Usually have the vet do this but feel like I should do it myself. Help?
I have the vet do it.
I have the vet out every year (more than once usually) so one of those appointments I schedule a good cleaning. This gives the vet the chance to give everything a good once over to make sure there is not a tumor or such anywhere too.
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Equiderma sheath cleaner is by far my favorite. My gelding is really “gross”… And I tend to have to do it more so than I would like to - thankfully he is really good about it.
I use water-based personal lubricant to clean the sheath.
My horse is much dirtier right at the front of his sheath. For the bean, I just scoop my finger around the end and in the folds until all the gray sludge is gone. If it’s pretty small, it tends to smear.
ETA: If it’s really dirty, put the lubricant in and lunge or go for a ride. That will help distribute it and loosen everything up.
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Yes you can do that yourself.
Get the horse used to being handled, very gently, then flip the end over and push the bean/s out.
I know a trainer that checks them regularly when putting a gelding she thinks may need it in the slant spot in the trailer.
The horse is well restrained there and if done quickly, no one ever minds or much less objects and they can’t kick you if they wanted to.
Wearing disposable gloves sure helps keep hands clean, but may make feeling all the beans are out a little harder.
Am I the only one who can feel the bean from the outside of the end of the penis? A gentle squeeze and you can feel a foreign object growing. Saves you from making hoss unnecessarily cranky.
As long as your horse doesn’t object, it’s pretty easy to get to. Just reach up under the foreskin and you can flick it out with a finger or squeeze it out.
We get the vet to do it when teeth are done…much easier. But if I have to do it myself, I’m lucky my guy doesn’t object to me feeling around up there and popping it out! Lol
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Any time I happen to be around when he is extended, I just flip the edge back a little and check for a bean around the urethra. If there is one, it easily flips out. I have to be quick as those retracting muscles are strong, lol! I do not do any other sheath cleaning. I read that cleaning actually causes more smegma to be created and I did not read any further – no sheath cleaning? Done!
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My gelding doesn’t get very dirty vets cleaned him once. I just check him for beans every so often ,when he’s dropped. When I hose him off after riding ,I stick hose up there to rinse it out.
In my experience, after the first time I do my horses’ sheaths, they feel so better afterwards there’s never an objection going forward. I do my two geldings while they are loose in the stall and they just stand there. I go the KY jelly route, as well. The third guy is 35+ years old and clean as a whistle down there so I rarely check him any more.
My big guy has awful issues with build up…when he came I took out a bean the size of a walnut! Now I go in the the front part of the sheath pretty much every night to remove buildup and put Lotrimin powder in (he gets really itchy if I neglect it for even a couple days and it gets damp in there), and when he has a bean going he’s learned to let himself down and show me, usually every two months. Crazy how quickly they can figure out things that are in their best interest!
I just scoop it out with my finger.
I use Excaliber to clean his entire sheath. Once he’s all cleaned up, I go into the bean hole and scoop it right out. The Excaliber helps soften and loosen everything, including the bean. I’m lucky, he has a pretty large bean hole and could not care less about being cleaned. He just stands there and dozes.
I clean him yearly, and it’s maybe the size of an M&M. Not huge but not tiny either.
My gelding objects to being messed with down there. I get the vet to clean his sheath whenever he needs to be sedated for something, such as getting his teeth floated.
I do the KY-jelly, ride, de-bean method about twice per year, spring and fall. The only other cleaning is incidental since I rinse him well with warm water when I’m done. He does get a pretty good sized bean but 2x/year seems good to keep it in check.
My geldings usually don’t develop much bean at all, so I have my vet do it once a year when I get their teeth floated (and they are sedated anyway).
I LOVE my mare!!! But I also have a Gelding : (
