8 Step Guide To Cleaning Your Horses Sheath

I have revamped this blog post from 2 years ago, and from my recent Instagram stories explaining the process, a number of you requested a “how to” guide on How to Clean Your Horses Sheath. 

I have been putting off cleaning Dante’s ‘D’ for a few months now to be brutally honest as it is not my most favorable thing to do. So with a little research,  and a lot of really weird Whats-app group conversations later I managed to rope Sue into washing Dante’s willy for me! 

Warning: Stay away from watching YouTube video’s on this topic, it is not pleasant!

How To Prepare your Horse:

I have cleaned Dante before, so he was used to this process. But for anyone who hasn’t be prepared for your horse to be slightly cautious. Remember to take everything nice and slow. Before you start make sure you rub and pat your horse on the bum/hind leg let him know you are there, this will also get them used to the idea of what is in store for them once you start! 

Equipment Needed:

• Rubber Gloves (plenty of pairs!)
• A bucket with Luke warm water, not too cold as you don’t want to freeze the balls off of your horse!!
• Sheath Cleaner (see products below) I have previously used hibiscrub diluted in the water, this acts as a disinfectant so if you have this handy there is no need to go buying anything extra.
• A towel or a sponge

Step By Step Guide On How To Clean A Sheath

Step 1: Get your bucket of water prepared. Luke warm water is ideal. 

Step 2: Get your cleaner prepared, if you are using hibiscrub, pour a small amount of the hibiscrub in to dilute the warm water. If you are using one of the sheath cleaning products, their is no need to dilute this into the water, just have it to the side beside your bucket of water ready to use.

Step 3:  Prepare your towel/sponge, leaving them in hands reach to you also beside your bucket/cleaner.

Step 4: Lets get to work! Put on your gloves on & prepare to clean some winky!

I had Dante tied up outside of his stable, with a hay-net there for him to keep him distracted, so this was the perfect setting.

Step 5: Begin by giving your horse a pat on the hind end, let him know you are there, the last thing you want is a hoof in the head if they are not comfortable with being fondled! Begin by dipping your hand in the warm water, start pulling off any pieces of dirt from your horses sheath. Once you have the outside of the sheath looking presentable then you can start adding in your sheath cleaner.

Step 6: OMG, this part is literally insanely gross,  I don’t often clean horses bits, so I had no idea what to expect, as you can see from the photo’s of me previously doing this, you can see how elbow deep you can go up into your horses willy!

Most horses that are used to getting cleaned will drop their sheath down for you to clean the Smegma but Dante didn’t, he just stood there eating.

If your horse wont drop, Keep squeezing generous amount of the sheath cleaner into your hand or sponge, and continue to gently work the cleaner into the areas you are cleaning, be sure to remove any loose particles that come clear.

This meant that Sue had to put her hand up Dante’s bits and gently work away at removing the crusty bits the hard way. The sheath cleaner was fantastic as it loosened everything up. It surprised me how far her hand could go up there but Jesus it was never ending.

Step 7: Getting into the swing of things, it actually was not too bad, slightly smelly but once you got over the shock of doing what you were doing, its just a continuous process, hand fondle, sponge, clean and repeat. After doing this for approx 20 minutes, Dante was still not dropping, but you could noticeably see the difference from the amount of grossness that came from his sheath!

Step 8: Once you have cleaning as per the above, you then have to check for The Bean. This is an accumulation of smegma, a natural lubricating substance produced by the horse. It is located in the head of the horses penis, just above the opening of the urethra (which is where the horse’s Wee comes out of)

It is v.important to remove the bean, , if not removed it can cause difficulties for the horse when going to the toilet. In some cases it can even be as big of a golf ball!! Have a look at Dante’s bean, (OMG i cant believe I just said that!) Having this removed when he goes toilet next, he should feel a lot more comfortable in himself!

After all of the above is completed, give the outside if the willy area a quick clean and a rub down to get rid of any access grime. 

Useful Tips:

• Cleaning only needs to be done 2/3 times a year (every 6 months) it is cleaned for hygiene purposes, or if you notice any problems with your horse urinating.
• Be Gentle, do remember what you are cleaning!!
• Be prepared for the smell, and for how deep your hand can go up into your horse.
• Wear Gloves, and wash your hands religiously after your clean your horse
• If you notice anything unusual, please contact your Vet. 
• If your horse is not comfortable with you cleaning him, don’t proceed. Do remember, some horses do need to go under local anesthetic to get this done.

If you have any tips of your own for Sheath cleaning do let me know, I was a total beginner when I done this, and I am extremely lucky to have a friend on board that loves doing this job… Strange I know!! 

Now go get your gloves & start washing those Winkies!

Until Next Time, 

Darielle