The Ask Me Anything webinar was fun (don't forget you can watch the recording) – especially as I was joined by long time Intelligent Horsemanship Trainers, Sandra Williams, Bridget Colston and ‘our young person’, Emma Sharman who is also an Equine Physio.
One of the questions that came up was about Sheath Cleaning and whether it’s even necessary. Let me link you to this website for detailed information. Most likely many geldings have managed perfectly well without any interference as such, but with horses living longer and this hot summer a couple of things to look out for is if the horse can’t extend his sheath to pass urine normally or there’s a lot of flies round that area.
To quote from Southern Equine Sheath Cleaning:
“The ‘bean’ is the common name for a collection of smegma in the tip of the horse’s penis. The tube that the urine passes through is called the urethra and just above the urethra is a pocket of space called the urethral fossa and this is where the build-up of dirt and grime happens, which results in hardened ‘beans’. When the beans get so big, they interfere with the horse’s ability to pass urine properly, which can lead to all sorts of infections and kidney problems. Generally, when horses have severe beans, they will be in obvious discomfort.”
Due to this webinar Sharron has booked her horse, Bobby, in for the 22nd August so I’ve put Hugo on the list as well (I’ve no concerns with Pie). We shall report back. When you’re caring for animals you’ve got to care for their every need no matter how sensitive!
