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Keeping 'down there' clean

7K views 43 replies 17 participants last post by  draftrider 
#1 ·
I only recently discovered you have to clean your horses privates.:oops:
Well I am shocked, but I have been researching (googling :P) and I think my horse will be fine like he will stand, I have never actually grabbed his privates though but I can brush like really close to it.

I will have to get some latex gloves and some sort of lubricant? and a shed so no one can see me lol.

How often does it need to be done?
And what lubricant would I use?

sorry about the awakardness :oops:. All new and kinda wish i had a mare lol
 
#2 ·
I know people who do it every few weeks D:, but I've heard every few months is acceptable.
I just recently cleaned my guys. What you need is if you please, rubber gloves [I know a few people who don't use them however, they say it makes it easier to feel what they're doing up there] a bucket of water, not cold and not hot, and some sheath cleaner like this, very cheap and you can find it online or at a local tack store:
http://www.statelinetack.com/item/farnam-excalibur-sheath-cleaner/SLT170179/

The sheath cleaner comes with instructions, you may want to be near a hose though also, to get the cleaner out.
 
#3 ·
so you do it by yourself?
Its weird I have some horse friends at school and talk to them about horses ad they never mentioned it. lol I guess everyone is kinda embrassed by it
thanks for the link also, but I will check out my local stockfeeds and see what they have
 
#4 ·
not by myself per say, its always me and my mom, one of us goes up in their and cleans, and one of us stands by our horses head and tells him he's a good boy and gives him treats because he can kind of get a little agitated by it and he'll swing his leg out occasionally.
 
#5 ·
Please do be careful if you don't know how your guy is going to react. Some of the worst kicks come from sheath cleaning. Even if your guy is fine with being touched all over, even on his sheath, when it comes to cleaning, some think it is pretty rude and have no problem letting you know. On the other hand, some absolutely love it, like my pervo horse. If you search the forum for sheath cleaning, you'll find tons of threads on it.

Good luck!
 
#6 ·
So generally, most horses don't need it done very frequently at all. It is more an esthetic's thing with us people. Horses will develop a "bean" in the urethral recess which most horses will resent and often need sedation. The superficial debris is easy to clean off an most horses are "OK" with it (but be careful as this is the job most people get kicked while doing). Usually I address the "bean" issue when the horse is sedate for dental work, that way they are dropped and I have access the the end of the penis. Some horses need it once a year, others every 6 months, and some never at all, it all varies with the horse.

You can spend all the money you want on fancy sheath cleaning products but a little warm water, and a little dilute ivory soap, paper towels, and latex gloves are all you need. Ivory is very gentle on the skin and helps break down the oils and debris on the skin.
 
#7 ·
ok thankyou :)
I'm sure he will be fine but I will be very cautious.
And as soon as he starts acting worried I will retreat.
I feel really bad because his penis actually looks really gross but i thought it was normal and you didnt have to clean it.
I always figured wild horses survive without no one cleaning, so why can't Buzz, turns out I was wrong
 
#8 ·
I have five geldings and I rarely clean them up. It depends alot on where you live. I worked on a ranch in the Sandhills of Nebraska and horses had to be cleaned quite often because they would develop a "bean". I check my horses a couple of times a year and I watch to make sure they are urinating without restriction but I have never had a problem likely because the ground is firm and not sandy like the sandhills.
 
#9 ·
I use excaliber sheath cleaner. It's specifically for cleaning sheaths and works well on mares whose teats get all nasty. Some tranqualizer might be needed if your boy protests. Consult your vet for the type and dosage. I use Ace for all of my boys, even the ones that aren't too opposed to the routine, lol.

As for how often, I clean twice a year, once when we give spring vaccinations and one in the fall.
 
#10 ·
#12 ·
I have three geldings they all let me clean them. I used several cleaners, the dish liquid, the excalibur, and I find (vet recommended) mineral oil to be the best. I clean, and wipe out with a soft paper towel, no need for water the oil is OK to stay in. One of my horses will glady drop at the time....a trick is to rub the base of the tail, which should make them drop. The way I actually started, to get them used to it. Was when they were just hanging out, I would touch them until the retreated, and each time they minded less and less. I clean them about once a month. For the bean, I just sort of peel back the sides and if they have a been it will come out....they haven't had a been in a few years now, since I've started cleaning them often. Now that I and they are used to it, it isn't a bad job to do.....good luck.
 
