiscrub (warm water). But beans, nooo he wont put up with me delving there....and hes 17 hands and uses every one of them if hes not happy
 
I would agree with the "never" statement in the majority of cases (in the past I have had geldings that I have never touched in that area - with no problems), but with my current gelding he gets quite mucky and smeggy and I have found I had to do something about it.

As long as he is happy for you to "fiddle" with him (your safety should be paramount), I would try to gently remove any bigger bits of smeg by easing it away if it will come. Then I use KY jelly to lubricate and ease any more dirt out. It is the kindest and least irritating thing you can use. I tend to squeeze it up there, give it a wipe round, then squeeze up a bit more and leave it over night - alot of dirt will just come out of its own accord over night and you can give it another wipe in the morning. Try not to be too particular with it or mess around too much as you really don't want to make things worse by upsetting the balance in that area. I only clean it when he needs it i.e. if its really mucky or smells! - approximately 2-3 times a year.

I hope that helps. Be gentle though - embarrassingly enough my boy loves it.

Oh, one last thing, you can use this time to check for lumps and bumps. The pony in the stable next to me had to be put to sleep last year as he had a terrible tumour on his sheath that no-one had noticed until it was far too late.
 
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