PurBee
Well-Known Member
You can happily avoid that job with a clear conscience!:
https://practicalhorsemanmag.com/health-archive/sheath-cleaning-necessary-25827
Is there anything your horse won’t let you do?
- Thread starter doodle
- Start date
You can happily avoid that job with a clear conscience!:
https://practicalhorsemanmag.com/health-archive/sheath-cleaning-necessary-25827
dorsetladette
Well-Known Member
no mane pulling here either. Both object strongly to even the suggestion of it. TBH I haven't pulled a mane for years. I used to do hunters and their owner was very old fashioned and insisted it was done. I just solocomb them off with mine.
I don't think I could cut the fluff from Darcy's ears either. He's very earshy (it's taken 6 months to get a good routine to get his bridle on that doesn't result in me getting headbutted) fortunately as a TB his ear tufts are quite minimal.
My little stallion was beaten round the head as a youngster and never really got over having his ears touched. I have the scar on my eye brow to show from rushing to tack up one day. He caught me with the brass of his stallion bridle and knocked me clean out. He was stood over me when I came round, but blimey the was a lot of blood (white shirt, cream jods so looked horrendous when I came out of the trailer door.) Lesson learnt - I didn't rush him again.
dorsetladette
Well-Known Member
My 2 current cobs are polar opposites.
B1 - you can do more or less anything too as long as he is in your company. He isn't keen on loading, but he will if he really as too.
B2 - you can't really do much more that the basic groom, lunge etc. everything else is terrifying and yet he will load like a pro.
Welshies keep you on your toes
B1 - you can do more or less anything too as long as he is in your company. He isn't keen on loading, but he will if he really as too.
B2 - you can't really do much more that the basic groom, lunge etc. everything else is terrifying and yet he will load like a pro.
Welshies keep you on your toes
albeg
Well-Known Member
Unless they develop beans...
Equi
Well-Known Member
Big lad won't have his right ear trimmed much, won't tolerate mane pulling of any kind and when its attempted he will then not allow any form of mane touching. My little ones let me do anything i want to them but the gelding will NOT have his teeth done without sedation. He becomes down right dangerous if its even attempted as my poor EDT found out when he was in a pile on the floor.
The-Bookworm
Well-Known Member
Tell her she's wrong, because on the whole she isn't.
Cob Life
Well-Known Member
The gelding won't go on any sort of lunge line, he has a questionable history so possibly bad experience as a youngster?
The mare hates her face being brushed. You can stroke her face, wash it but you CANNOT brush it
The mare hates her face being brushed. You can stroke her face, wash it but you CANNOT brush it
DreamTime22
Well-Known Member
Working on it but at the moment comb, touch or plait her mane or go anywhere near any part of her body with scissors. Just seems to hate the sound.
AFB
Well-Known Member
I am genuinely torn on this one as he can at times get thick black crusts and definitely attracts flies. I do keep cleaning to an absolute minimum but sometimes it does become the lesser of two evils.
Reacher
Well-Known Member
On the willy washing, I’d avoided the issue then felt guilty and paid someone to clean it about 10 months ago. Then paid them to do it again at Christmas. Apparently it was much stinkier the 2nd time and I’m regretting having interfered with it. What do I do now I seem to have upset the bacteria balance ?
Fransurrey
Well-Known Member
I've always erred on the side of minimal interference with boy parts and never cleaned my Exmoor in the 25 years I had him. New boy has now earned the nickname cheesy d*ck. I've never come across such a dirty horse in all my life! I have to regularly pick black blobs from his long hairs near his willy - he came with them - and he gets a lot of smegma build up. This week have been bean removing. Got two out just this morning, as he's now accepting that I'm helping (he had started kicking with irritation at his sheath occasionally, so I knew it was time again). He does seem to have a lot of folds inside his sheath, so guess he's just one of those! I only use aloe vera gel to clean him. I really want to leave alone for the reasons above in the article, but for him it just didn't work! I do clip right up to his sheath to cut down on blob build up, but still get some. I'm going to chat to the vet on Monday about it, as he also gets thrush at the drop of a hat, so I'm concerned there's an underlying issue.
On the original topic, my mare doesn't do ANY sort of liquid on her body. She's fine in heavy rain, but hoses, sponge baths, fly sprays...big nope. I have to tie her up tight and we do a little dance.
