Sheath cleaning!

cc14

cc14

Well-Known Member
Joined
12 June 2011
Messages
263
Location
The Yard...
Visit site
I was just wondering how many people do it themselves or whether you ask your vet to do it, and how often you do it? My boy will need a thorough clean soon,. but as I have never done it before and he is particularly sensitive around there I think it could be a recipe for disaster if I attempted it! Sorry it isnt the nicest topic :p
 
Our boy let's my daughter do his but not me :) I had never bothered to do previous pony's but this one has pink bits & the flies really like to have a good old chew on it & its worse when it mucky!! We Only do it every few months - just take care & jump out of the way if he doesn't like it :D!!!
 
I have done it.. once...! It was gross but had no choice as he had black smegma stuff appearing! Guess will have to do it again at some point...:rolleyes:

It's not that difficult (unless they take objection) but is not a pleasant task:D
 
ha ha what a lovely subject!!!

my hubby is rather good at that job (thank god)!! He has checked the ponies and they dont really need doing that often but hairy boy gets really rank every couple of months so needs a good clear out...bleugh! rather him than me, but hairy boy does seem to enjoy it stands still whilst it is done.
 
I can see him taking a very big objection which is why im a bit worried, he is no lightweight pony and likes to use his part ID breeding to his advantage when it suits him!
 
I do my boy's at least once every couple of weeks... Doesn't really need doing that often but I'd rather be sure it's clean, and the more i clean it the better he's steadily getting at having it done. I started by just building it up slowly a little bit at a time and giving him a treat when he behaved... i'm all for bribery! He still doesn't like it but *touchwood* the very most he does now is lift a back leg and halfheartedly kick out at nothing in protest (doesn't try to kick me I hasten to add) but there's no barging anymore.
 
I do my boy's about once every other month or so. First I squirt a syringe of baby oil up the sheath as far as it will reach. This is really good if your boy objects as it can be done very quickly and will loosen and lubricate quite high up so the ermmm residue will work its own way out.

My boy is very good at having his man parts cleaned so I then I get a good glob of lubricating gel (I use Boots own brand) on a baby wipe and wipe around the inside of the sheath about a hands depth in, as I have found this is where my boy is the dirtyiest. I get crusty looking lumps of out which can't be comfortable for him.

Sometimes I just wash him out with warm water and sometimes I use a tiny amount of hibiscrub in the water.

I never use gloves although my vet says you should!

I also check for 'the bean' and remove one about every 6 months.

To those people who say they never clean their geldings because it isn't natural - there isn't anything natural about a gelding!!

I never clean my stallion (I've only had 2) as they keep themselves clean, never had to remove a bean either - I checked when they where sedated.
 
Perissa said:
To those people who say they never clean their geldings because it isn't natural - there isn't anything natural about a gelding!!

.
Click to expand...

If you mean there's nothing natural about a penis which is never used except to pee, that isn't true. Stallions have a small herd of mares. Births are roughly 50/50 male and female. So most male horses would never serve a mare.

I've never cleaned a geldings sheath out in my life. I believe it risks doing more harm than good.

Baby oil is definitely the wrong PH and is risky!
 
My boy gets a willy wash pretty much every other week :eek: he gets yucky tarry stuff sticking to the inside of his back legs, I use warm water and a sponge - ugh!! It's not a job I enjoy doing, I try to
make sure that there is no one around!!
 
I had my lad's done earlier this year as he had quite a bad build up of gunk, and he was peeing quite frequently, so as part of some checks to ascertain what was causing that, he was cleaned up aswell. I had the vet do mine as he's quite precious about his bits and wouldn't let me near them, so required a sedation. Also, I'd never cleaned a sheath before, so wanted to watch first. She did say that due to the amount of stuff up there it was probably causing a reasonable amount of discomfort.

A bit of advice here. An oldie, but goodie

Mr. Hand

Your horse's "Actual Private Part" may or may not choose to venture out on your appointed Hygiene Day. You can, er, manually make friendly with the Actual Private Part to see if that helps, but basically it is HIS PERSONAL Actual Private Part and if it wants to stay indoors there is really not much you can do to change his mind.

It is therefore sometimes necessary to either a) have the vet tranquilize him to lull the Part into an accessible state, or b) roll back those sleeves and go seek out The Part on its own turf. You need long arms, as The Part has a most capacious mansion and can retreat to amazingly secluded locations when it so chooses. Warm water and a lubricant (e.g. Excalibur) help a lot; go slowly and show the Actual Private Part that you are not a threat. Be firm but gentle. Hum seductively Cleaning a gelding by Braille is not perhaps the very easiest thing in the world but I assure you it can be done. And just keep reminding the Actual Private Part, "Whither thou goest, so goest I." Long arms, that's the key. I'm not kidding. REALLY long arms. ;-)


Mr. Hand

Step 1) Check to make sure there are no prospective boyfriends, elderly neighbors, or Brownie troops with a line of sight to the proceedings. Though of course they're probably going to show up unexpectedly ANYWAY once you're in the middle of things. Prepare a good explanation.

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

3) Use hose (or damp sponge) to get the sheath and its inhabitant wet. Uh, that is, do this in a *civilized* 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 crossties. 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 program. 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 thar 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 :-)
 
Last edited:
Alli - had actually come across this online which prompted this thread!

And as for gelding noise, I was always under the impression it was a sign of content...but this may be an old wives tale :p
 
MrsD123 said:
The gelding noise, is that related to dirty bits?
Click to expand...

I was always told it was caused by a dirty sheath, but don't know how true that is.

claudiacox14 said:
Ok I was told around every 6 months is normal so Im suprised at people saying every few weeks! :o
Click to expand...

When vet did my boy she said she'd recommend every 6 months for him.

claudiacox14 said:
Alli - had actually come across this online which prompted this thread!

