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As we focus on the proper grooming of your horse during our annual grooming sale, we need to bring up the “dirtiest” part of grooming: Sheath Cleaning – a necessary evil for your horse’s health and well being.
The culprit that causes the problems and makes the experience unpleasant is Smegma. Smegma is the collection of dirt and excretions that builds up inside your horse’s sheath that must be removed. It must be removed for a horse’s health. If we have already grossed you out at this point, maybe you should have your veterinarian clean your horse’s sheath. Your horse’s sheath should be dealt with at least every 6 months.
It is also worth mentioning the dreaded “beans”. A bean is a hardened lump of smegma that has collected inside the horse’s private part. This lump must be removed often.
A bean can cause pain to your horse. If the bean is overlooked, it can become so large that the horse can no longer urinate. Of course, if it gets to this point, it can also cause other problems due to blockage.
A horse’s sheath has an abundance of friendly microoganisms. To protect those friendly microorganisms, never use antibacterial soap when cleaning the sheath.
Use a sheath cleaner Equine America Sheath Cleaner or Excalibur Sheath Cleaner for Horses These products both will cut through the smegma and grease, have a pleasant odor, and will make sheath cleaning a whole lot easier. Use Warm water instead of icy cold water because it also helps cut grease and smegma, not to mention that your horse will like it better.
The smegma will make your hands smell horrible after you clean your horse. It is a good idea to wear latex gloves.
Whatever you do, don’t clean your horse’s sheath before an important event.