On the original topic, my mare doesn't do ANY sort of liquid on her body. She's fine in heavy rain, but hoses, sponge baths, fly sprays...big nope. I have to tie her up tight and we do a little dance.
Hormonal Filly
Well-Known Member
Find all this sudden Sheath cleaning phase interesting. Call me a bad owner, but I had never washed either of my geldings sheaths and owned them over 5 years, I physically can't do it myself it makes me want to gag and never had a problem.
A friend on the yard said they'd be really dirty, so she decided to give them a clean last year. She got a few bits out of one gelding and the other was clean! Haven't touched them since and don't think I will. A livery paid for a 'willy cleaner' and her gelding got a infection from irritation it caused which needed multiple vet visits.. ouch.
Nasicus
Well-Known Member
Mines fine until the sprays go near her udders/thighs, then we do the little dance. If I have time, I'll spray it onto some cotton wool or whatever and wipe it on, but sometimes I just don't have the time!
be positive
Well-Known Member
I cannot call you a bad owner, I have owned my 30 year old for 25 years and never done his, it gets a look at when he pees and is clean, I have had to clean a few over the years but generally leave them alone unless there is a reason to clean.
PurBee
Well-Known Member
Its a bit of a circular chicken egg situation once cleansers are used, as per the article, cleaning with any cleansing products caused a massive re-build-up of gunk to re-grow.
However, as it stated, using warm water to clean off gunk caused much less of a rebound bacteria regrowth reaction, so its best to use just warm water allowing the bacterial balance to return to normal.
Aloe vera is anti-bacterial so its not wise to use that.
My gelding is sensitive generally on his under-belly....not liking brushing much. Luckily fly season enables me to de-sensitise by him allowing me to itch under there, but he’s like a cat, allowing 20 seconds of loving the fuss, and then he’s had enough!
I’m not sure i’d survive handling his man parts!
He’s my first gelding, when i read about ‘removing beans’ my reaction was pure horror “remove an effing bean?!?!” Youve got to be kidding....! I just knew vet/sedation would have to be the route if this became necessary.
I keep an eye on his urine flow pattern, and inspect for anomalies when he drops, he gets abit gunky at times, but it resolves itself...the fairies must come at night to clean him!
PurBee
Well-Known Member
Continue using just warm water if its got really funky again. The bacteria balance should resolve itself.
Use brand new throw away jay cloths, pre- washed in plain hot water to remove manufacturing chemicals.
Re-using a cloth can easily transfer bacteria onto their penis/sheath. Sterile plain cloth essential.
Baby wipes are impregnanted with anti-bac chemicals so dont use them either.
My mares udders get black gunky lumps between them....shes always asking for a bum scratch but what she really meant by swinging her butt in my direction was ‘itch my udders please!” She was very relieved to have that lifetime mass of gunk removed. Her previous owner told me ‘she hates having her udders touched, she’ll kick’ and she did, just by me looking at her udder! (She was due to foal so i was looking from 1.5m away if nipples were waxing) Cow kick onto thigh faster than superman! Yes, i teared up hobbling away!...but once i found her sensitive itchy spot shes fine with me handling her there.
rainni_day
Well-Known Member
I am amazed at reading all these ears comments....my mare absolutely loves having her ears stroked and rubbed. Our bonding moments are when she lowers her head and i rest my face on her blaze and rub her ears, we stand there for ages like that. Doesn't like having her bum cleaned but will stand if I make her.
bouncing_ball
Well-Known Member
I met one of the original “full time willy cleaners” when they came to my yard in December.
She was very concerned about people using anything that upsets the pH and bacteria balance in that area.
Nothing with Lanolin / oil / grease or soap etc. Many products sold for the job are not good.
She was also concerned about the unskilled people cleaning willy’s doing more harm than good, with poor hygiene or using products that irritate.
I do my own and use agri-gel – which is what vets and farmer use to lubricate for internal examinations. She said that was a good thing to use.
I remove beans about every 6 months. First time were lumps diameter of 10 pence piece, and needed sedation. Now tend do get pea size lumps.
If you use skin friendly agri-gel and do it occasionally it prevents big beans forming.
You can feel from outside whether have beans or nor with gentle squeeze.