And as for gelding noise, I was always under the impression it was a sign of content...but this may be an old wives tale :p
Click to expand...

Aha, I see. It usually gets wheeled out when the question is raised. Always makes me chuckle! :D
 
One of mine is 15 now, and as he's got older, he's started to get swollen 'bits' every now and then. He was horrendous to clean to begin with - required full vet sedation, but over the last year or so I've used Sedalin + being itched under his tum by my husband while I do the cleaning, then just being itched without the sedative and now he will just stand and let me clean him. I think he's finally realised that it makes him more comfortable!
 
claudiacox14 said:
I can see him taking a very big objection which is why im a bit worried, he is no lightweight pony and likes to use his part ID breeding to his advantage when it suits him!
Click to expand...

If you are worried that he might be a bit tricky - get the vet to give you some sedalin, which will not only help the situation but will make him relaxed and easier to 'get to' !

I have stallions to clean and believe me, most ( I appreciate not all ) boys seem to like it !! ;-)

One tip is ........ use latex close fitting gloves and don't have 'picky, eat with fingers food' for tea that night !!! lol lol lol lol
 
Eeyore.1 said:
My boy gets a willy wash pretty much every other week :eek: he gets yucky tarry stuff sticking to the inside of his back legs, I use warm water and a sponge - ugh!! It's not a job I enjoy doing, I try to
make sure that there is no one around!!
Click to expand...

You may find that you are cleaning his bits out too often and upsetting the natural balance of normal bacteria that is required. If your unsure about the amount of smeg that is excreted it maybe worth chatting to your vet.
 
We clean them around every 3 weeks the hunters need them cleaning more in winter as hunting seems to make them dirty. We had one hunter that arrived in winter and he appeared very sore around his sheath and a bit swollen the vet cleaned his sheath it was awful smelly, infected now I wash them quite carefully I could believe the way the vet got stuck in we had to pull his you know what and rub in cream every day the difference in this horse temperament was enormous he was really grumpy and once it was all cleared up he was so friendly and relaxed must have been very sore,
 
Thank you for this... I know I need to 'do' my boy as he has that yucky stuff on the inside of his legs. Have made an attempt before but having read the 'instructions' for Mr Hand, I feel its necessary to chicken out & ask the vet! My eyes are still watering :D
 
We find a good big squirt of KY Jelly a couple of days before the actual cleaning loosens everything nicely.
If you have a few geldings and buy in bulk you may get some funny looks from the girl in Boots!!!
 
cptrayes said:
If you mean there's nothing natural about a penis which is never used except to pee, that isn't true. Stallions have a small herd of mares. Births are roughly 50/50 male and female. So most male horses would never serve a mare.

I've never cleaned a geldings sheath out in my life. I believe it risks doing more harm than good.

Baby oil is definitely the wrong PH and is risky!
Click to expand...

This! I have never cleaned my lad's daughter did once, he did not like and I too worry it does more harm than good. Had a look today and it was fine, bit of dead skin and that was it.
FDC
 
My lad got an infection because I hadn't done it, so I do it if I think it needs doing, no big deal, I dont even use gloves anymore, just shove baby oil up there and stick hands up and scrape out, obviously clean my hands well before eating my sandwiches ;)
 
Alliersv- that was brilliant! You should write a horse care book! Having just got a gelding after years of mares I'm going to print that out!!
 
I've never done it and I'm not planning to unless I have to.

But, while we are on this subject, I remember seeing a pony in a riding school when I was younger who had so much grotty stuff on his boy bits that it looked like he'd dipped his willy in a packet of crisps.

And with that lovely image in your minds, I shall bid you all goodnight!!! :p
 
I had one who was spotless no need to clean as a whistle so I would leave well alone

Old coby has crusty old one and yes flies did nibble inside the sheath area so I usually slather ie aqueous cream inside or udder cream..something bland to help protect in summer when lots flies around. Probably only do it a couple of times a year.

I did wear gloves but if I cream just put a wadge up! Mine doesnt mind at all.

I would not do this if he didnt get nibbled. I would leave well alone as u are more likely to cause a problem. If it aint broke dont fix it.
 
THE BEAN? Why in all my 15 years of horses have I never heard of this/seen one?
I am paranoid now that my boy has a giant bean, that I have missed even though I clean him every two months or so.

vis a vis the cleaning, my boy loves it, everyone calls him a pervert :( He was gelded late-ish so I think this is why he's ok.
 
Lizzie0682 said:
Alliersv- that was brilliant! You should write a horse care book! Having just got a gelding after years of mares I'm going to print that out!!
Click to expand...

Sadly I can't take credit for it. I've just seen it posted elsewhere. Great piece of writing though!

SophieLouBee said:
THE BEAN? Why in all my 15 years of horses have I never heard of this/seen one?
I am paranoid now that my boy has a giant bean, that I have missed even though I clean him every two months or so.

vis a vis the cleaning, my boy loves it, everyone calls him a pervert :( He was gelded late-ish so I think this is why he's ok.
Click to expand...
When Jaf was done, the vet showed me how to find the bean. He didn't really have one either, and yet his sheath was vile.

With regards to the should you/shouldn't you debate;
I have had geldings before, and never done it, and if it was only the old "cornflake dipped" look on this one, I probably still wouldn't bother, but he was displaying symptoms of discomfort and there were large pieces of gunk visible in the folds of his sheath. One piece she pulled out was a couple of inches long and very hard and waxy. It MUST have felt unpleasant. He did show signs of discomfort during some parts of the cleaning, despite being sedated, and she said he was quite tender, so IMO it needed doing.
However, like any sensitive areas, I think overcleaning would upset the natural chemical balance and should be avoided.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top