Beans.

[alittleoffkey]

Legacy is six and a half years old and has just started developing beans in the last year (but I've always kept a very close check on him). Until the one I found tonight the largest I had found them to be was the size of my pinky nail (less than 1/4 an inch across, if that). I checked him thoroughly about 3 weeks to a month ago and he was fine - and I always check very carefully, but tonight I found one that the size of a small lima bean! :eek:

Nothing's really changed, but he does seem to have them more in cooler weather (he only had one itty bitty one this summer). Is there something I need to do differently (other than check him more than once a month now, obviously)? I feel terrible that it got that big, so I'd really like to avoid that again (and I'm willing to bet he would too) ;).

[lisakaye]

I just cleaned Brutus this weekend and all I can say is Yuck!! His was really dirty so I am thinking I may need to clean every couple of weeks to keep it clean. I've only had him for 3 months and the previous owner told me he was cleaned the week before I took him. I am gonna watch this to see if you get any good suggestions.

[alittleoffkey]

They shouldn't be squeaky clean, there's bacteria in there that SHOULD be there - and if they're squeaky clean then they can get itchy from lack of lubrication in their sheath (which is highly unpleasant I would imagine). Legacy gets a good, solid cleaning once or twice a year (usually in the cooler months, unless I get busy because that's when he gets really dirty for whatever reason... but we only have 4 cool months down here :D). But I check for beans (and to see if he's filthy) about once a month.

I would never clean any horse more than once every few months unless my vet told me to do it more often - it's just not healthy. The guy could've been lying or his definition of 'cleaning' could have been 'checking for beans' or 'removing beans' or sticking a hose up there after him. ;) I use KY jelly to clean Leggy. It doesn't have any of the soap's side effects, plus I don't have to worry about making certain I rinse it all out. :)

[mandisue]

This is one of the blessings of owning a moody mare.... Although Susey does get "beans" up in her udders...
I clean her up there about everytime I bath her ( 5x a summer? ?) but with a gelding as alok said I'd not worry about doing it too much, certain amounts of bacteria are needed for the fellows...

[WashingtonBay]

You're just trying to get someone to post those songs aren't you... ;)

[alittleoffkey]

WB: :p No! Well... it would make it funnier.

[Diane of Buck's Hollow]

Ha!! I was just showing SM and telling him it is time to clean Buck again. The Vet showed me how...while he was sedated (she was floating his teeth). I do touch him and clean a little on the outside, when he drops, all the time..just to keep checking to see if he minds at all.:nono: He doesn't seem to. ;)

Would you tell me how you use the ky and how you do it?:confused:

WB...what songs? :confused:

[SedonaThunder]

WB...what songs? :confused:

Oh my... you have sooo been missing out!:D:D

The Sheath Cleaning Song
Author Unknown
Sing it to the tune of "Hello Mother, Hello Father" from camp song

How's it hangin'?
So much cleaner.
Aren't you glad I
washed your wiener?

I'll admit it's
kinda creepy
that I had to stick my arm up in your pee-pee.

It was sticky.
It was gunky.
It felt icky.
It smelled funky.

It was cruddy,
it was crusty--
when you stuck it out, it creaked like it was rusty.

After half an
hour of toilin'
and of squirtin'
baby oil in,
you're as fresh there
as a daisy.

The OTHER Sheath Cleaning Song
To the tune of "If you're happy and you know it"...

If it's hanging and you see it, lube your hands
If it's hanging and you see it, lube your hands
If it's hanging and you see it
Grab it quick, it's time to clean it,
If it's hanging and you see it, lube your hands.

If it's peely and it's crusty, pick it off
If it's peely and it's crusty, pick it off
If it's peely and it's crusty
and the smell is kind of musty,
If it's peely and it's crusty, pick it off

If his weenie has a beanie, dig it out
If his weenie has a beanie, dig it out
If his weener has a beaner
Pull it out and he'll be cleaner,
If his weenie has a beenie, dig it out

Now he's happy and you know it, wash your hands
Now he's happy and you know it, wash your hands
It's a job that's kind of kinky
And now your hands are really stinky,
But he's happy and you know it, wash your hands.

[mlle_beau]

OMG, I've never heard of those songs before. LOL!

[alittleoffkey]

Oh no! Here we go! :D

Normally I just coat my hand with KY, and spend awhile squirting it up in the poor boy's sheath (I try to make sure its not freezing, 'cause that would be a terrible surprise) then making sure to coat the entire inside with the KY, really thoroughly and as far up as I can easily get (this is a LOT less gross if you wear gloves... but I don't remember the last time I wore gloves :rolleyes:. DO pull your hair back 'cause... yuck).

