If you own a male horse - stallion or gelding - you'll probably need to
clean his sheath periodically. Yech, you mean his ... unmentionable? Yep, that's the part.
The sheath is a protective tube of skin that surrounds the penis. Waxy secretions, dirt,
dead skin cells, and bacteria can accumulate in the folds of the sheath. This black, foul
smelling gunk is called smegma. Most male horses have at least a small amount, but large
accumulations can lead to difficulty urinating and/or infections. Horses might also rub
their tails because they can't reach the sheath to clean it.
You should check your horse at least once or twice a year to see if he needs cleaning. If
so, you'll need to gather some supplies:
- warm water
- a hose
- a small bucket
- rubber gloves
- a tube sock
- a hand towel
In the past, experts recommended using a mild soap. However they've found that soap
will remove the naturally occurring flora of organisms which actually increases the chance
of infection. There are some commercial products available, but if you have to clean your
horse more than once or twice a year I wouldn't recommend using anything except warm
water. If your horse accumulates a lot of smegma, you may want to check with your
veterinarian for help and advice.
Once you've gathered your supplies, you may want to exercise your horse until he is
somewhat tired and relaxed. Warm weather may also make the procedure more comfortable. If
your horse is touchy you can check with your veterinarian about tranquilizing your horse,
however be careful as there are some tranquilizers that can affect a horse's ability to
retract his penis. And it is often permanent.
To get started, put a rubber glove on your right hand and cover it with a large tube sock.
(My apologies to left-handed people. You can substitute left for right in the directions
that follow.) Although some people just use a tube sock or other fabric, I recommend using
the rubber glove as well unless you want to carry the odor with you for hours.
Soak the sock in warm water, approach the horse, placing your left hand on his back and
feeling around underneath with your right hand. Don't try to look! You are in a very
vulnerable position. If something tickles a horse's belly or genitals, he will probably
kick forward and he is capable of kicking his belly. You don't want your head in the way!
Keep your arm tight up against his belly as you begin washing the sheath inside and out.
You will probably find several large chunks and sheets of smegma. Just rinse the sock and
keep feeling around until you have all the big pieces. Then rinse thoroughly with a hose
using warm water and moderate to low pressure. If your horse is easy to work on, you can
insert the hose about two to three inches to rinse.
You should also check for a ball of smegma, called a bean, at the end of the penis. There
is a little pouch near the urethral opening where smegma accumulates and causes the most
problems. It can even get big enough to interfere with urination. Removing this bean is
easiest by "rolling" it out.
There you have it. If your horse has been cleaned before, he might have
"dropped" for you to make it easier to clean his sheath. If this is his first
time, he might have been a little apprehensive, but if you're gentle he will probably not
mind very much.
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