An easy way to clean a sheath~

Sheath cleaning- Some horse owners can't perform this procedure on their horses unless a vet sedates the horse first. When my horses were young, I made it a point to every time I groomed them, I would gently touch their sheath during the process with my hand. At first they would flinch, but then they got used to me handling them and treated it as no big invasion of their equine privacy.

After a few years of cleaning their sheaths, I came up with a simple and effective way to do this dirty deed, without causing them or me any discomfort. In order to do this, you need a few things:

A Fleets enema bottle, with the store bought solution dumped out and the bottle being rinsed out well and filled with straight mineral oil.

Your nails need to be clipped short (to prevent injury to the horse) or you can wear gloves (surgical kind)

An old pair of knee socks with the toes cut out of them

Ok, here is what you do, provided your gelding is used to you touching him on his sheath without him overreacting:

Roll up your sleeves of your shirt. Put the socks, one on each arm so that they cover from the wrist to your elbows.

Put the gloves on if you want, but really for this first part, gloves aren't necessary and can just get in the way.

Take the end stopper off the Fleets bottle, lubricate the tip.

Gently, very gently insert the tip of the Fleets up into the sheath as far as you can comfortably get it. Squeeze until all the mineral oil has been dispersed (some will drip down your arms because of the angle, but the sock catch most of it.)

Withdraw the bottle, give the horse a treat and a pat and let him go. That's all for step one. Step two is the next day-

Step Two:

Put on the gloves (if you want) Lubricate your hand thoroughly with mineral oil, gently slide your hand up the sheath and begin to gently pull at the smegma. The majority of the gunk will have fallen off already, and the rest will be so soft it will slide right out. You can have the Fleets bottle nearby to use if necessary, but it has never been necessary for me to use it. The smegma usually just slides right out of the sheath and onto the ground.

Now here is the tricky part. Withdraw your hand, and lubricate your fingers, slide your hand back up the sheath  You are looking for the "bean". That is what they call smegma that has worked it's way into the tip of the penis and can effectively block the horse from urinating, and can be quite painful. Work one finger carefully into the tip's opening, watching your horse for any signs of "I'm gonna get you if you don't quit messin with my privates!" These signs are ears laid flat back, a sudden surge or his head as if to bite you, or his rear foot being raised (you might get kicked) if you see any danger signs, quickly withdraw and try again later.

Yep, I know, it sounds pretty nasty to non-horse owners. But to horse owners who have geldings, this is a fairly easy way to do a dirty job. I don't know if mares need cleaning of a different sort, since I only own geldings. But over time, this is the procedure I have come up with that my horses don't object to and neither do I.

When you are finished, wash your hands, give your horse a pat and a treat and turn him back to pasture. Your job is done, and he will be a lot more comfortable now-