Then I let them sit... I usually groom Legacy. If he drops (which Leggy always does) I coat him with more of the KY just to make sure everything's getting loosened up. After I finish grooming I use my hand (I hate using sponges) and clean just like I would if I'd used Excalibur. Just reach up in there (sans fingernails, of course) and take all that nasty crusty (by now it'll be slick, slimy and kinda sludgy in some places) stuff out!

The only real difference between KY and a soap like Excalibur is that you don't have to rinse KY out. You can, and I *usually* do, at least somewhat, but you don't have to worry about it if your horse doesn't enjoy the whole 'cleaning' process. Legacy loves it... so much that it's hard to actually clean the inside of his sheath (he's an easy dropper... there isn't an appropriate smiley for that :D). So I usually wind up not cleaning the inside of his sheath that much, but the KY loosens up whatever you may have left behind and a lot of it will probably come out on its own if you don't rinse.

I know some people who just coat the inside of the sheath with KY and don't clean or anything and their horses seem none the worse for wear but I like making sure my boy's healthy. :cowboy: You WILL smell gross, less so if you use gloves but you WILL smell gross. But, if you want a reward for cleaning him - let him smell your fingers when you're done. It's hilarious!

Here's a great (if mildly famous) article: Scroll down to part 2 (http://www.equusite.com/articles/health/healthSheathCleaning.shtml). :) Good luck, let me know if you need something explained. ;)

[PaintedLady]

This is another one of those things that are 'new.' Before I joined the original Forum...I'd never ever *heard* of this!
I'm like....you do WHAT??? :eek:
Awww...noooo...can't believe it....**shaking head**
I got a HUGE kick out of the song that goes with! **clapping**
Been buying mares ever since.
Yah...you do have to clean their bag...but still....

[lisakaye]

This weekend was the first time EVER cleaning a gelding for me and I was not liking it. Now I am finding out I have to clean Easter's bags? Can you explain that? I have owned her for nearly 2 years and I do clean her teats, but what and where is her bag? Is this as bad as cleaning the sheath? I hope not!!

[alittleoffkey]

It's the same thing lisa. :) Just make sure to scratch betwixt them. I cleaned Daisy this weekend and she kept leaning over on me. "Sweetie, I know it feels nice but I can't hold you up on my own." :D

[PaintedLady]

Lisakaye...(not sure I spelled that right...sorry)
In between your mare's teats, there's a 'valley'. That's where all the dirt and nasties collect. I wet the bag down, making sure the wet gets up in there. Then I just 'reach in' and remove the gunk. I do this whenever I give a bath. But my mare's good about me touching her everywhere.....

[alittleoffkey]

PL - Yeah, Legacy has never once done anything but close his eyes and relax for me to clean him... but Dixie used to PROTEST when she was a filly. ;)

[lisakaye]

Thanks, Now I feel better. I do clean her there quite a lot cause I had noticed that dirt tends to collect in those out of the way areas... :rolleyes:

[PaintedLady]

:cowboy:

[Mandzanita]

I was just checking "that area" out last night. He had the vet clean his sheath when she did his teeth and vacs about four months ago but what I was feeling inside was gross! Just the inner sheath (not his actually wee-wee) was encrusted with hard black waxy stuff almost 2 inches thick!! I carefully peeled some of it out while he was eating and there was so much of it. To get that thick it had to have been missed with the sheath cleaning. I saw her get his little bean out and soap the insides up but she must not have gotten it really good. I'm afraid if I get to peeling it all out it will leave his under skin raw or something, since it's apparent this stuff has been growing for sometime. Is this stuff good or bad to leave in there? It's not inhibiting him from doing his business at all and he was not at all uncomfortable while I was messing with it...

[alittleoffkey]

If I can peel it and Leggy doesn't care, I do. Legacy's yet to protest about me peeling anything off of anywhere, I'm always careful not to yank though. ;) "Hard black crusty stuff" is smegma... which is his personal dried lubrication. If he's not uncomfortable then you can leave it, the bean's the only really important thing to remove, actually. A lot of geldings are 'shy' so their owners need to be able to get in there to get the bean out... and most owners are fond of cleanliness. Beans are supposed collect faster when they're really filthy.

My rules are that if it irritates me, it'll irritate him (if only through my irritation, haha), so I remove it. But A LOT of geldings go their whole lives without ever being cleaned. ;)

[outriding01]

Would you tell me how you use the ky and how you do it?

Ok, I know my mind is in the gutter but this made me spit water all over the place!