#16 ·
A bean, (apology for my previous post typo I said been)....but a bean is just a clump of dirt, smegma, etc that collects in the shealth, but it will get hard as a rock, and hurt the horse when he is urinating, plus could cause infection as well.....and it looks like a little black bean.
 
#18 ·
I knew a girl that would clean her horses sheath everytime she rode. She would feed him some grain then clean him and then saddle up and ride. I started riding the horse and would follow the same routine except for the sheath cleaning. I would feed him grain and he would drop and look at me like he was waiting for something. Being young cowboys we made alot of jokes about it.
 
#19 ·
Reminder about "passageways"

Here in Ohio, my geldings get beans down there all the time that need to be cleaned out. And by the way, at first you will only find one "passageway" in there. But you have to search to find the passageway that leads to the other place you have to clean. Took me 20 minutes to first find that second passageway to be cleaned!
 
#22 ·
Ugh, I had to sheath clean for the first time today. I've always had mares, and loathed the idea of sheath cleaning. But my poor boy (I recently got him) was rubbing himself on a sapling today, so I bought excaliber, latex gloves and got the job done.

It really shocked me. He was filthy. I dry wretched for the first little while but got used to it. I've VERY fortunate in that my boy just stood there ground tied and went to sleep! He didn't drop so I had to go in the 'second' opening. I'm older and was surprised by a geldings genitailia, there's so much room up there you could fit a baseball team in there. lol. I got the 'beans', yes there was more than one in there.

Then after our ride, he dropped it out and I admired his new cleanliness.
 
#26 ·
To quote my husband when he saw me working with my TB, "Wouldn't you just rather pay the vet to do it?"

I was told by Reagan's last owner that he'll kick your head off if you try to clean him, but after four days of gradually adjusting, he drops it for me, lol. He gets a little agitated, but Norman is a super perv. He stretches out his neck and pokes his lip into the air.
 
#27 ·
I had no idea you had to "clean" down there, until a few months back... after we got our first two boys. No one, in the years my family and I have been around horses, ever decided to tell any of us about it.

I've never liked the personalities of mares, or their general appearance, but I'm sure as hell liking them a lot more now.

Phin's my mother's horse (he was her birthday present this year, and he's 100% her responsability), so that she can do. Of course, there's still Ben and the two I just bought... What have I gotten myself into. I dislike getting personal with them, but I'm also cheap; I have such a conflict of interests right now!

Fortunately enough, when I was last bathing Phin and Ben, they both let me... scrub them down. I didn't go "in", and nothing dropped down, but I scrubbed the outside of the sheath, between the legs, and around the testicles (in the case of Ben; Phin, obviously, no longer has those!). They probably wouldn't be that bad for it.

...Donkeys need to be cleaned, too, right? Stupid question, and I know the answer already...
 
#34 ·
For me the ick factor wasn't that I was cleaning a a horse penis, it was definitely the dirty and unknown factor. Once I got used to picking the smega off (it gave me the impression of scab picking), my wretching stopped. It was the same when my mare received a kick to her head that broke her skull and required daily cleaning of the drain tube. Once you get over the 'gross' factor it becomes routine.

Yes, perhaps I have a delicate constitution. lol.
 
#38 ·
And here is why I count my lucky stars sometimes...

My gelding is rather clean naturally...He has never had to be cleaned...

I check him once a month for beans and i pick off any large bits of yuck I see...sometimes ill use the hose and just sorta hose things off if he has dropped while grooming but thats it...Ive never had to clean his sheath...

If I ever got a gelding that needed it done...yea I would do it without any issue...everyone arouns me is a horsey person...if they arent (cough * my parents* cough) they just expect that I know what im doing and handling things appropriately.

As stated before...I consider myself lucky...

And sheath cleaning is not a sexual act...its part of everyday horse care...the first time my friend saw me grab hold of my boys penis and check him for a bean she nearly fainted until I explained....haveing only owned mares (until recently) she was clueless...now she thanks me for explaining lol
 
#40 ·
Geeze. If some of you have problems washing a weenie, don't bother coming here. I have the job this weekend of spring cleaning my draft gelding. Size matters.
 
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