Itchy Willy - anyones gelding had this

[Theresa_F]

I am still getting the hang of geldings, having only had mares before.

Chancer is a very agile little horse and is able to lie down, get his leg under and "hump" and itch his willy. He does it the minute he goes in the school, field and occasionally in the stable, several times in a few minutes.

He is not sore, no bite marks etc. My vet examined him two months ago and said he could have sweet itch in the sheath and gave me some liquid to put in it and told me to apply cortisone cream for a couple of weeks.

I have just rung him as there are not many midges around now. He suggested it could be mites and told me to spray frontline round the outside. He is also giving me some cortisone tablets to see if this stops him. If this does not work, then it will have to be blood and skin scrapes.

I apply sudocream daily round the outside of his sheath and belly. I also remove the mud he gets at the entrance. He has his sheath and belly area sprayed before going in the field with repellent.

He is a grubby gelding - compared to Cairo, but the sheath smell is not offensive. I rinse out once a week with warm water to get mud and grit out (from where he humps the ground) and once a month with sheath cleaner or he can get black goo on his legs.

Cairo loves me to itch the entrance to his sheath - he makes faces, puffs and pulls his hind leg up and waggles it - but he is not agile enough to do as Chancer does.

Is there the possibility that Chancer just likes to rub his todger?

Anyone else had a gelding do this?

 

[Patches]

I absolutely have no advice to give you on this one Theresa, but I can't help but snigger at the mental image of Chancer "humping"!

I do hope you get to the bottom of it. I've had 5 geldings now and not one of them has ever done that.

 

[Theresa_F]

Thanks and I will send you a pic of him - it is rather funny to see him - he closes his eyes and looks very happy - YO note in the book last week "Chancer is humping the ground again and Cairo".

It is quite amazing to see him do it, but then he can stand on three legs and chew his back foot - one balanced little boy.

How is Patches?

 

[Happy Horse]

This is really gross but my old horse got maggots in his sheath. Before everyone jumps on me his sheath was riddled with melanomas and the flies got in between them and laid their eggs despite me trying to keep it clean. One day he ran up to me in the field and lifted his back leg up so I started to itch his sheath and a maggot fell out. I called the vet who came and sedated him and got all the little b*ggers out and from then on he had Battles fly cream up his sheath every day - well he used to adore it! Each morning he'd stand on three legs while I massaged the bright yellow gunk into his sheath and man bits - PERV!

 

[Fairynuff]

Moscow the pony suffered from an itchy willy and would climb into a small fig tree(it was more of a bush) and hump it for hours.It was hysterical to watch a bay bum hanging out of a tree while the whole thing rocked back and forward. He was begining to get sores as a result so I slabbered his "bits" in ladies anti itch cream from the chemist-it worked! We never did find out why he itched so much. Ask your friendly chemist for a cream. Mairi.

 

[threeponies]

Am I alone in having a mare that rubs her udders on traffic cones in the school??

My Shetland gelding gets a very dirty sheath, vet told me to wash it once a week with very dilute Hibiscrub.

 

[Fairynuff]

I think you are!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

M.

 

[brighteyes]

God, how embarassing! I had a gelding who 'enjoyed' having his sheath scrubbed out, but apart from the odd washing, didn't seem preoccupied with itchy bits. And c'mon you lot - THEY itch so you SCRATCH. One does not itch something!!!

 

[SpruceRI]

My Shetland climbs over small trees and bushes to presumably scratch his privates! Now they're all flattened there's nothing left to scratch on and he doesn't seem unduly bothered!

 

[GTs]

You know they can chop it off.......

 

[Rueysmum]

You are not alone in having a gelding who is obsessed with his willy.

Mine likes to kick his when it's down and it concerned me so much when he first started doing it that I called the vet who came and sedated him and cleaned the whole area with iodine solution.

He could find nothing wrong, but to this day my horse loves having his sheath cleaned, itched and bits picked off in an idle moment. You should see the look on his face!

 

[merlinsquest]

I only started having 'problems' with mine when it got cleaned too often (not my willy, merlins)!!!

I think that the obsession to be clean could interfere with the natural cleansing action (although some i have seen dont seem to have any natural cleansing ability)!!!!

Also if any of the cleansing agents are left on, even in small amounts, it can be intensly irritating.......try leaving a bit of soap round yours and see how long before you start itching!!

 

[Agent XXX999]

thrush?

 

[Tia]

[ QUOTE ]
Am I alone in having a mare that rubs her udders on traffic cones in the school??

[/ QUOTE ]

No you're not alone.

My little connemara used to do this with her cone in England - I have even searched Ontario to find a replacement for her but over here the cones are not really up to the job and would crush if she rubbed on them!

 

[Tia]

Have you checked that he doesn't have melanoma's? They are often a cause for itching.

 

[brighteyes]

We could 'obtain' one (if you give us a specification) and send it over, compliments of the forum!

 

[Theresa_F]

Vet checked it out and cleaned it a couple of months ago - he was of the opinion it was mild sweet itch in the area. Did say he noticed any lumps or anything unusual.

He is now on steriods - I am hoping that this will stop him itching - he is definately a little swollen in this area compared to Cairo, but being a mare person, I haven't much to compare him with so he may just be the way he is.

At least he is an angel to do and has no areas which he won't let me near.

He actually enjoys all the fuss, though gave a little jump last night when I smeared the sudocream on - it was cold and I hadn't warmed it up in my hand like I normally do.

He is very young, so I hope it is not the start of something more serious.

 

[horsegirl]

Quite right, one scratches one's backside! LOL

 

[eekmon]

We have a big Cob at our yard who will litterally sit down when you scratch his nether reigion

He too has it cleaned coz it gets all gunked up and starts to get all itchy ( he too has had 'the bean' removed on the odd occassion!!

)
He sometimes tries to itch it on wheelbarrows, tools ect, it looks quite funny but he must be uncomfortable, poor boy!

I too was lead to believe if you start cleaning, you have to carry on. I have never touched my geldings' in 23 years and don't intend to start

 

[teapot]

One of the big boys at the yard has to have cream (at one point it was steroid cream) on his manly bits, not actual todger but around that area, can't for the life of me remember why though.

You'd find him itching himself on the stall partitions - standing on 3 legs and doing his upmost best to relieve himself.

The look of pleasure he has when the cream's applied is a sight to be seen