[alittleoffkey]

Outriding wins the gutter contest! :doh: :D

[Diane of Buck's Hollow]

Ok, I know my mind is in the gutter but this made me spit water all over the place!

hysterical: OMG. Now I just almost choked myself. I am laughing so hard reading this thread. I really started something good:innocent:

[Sundays Man]

This is another one of those things that are 'new.' Before I joined the original Forum...I'd never ever *heard* of this!
I'm like....you do WHAT??? :eek:
Awww...noooo...can't believe it....**shaking head**
I got a HUGE kick out of the song that goes with! **clapping**
Been buying mares ever since.
Yah...you do have to clean their bag...but still....


UUUHHHH OOOOHHH. Whada ya mean clean their bag!!!???:eek::nono: Let's talk about that for a minute. Whad up wid dat? I bought a mare just because of the sheath & bean stuff. OOOH noo not me! Now you tell me there's a 'bag'? This doesn't sound good. Please elaborate.

[Sundays Man]

O.K. PL. I didn't read far enough. I see what you were talking about. Diane makes fun of me 'cause I think Miss Mira has cute teats. I can handle that.:) She has no problem being touched there. At least that's what someone told me.lol.

[Diane of Buck's Hollow]

O.K. PL. I didn't read far enough. I see what you were talking about. Diane makes fun of me 'cause I think Miss Mira has cute teats. I can handle that.:)\

Oh No.... You didn't just tell the forum that you like Miss Mira's teats.:nono:

[Diane of Buck's Hollow]

ALOK...Thanks for the info about the KY and the instructions on the cleaning. I have not laughed so hard , in well, I just can't remember when. This has been sooo funny. I didn't use anthing but water when the Vet had Buck sedated. But it certainly makes sense to me to use the KY.

Sedona....OMG. That is just the funniest songs ever. I was singing them out loud while Sunday's Man was standing behind me. I never heard them before. I can just see me now....as I am cleaning...just singing away:hysterical:

[alittleoffkey]

I can just see me now....as I am cleaning...just singing away:hysterical:

It only counts if there are girlscouts watching. :o And then only if they're curious. :D I avoid using just water because it's generally cold... I've never sedated a horse to clean them and imagine that a blast of cold water up there wouldn't be appreciated from a completely alert boy :eek: (I generally fill a bucket of warm water in the house and take it out to wash me and him off with afterwards ;)).

And you're welcome, I'm glad we could amuse you. :cool:

[FrogInABlender]

(I generally fill a bucket of warm water in the house and take it out to wash me and him off with afterwards ;)).

I take this a little farther and bring out two warm buckets, one to clean my hands off with several times during the process and the other one to rinse with. I find that a turkey baster works really well to squirt the warm water up in there with and he really seems to enjoy the warmth. I do use my fingernails to gently scrape the gunk off the inside of the sheath, so they get pretty nasty pretty quickly so that's why I have a separate bucket for my hands. I didn't want to be squirting nasty water back up in there. I've always used Excalibur, but the KY sounds like a really good idea. Thanks for that! :)

Oh, and thanks for the songs Sedona! I haven't laughed so much in YEARS!

[WashingtonBay]

Welcome Frog :D

[FrogInABlender]

Thank you Ma'am! Looks like a fun bunch!

[JetLagaside]

With Jet Lag I just used the hose :eek: but of course we had warm water - he was totally fine with that but you had to go hunting he wasn't going to make your life easy. But what is it when you get started that you get at least on visitor to the barn that has to say "what on earth are you doing" LMAO
Ah mares :)

[IrisGreen]

Muffin is dirty! I really need to clean him but he has a vet visit in the next week or so. I pre-pay for his checkups and things for the whole year. They clean him so I figure I will just wait and let them "handle it". lol

I have cleaned him before and he is really good about it but shy!! For a stallion he will show it off but not when you want to see it? grrr. lol I used the Excalibur the first time and I didn't like it. It didn't seem to really help get him clean. It's like Jello and doesn't want to spread out in there or soak in to loosen it up and it drys him out if I can't get it all back out or miss some. The next day he will hang out and I will have to grab him and try to whip it off with a wet towel before he gets shy again.

Neighbors are wondering why I am running out there with towel in hand grabbing and him. lol

I was recommend to use KY on the other forum and tryed that. It works so much better!!! It soaks in to the crustys and loosens them up so they are easy to peel or pull out of there. Plus, I have noticed that if you leave it in there the next day the chunks will work themselves out to the front and you can pull them off or they just fall out.

It's funny when he is all lubed up and walking around. He can't keep himself all nice and tucked up because he is all slippery in there. hahahaha It's like a yo yo for a few days tell the KY wears off.

