That’s pretty much it. She always seems to have crud “there”, and I really try to be very, very gentle, but gentle never seems to cut it, and if I gently keep on, she eventually decides that “enough is enough” for now. I can try again later.
I’ve been using small amounts of shampoo, and rinsing really, really well, using the small round sponges, but …
I think I need the right sponge. One that is gentle enough to keep her happy, but tough enough to get the crud. Does this exist?
I just use my fingers to pull the crud out and then use plain water to rinse from time to time.
My mare is totally gross between her teats.
I’ve tried that, a bit, and can get some, but it starts to pull, and I feel like I’m hurting her, although she’ll stand for it, to a point.
My mare actually likes it when I dig all that out. I imagine it is itchy. She wants to groom me while I do it.
If your mare is not saying it hurts why do you think it hurts?
I worry about not getting all the soap out and that causing irritation.
If I am giving her a full bath with a hose then I will use soap there, but otherwise I do not.
My mare is the literal worst about making oily, scurfy udder crunk. Here are some things you can try:
I don’t try to “wash” the udder as much as I just try to keep the crud to a dull roar. Still, I would take udder maintenance over sheath cleaning any day of the week.
And I should add that my mares loves having her “bits” scratched also. Tries to groom the fence or the stall door when I’m working at it.
I feel like it hurts her, when it sticks, and pulls on the skin. Although she hasn’t REALLY Objected, I start reacting like I’m trying to get a band aid off. I suppose part of this is me…
And I’m always rinsing really well, and always use less shampoo on her whole side, than I do on my own head.
Why does it have to clean, clean in there? I just pick off the crud that might annoy her or be an issue. If I’m hosing her off I’ll hose between her legs etc but I’ve never washed her around her teats.
You could try KY or similar. That’s all I use to pick stuff out of my geldings bits.
Give her treats after too.
If you do pony club it has to be clean in there, they check at your formal inspection.
Other than that, I agree.
Like @Suspiria said above, I like to “just try to keep the crud to a dull roar”.
I still have sheath cleaner here, so if the girls are crusty, a handful rubbed in a left for a while to soften, then wash. I keep a pack of baby wipes at the barn and wipe Fergie as part of her grooming, she loves it, the only thing I have found that she truly enjoys…
So it’s me? I’m just anal?
And there have never been any real big tantrums. I can tell when her patience is wearing thin… :rolleyes:
But I will try the lotions.
Before washing my filly’s teats (she had the nastiest teats ever), I used about a tablespoon of coconut oil massaged into the area to soften the crud up. It’s nice because it’s also antibacterial and antifungal and smells good! Then, I’d wash with baby shampoo and warm water.
In the summer maresy gets a warm hose bath in there and under her tail. She was dubious about washing her teats at first but she’s come to enjoy it. I just use plain water and fingers, if it’s really gunky I have some Johnsons baby wash that rinses clean easier than shampoo.
In winter I just pick out the worst unless she is rubbing her tail badly, then I was all around with bucket and sponge.
I think like sheath cleaning you don’t want to overdo it.
I squirt some baby oil on to soak it first thing when I’m bathing her, so it can loosen things up while I’m working on the rest of her bath. That seems to help. I didn’t even think about sheath cleaner til I saw that above, so I might try that. My mare is good about it for a little bit, like she is itchy and it is ok to wash it if you are quick about it, but you only get so long, then she says time is up and you are done!
My mares love having that picked out. I don’t do it when bathing, but just standing there. It seems very itchy, as others have said. If you think it might be the slightest bit bothersome, as others have said, putting something like lotion, bay oil or whatever on it to loosen it up would solve the problem.
Most mares develop a waxy crud. It’s normal. It doesn’t hurt to pull/pick it off, but I suppose if you are spending a lot of time trying to clean it…it might be overkill?
I agree that aside from a Pony Club inspection there is not really a need for this area to be scrubbed. I don’t spend a lot of time grooming my horses but that is not an area I would spend more than a minute or two, and not every day. There is no need, nor will anyone else see it.
I use either baby wipes or a wet rag and gently get all the crud out and believe me my girls teets get pretty cruddy. Luckily, my mare enjoys it!
i would not use shampoo or any soaps, your dealing with skin not hair.
I clean my mares every couple of days and I very gently do it.
I hose her down (up?) when the water is warm, pick out any chunks with my fingers, rinse again and then I use a rag to gently wipe and dry. My mares all like it and are so cute. They stretch out or pick up the hind leg to make it easier to reach. I suppose most mares do that?
I also use baby wipes on my mares; I generally buy the sensitive skin kind with no fragrance.
I check fairly regularly and wipe away any gunk before it builds up. They seem to enjoy it.
When I bathe them with shampoo, I sponge the area and rinse well.
My mare, who is very sweet, is not sweet at all about touching her teats (or anywhere under her belly). She’d happily kick your head off. Last week I decided I’d try again. Just slowly made my way from the stifle area up into the cave…lol. It must’ve been quite itchy because she actually let me touch her and dig out the nasty crud (and it was nasty). She had her top lip in full “Oh, that feels so good” mode. I suspect I won’t be able to go there again until it once again reaches crisis status…lol. Point being, it’s not really critical.
I had to wait for signs of clear itchiness with my mare as well (eg tail rubbing), although she did get used to it. Perhaps living in the south with the gnats made it more itchy than average. She was not a touchy feely kind of horse in any way but was usually polite. Just like with sheaths, you need something to help loosen up the gunk. Warm water can do it but may not be enough. Any of the other suggestions help. Then it won’t feel like you are pulling the skin so much. You may also have to find the right pressure that she is ok with. I wonder if treading too lightly might be ticklish. If I approached my mare like she was getting a good scratch, she was much more into it. But you don’t want to overdo it.
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