I do it my self first I get the horse use to me being under there I like to do it because I do not sedate but if the horse is a problem then the vet gets a call

 

Thanks He had an injury close to that area a few weeks ago after he managed to get himself into a blackberry bush (the purple stains round his mouth were a dead giveaway) and caught himself on a thorn I'm assuming. It was on his belly close to that area and due to the batheing and cream rubbing in which ensued, he has got used to us being around that area, just not on/in the actual area.

I guess it's one of those things you just have to try and see how it goes and if it doesn't go well, try the next option (the vet)

XxX

 

Do it yourself

Use approach and retreat sessions every day, until he falls asleep and drops down for you. I always clean my gelding's sheaths when I groom them. I've done it with the almost 30 geldings I've owned over the years. I never spend much time, just clean some dead skin and one or two beans from inside the sheath, and my horses just got more and more relaxed with it.
Since yours has had an injury there it will take longer. Ironically none of mine ever had an injury near their sheaths. My Vet got cow-kicked by a client's horse UNDER SEDATION who had never had his sheath touched. These folks also had a mare that bit her in the face.
Honestly, your friends and family may get grossed out by this--my family always are =b --but it's as necessary and picking out the hooves.
You can desensitize your horses to practically anything if you work on their time table and retreat each time they relax a little bit to reinforce the good behavior. (Thank you, Julie Goodnight!)
This morning I threw some hay in the manger (my shelter juts up to my barn and it's loft), and I spilled some off of the catwalk. It fell on my gelding's back, so I used my wide broom to brush it off while he was eating. He didn't see the broom approaching, but I do it all of the time with him, and this morning he didn't even flinch. Something suddenly touching from above is much scarier to a horse than watching you groom him. =D

 

I do it myself. Not worth the expense or hassle of getting a vet to do it. My horse is a prev and likes it.
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Thank you for all of your advice and information. I'm going to try the approach and retreat method and see how we go for a while.

Does anyone know if it is standard for racehorses to not have their sheaths cleaned or has anyone come across this before? Like Corporal said, it is necessary for geldings so I'm a bit surprised he hasn't had it done before (which makes me feel I need to get it done ASAP before we possibly run into problems due to build up etc).

Thanks again

XxX

 

With OTTB's expect them to know practically nothing but running. They are not tied, so they will break leads until they learn to tie. The Clinton Anderson or Julie Goodnight tie rings are very useful, or you can duplicate this with a very long rope and a vertical post, desensitizing. Perhaps you've fixed that problem. You really have to start an OTTB from scratch and retrain them to be a general riding horse, just as if they are 2yo's. Hope this helps.

 

Weird I got my OTTB off the track. He ties well, never broke a lead or tried. He isn't scared of anything, and is pretty well broke. Guess I just got lucky? Seriously he has never spooked and is great under saddle. He is not hot.
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Somebody had to have retrained him. How old is he?

 

Ugh. I have both done it myself and paid a vet to do it. If a horse is particularly "offended" by it, and no amount of training will make it to where you can adequetely clean it, and you can't get ace - you almost have to get a vet. It is something to be thankful for when a horse allow it w/o problems. I had one gelding that needed zero training. I had him since he hit the ground, and the first time was a breeze, and all thereafter. And, I also had a gelding since he was a yearling - who had the extreme opposite. Niether's attitude about it was due to a "previouse owner", in other words. Their reception of it is what it is.

The problem, IMO, there is just no room for error. For example, if you finally gain enough of their trust to do it, and have your hand in there and they change their mind about the whole trust thingy..and decide to whack your arm with their back leg they just caused a "self fullfilling prophecy" to come true, which they just knew - would! Now they are convinced, and you have to start over behind square one. No one knows what the sensitivity is, I can only guess it is high. Its just not worth it unless you know there will be no significant resistance at anytime during the cleaning effort.

 

i dont do it when we go to the vet or when he comes out he checks them and does it if needed my horses never are drugged while doing it, my QH was once but it was after he had his teeth floated. all my boys are okay with me under there, so they dont care about it. i would do it myself but its easier for us for him to do it.

 

My vet charges very little to have it added on to a teeth floating, so I have it done then. I'm not all that confident about doing it myself yet (though my horse is fine with being handled there), so I do some easy cleanup whenever he looks dirty, but I leave the bean removal to the vet.

 

Thanks everyone.

He is very well broke and ties fine. We've been out hacking and seen noisy motorbikes, buses, tractirs, lorries and lots of farm animals at the farm we ride through and the only thing that spooked him slightly was an alpaca in one of the fields, haha. He soon got over it though after I made him walk past it a few times.

With being tied up, he's fine. Stands there while I groom him, potter about, tack him up and muck out etc and usually just dozes. I know however that what we're looking to do is a whole new ball game

Thanks again for all your responses.

XxX

 

I was scared to try it at first, but no way am I going to pay the vet to do it without at least trying to do it on my own. I desensitized him to being touched in the area by brushing his belly and inner thighs, and picking little bits off when he dropped. I also made it a point to hit the area with a hose whenever I bathed him. The last time I bathed him I took a chance, soaped up my hand and ran it up in there. No trouble at all, and I got a BUNCH of gunk out. Success!

 

I didn't read the whole thread, but my horse is a creep and loves it so much that he will lift his leg when I do it. I guess he thinks I can get at it better that way.. it's so funny... and wrong.