Frog in a blender,

Ohh I about died when I saw your name. I remember that cartoon/animation by JoeCartoon from years ago!!! Gerbil in a microwave was a good one too. I get there email subscription but I haven't been to there site in a while. I will have to go check it out. I remember years ago when that first came out and it was a huge hit. lol

[IrisGreen]

I just re-read my post and about died laughing....

The next day he will hang out and I will have to grab him and try to whip it off with a wet towel before he gets shy again.


Wipe not WHIP!!!!!!! OMGosh!! I can just imaging someone picturing me out there with a wet towel whiping my horses "goods" before he gets shy and puts it away!!!! hahahah Yeah, that would be a very bad idea to wet towel whip your horse while he is hanging out! hahahah

[starkitten]

I wouldn't blame Mr Muffin one bit if he kicked ya for whipping him - LOL. All the men reading this thread winced a bit after reading that :)

[mlle_beau]

I just re-read my post and about died laughing....




Wipe not WHIP!!!!!!! OMGosh!! I can just imaging someone picturing me out there with a wet towel whiping my horses "goods" before he gets shy and puts it away!!!! hahahah Yeah, that would be a very bad idea to wet towel whip your horse while he is hanging out! hahahah

OMG, I almost cracked a rib from laughing when I read that! I didn't picture it that way until you mentioned it but I was laughing so much that my dad asked me what I was laughing about, lol! (Of course I came up with a lame excuse rather than try to explain it)

[lovesfortune]

OMG. THanks for the good laugh guys! Good thing I checked back at this post after riding Norman tonight and seeing he was really dirty. I will try ALOK's directions tomorrow and see how it goes. Hubby is going to help but he says he's not touching "Norman's goods" LOL.

[alittleoffkey]

How'd it go lovesfortune?

[gaited07]

Oh my... you have sooo been missing out!:D:D

The Sheath Cleaning Song
Author Unknown
Sing it to the tune of "Hello Mother, Hello Father" from camp song

How's it hangin'?
So much cleaner.
Aren't you glad I
washed your wiener?

I'll admit it's
kinda creepy
that I had to stick my arm up in your pee-pee.

It was sticky.
It was gunky.
It felt icky.
It smelled funky.

It was cruddy,
it was crusty--
when you stuck it out, it creaked like it was rusty.

After half an
hour of toilin'
and of squirtin'
baby oil in,
you're as fresh there
as a daisy.

The OTHER Sheath Cleaning Song
To the tune of "If you're happy and you know it"...

If it's hanging and you see it, lube your hands
If it's hanging and you see it, lube your hands
If it's hanging and you see it
Grab it quick, it's time to clean it,
If it's hanging and you see it, lube your hands.

If it's peely and it's crusty, pick it off
If it's peely and it's crusty, pick it off
If it's peely and it's crusty
and the smell is kind of musty,
If it's peely and it's crusty, pick it off

If his weenie has a beanie, dig it out
If his weenie has a beanie, dig it out
If his weener has a beaner
Pull it out and he'll be cleaner,
If his weenie has a beenie, dig it out

Now he's happy and you know it, wash your hands
Now he's happy and you know it, wash your hands
It's a job that's kind of kinky
And now your hands are really stinky,
But he's happy and you know it, wash your hands.


OH MY GOD, I laughed my a$$ off TOO FUNNY!!:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:

[BlaiseGlaze]

I am thankful for this thread. i have been wondering how to approach Rusty's Crusty

[farmers_wife]

I now have 3 geldings and I hate doing that. But I know it has to be done.

[Tiz]

I think there's a song by the name of "Whip it, whip it good". What a hoot.

Let me say, I think there's a wienie thread about every couple of weeks. What's with that anyway? And digging around for a chunk of crud that's pinky nail size? Over vigilant people, over vigilant.

[BlaiseGlaze]

I have never done this before, bought equate KY jelly, gonna do this today, wish me luck!

[cheval]

Use plastic gloves and you don't have to worry about cleaning your hands off so often or the smell staying on your hands. I have to clean Solon pretty regularly. For some reason this summer he was worse than he has ever been. No idea why. No issues with beans, just a lot of gunk.

I never knew some horses had issues with being cleaned there. I just threw some alfalfa down and went to work. He didn't do a thing. Then I saw someone at the barn almost get their head kicked in. :eek:

[BlaiseGlaze]

used a rubber glove, he got a little antsy, didn't actually kick.
Inside the sheath I found several ... globs? hard globs of the ick.
I never did find his winkie. I got enough KY up there to facilitate a slip and slide across the yard!
I guess I will try again nxt wkend when i have help.
His poor nose is all scabbed up from the sunburn I put on it the NO AD sunblock ... but that's another thread :)