The Dreaded Sheath Clean - what do you do?

Grumpy Herbert

Grumpy Herbert

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I cleaned my geldings sheath yesterday, and it was rank!!! I last did it in the summer, but it was really gross this time. He objects fairly strongly to it being done - he doesn't seem to like water in there. What I could do with is something that I just shove up there, have a wipe round and it's done ie. no rinsing. Any suggestions?
 
Don't envy you one bit! Last time I used the hose plugged into the warm tap through the kitchen window. Still got cow kicked even with someone holding his foreleg up but sometimes needs must. Who said mares were complicated, lol
 
my sisters gelding is a nightmare, just aim the hose as if try anything else then he does try and cow kick.. we did the whole holding of the foreleg while someone got a bit of sheath cleaner in there and there was a few near misses!

so happy i have a mare, except i think she enjoys getting cleaned a bit too much and lifts her leg to make access a little easier :rolleyes:
 
I normally squirt warmed baby oil up there every week or so which helps. Although not done it for about 6 months now and when Nugz sheath got swollen while on box rest the vet had a rummage round it was a bit manky.

So I have to do the dreaded clean, but am lucky that nugz seems to tolerate it. Vet said use warm water with a very tiny drop of hypo-allergenic baby wash and microfibre clothe and keep changing the water and cloths.

It might also be worth asking for a sedative from the vet to get it all done in one go, so that you can keep on top of it afterwards :)
 
I use well aimed squirt of baby oil when its out and it keeps there bits spotless.
I know people say not to but ive been doing for years and theyve all had clean bits and no problems from having baby oil on there man bits.
Ive not had to clean any for years which is a good job because its the one thing i cant stomach yuck yuck:o
 
I put ky jelly up, that has been warmed first. Then the next day I just use warm water and a vert soft sponge, when clean I put some more warmed ky jelly up. If everything is warm they do not object. My last horse needed the vet out to do it and it cost me a £120, so this one I have got used to it, first time he pulled a face now he goes to sleep.
 
I admit I use the baby oil... however mine is a nightmare and if I so much as go anywhere near he kicks, swings his bum and tries to bite, even with sedation/sedalin! . I give it a squirt at arms length, and have yet to find a distraction which works well enough to get up there! Sheath cleaning is on the agenda for the weekend actually.... it shall be done somehow!
 
Grumpy Herbert said:
I hear you, Jeeve - my lad's a chunky 16.3hh IDxTB!! Needless to say I'm hoping to find a quick and easy solution, especially if I'm going to have to do it more often.......

Bleurgh!
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I've got one of those - he's 17.1. He doesn't really mind, but it is still beyond gross. I use an oil based cleanser, which makes hoiking out the black tarry stuff easier. If I rub his tum, he lowers his man-bit, and I can peel off the mouldy cornflake bits. No-one knows I do this to him.........!:o Yeeuch.
 
Sidney said:
I have owned various geldings for over 20 yrs and never yet needed to clean a sheath.......?!
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I've owned various geldings and some need cleaning unless you like your horse to have smelly gunk running down it's legs attracting flies and with wads of shavings and hay stuck to it?

I thought my current one had a problem so I had him sedated by the vet and cleaned with plain water and there was absolutley nothing wrong but he still gets a revolting discharge which needs regular cleaning - I mostly use plain warm water but do use a bit of baby oil to soften if necessary.

I however would probably leave alone if the gelding is comfortable and there is no obvious discharge.
 
I have had several gelding before, and never needed to clean a sheath, or even occurred to me that it was something anyone ever needed to, or would ever do...yuk.

However, the new boy has disgusting bits... I've tried leaving, I've tried squirting a bit of leave-on sheath cleaner and hoping, baby oil, vaseline, you name it!

Have currently settled for leaving alone as long as possible, but when he wants it cleaned he lets it all hang out :) he was a bit bemused at first at what on earth I was doing, but he soon realised that it felt better and I took it slowly, and can now wash out with him untied :)

Without being too graphic...if penis slightly crusty, then a squirt of KY or similar personal lubricant and it's all dropped off by the morning. If greasy etc, then bucket of warm water with a drop of baby shampoo, and a couple of drops of tea tree oil, then wash out with a mini sponge.

No need to try and stuff the hose up there etc - all calm and a little at a time with lots of treats and now he gets that it's a normal behaviour expected of him like having legs washed etc. Sometimes he likes it a bit too much tho and starts 'bouncing'... :o
 
I've never cleaned my gelding's sheath and he's 14.

However, when I was washing my mare last week I pulled this huge bit of totally revolting crud from between her teats. :eek:

And given her reaction there might have been a bit of skin with it. Eye watering !
 
I have had current horse for 10 years or so, tried baby oil he is allergic to it! just used to do a bit of sponging nothing to drastic, but recently noticed he kept weeing a little bit then stopping and was trying to rub his bum, then noticed a very large rock hard bean! took me ages to get out, he didn't like it but thankfully didn't try and kill me. Moral of story keep more of an eye on him in future!!
 
Our mare gets minging brown goo between her teats, warm water nd sudacream cream to keep flies away in summer :)

Must b the only person with a geldin who enjoys havin it cleaned with warm water nd baby oil haha !
 
Pie's seems to be self-cleaning! He's a bit of a dirty old man and wops it out at every opportunity - so (shudder) it's easy to keep an eye in it!
Worst thing is he always gets it out when I put his rug on. So you can imagine what happened when i was groping about looking for one of the belly straps in a rather gloomy stable.... I don't know which of us was more horrified!
 
For info............. :D:eek:

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 :-)
 
To everyone who says they never do...

Elderly geldings are very prone to skin cancer on their willies - it is very common. So you should clean it and check it every so often, to make sure what you thought was a crusty bit isnt a tumour. I never used to either because mine objects violently but now he gets it checked twice a year under sedation and if he has little tumours they get zapped off by the vet with liquid nitrogen.
 
WelshMisfit, that was a wonderful guide, thank you. This thread still makes me want to cry, though. You know how some people offer clipping services.. well, do you think..? :)
 
All mine love it.
Fatty likes to have his done after hunting with a warm shower drops it out and gets very disgruntled if I forget.
 
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