Howdy. I’m almost out of my faithful bottle of Excaliber. Now is the time to open my mind to new Sheath Cleaning Technology and Innovation.
Is there anything better and/or cheaper out there that I should know about?
Anything from the Paleolithic that has worked well forever?
Thanks for your help.
KY jelly is my usual go to, my vet used betadine diluted with warm water.
Plain mineral oil. Put some in a squeeze bottle and squirt on sheath a few times a year when horse has dropped. Horse’s body heat and movement will remove all the gunk within a day or so. No rinsing, handling, etc. needed.
Generic water based personal lubricant (KY jelly)
Just plain water if it’s not that bad. Or KY or a little Ivory soap if the smegma needs to be loosened.
I haven’t touched a bottle of Excalibur in 20 years, yet the smell still haunts me!
I really don’t clean sheaths very often anymore. I don’t know why we were convinced it needed to be done so frequently.
I only saw used Excalibur once, about 30 years ago, when a vet used it. The horse blistered throughout his sheath, and the fallout from that was extensive and unpleasant for all of us. Since then I’ve only used Dove soap, and rinsed well.
My vet’s go-to recipe was plain old Dawn squirted into a bucket of lukewarm water. Suds up the sheath, let it sit a minute or two. Then put on ye olde latex gloves and clean out the sheath with soft, wet cloth. Rinse well with water to remove Dawn residue. My gelding always has a lot of dried smegma chunkies so that gets loosened up with the KY jelly. Then they come off easily.
A fellow boarder tried the mineral oil method. Seemed to work well at first and things looked clean and shiny! 
But she also found that the sheath gathered dirt and goo unusually quickly afterward. I think the oil remaining there attracts more dirt and recreates an issue sooner than other methods.
KY Jelly is my choice as well.
My vet swears that you just need to stick the hose up there occasionally when you rinse them off after a workout.
I was taught that diluted ivory soap is the way to go.
So I do a combination of the two. A rinse every few weeks and a clean when they look like they need it.
Yep, just KY Jelly or generic. You want something water-soluble so it will all rinse out cleanly.
Apply and let it sit (or not) for an hour or a day depending on how dirty he is, the use warm water and a soft cloth to get up there and get all the gunk out.
For some reason, my gelding always has an unusually clean sheath and penis, there is no build up of smegma at all. Of course, there may be a bean lurking in the nether regions but he hates having anyone touch his “man bits” that I haven’t delved into this and gone exploring.
“Plain mineral oil. Put some in a squeeze bottle and squirt on sheath a few times a year when horse has dropped. Horse’s body heat and movement will remove all the gunk within a day or so. No rinsing, handling, etc. needed”
Witchcraft!!! I must try this!!
Mineral oil leaves a residue that attracts dirt.
Plain old KY works well, with no harm if you leave any on there.
I’ve used this method for over 20 years. I’ve never had my horse’s sheath attract dirt, which is why I only need to apply the oil maybe 3X each year. His sheath is never very dirty and he doesn’t like being handled. Most people at my barn do this and they’ve not had issues. I guess if you’re fearful of this happening, KY lube would be quite similar with the same outcome: No touch sheath cleaning.
My gelding was burned by Excalibur also. Tea Tree Oil as well.
My 22 yr gray gelding’s sheath is loaded with melanomas, with plenty of wrinkles for crud to build up. I use Furacin spread around with a latex glove on, wait a half hour or so, then rince with a hose or turkey baster to get all the crud flakes out. I also use KY Jelly - cheap Walmart generic, when out of Furacin.
Yeah, while MO is probably better than a food oil, I’m not putting any oil in places that already gets dirty and is the reason we have to clean in the first place.
My gelding gets so gross, I have to do his fairly regularly. He gets a bunch of crud build up in the bottom of his sheath and the stench attracts flies, he gets so bit up when dirty. I clean him at least monthly in fly season, and it really makes a difference with flies biting him.
I use Excaliber on a yellow tack sponge and suds and scrub. Luckily my guy seems to enjoy it so it’s a very easy process, and I always rinse well with the hose. No issues and a bottle of Excaliber lasts a long time (for me anyways).
Why furacin?
Not that KY is terribly expensive, but a gallon of veterinary OB lube is even cheaper and lasts FOREVER. I also use it the same way on the mares to loosen & clean the smegma on their udders. Slather on, let sit, wipe off. Clean girly parts!
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