Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Sheeth Washing...

Saturday was a turn out day since I had a baby show an hour each direction away (and hubby worked)...



Sunday Henry got lunged and a tail and sheeth washing... glorious I know.

Which brings me to a question, how often do you clean your horses "parts"? 

I do Henry's once a week weather permitting and I feel like I could do it ever ride to be honest, his sheeth is always nasty!



Monday was hack day and it was so nice that I rode outside.

I did lots of stopping and hacking to try to get homeboy off my hands. Also did some counter canter to help our lead changes... overall he was great once we got to work.


Tuesday was lesson day.... I hacked around on my own and then jumped.

Warmed up over the brown X... then did a little course of brown X up at an angle, figure 8 back over the brown X again, right turn up the center panel (black jump in this pic), tight right turn roll back to the pink, left around to the line (veritcal to the X)...

Then i did it backwards and then again the first way.

Then we worked on doing the panel, pink and then the line... doing the line in a 4 stride and then 3 stride.

Henry was great. I held him a little to much to the first jump in the line the first time but after that we were good.


Tomorrow will be turn out day, hopefully a lesson Thursday, hack Friday and maybe a lesson Saturday? We shall see :)

32 comments:

  1. CoTH or SmartPak posted to FB an article about sheath cleaning. Someone did a study and it basically said it was better to not clean. That more bacteria was preset after cleanings, esp with a cleaning product. You should inspect the area, but that the stuff there, is there for good reason. :/

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    1. Found it.. interesting read.

      Henry must not be the norm because if I don't clean his, he scratches and his tail pays the price.

      I tried the sheeth cleaning products and didn't like them so I guess that is a good thing haha!

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  2. This is one of the many upsides to owning mares - no nasty parts cleaning!

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    1. LOL - yes!! Definite bonus with mares!

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    2. Lol you still have to wash out back there :) Just not as much to clean haha!

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  3. I clean them once or twice a year. You should totally make a graph if you get enough comments to warrant it!

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    1. Seems like everyone is once or twice a year lol!

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  4. My vet said she's had more problems with horses getting irritated sheaths after cleaning than before. She doesn't clean sheaths, just checks for beans, unless the horse is having issues.

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    1. Maybe thats because people don't wash all the soap out or are rough?

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  5. Once a week!? I too was told by my vet that we over clean sheaths and that they really don't need to be done. If cleaned she recommended just using mineral oil.

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    1. His gets SOOOOOO nasty and he rubs his bootie and tail if I don't keep up with it.

      I use: http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/dr.-bronner's-18-in-1-hemp-pure-castile-soap-baby-mild/ID=prod6143593-product?ext=gooBaby_Kids_ampersand_Toys_PLA_Bath_Essentials_prod6143593_pla&adtype=pla&kpid=sku6127083&sst=1a4de812-86bd-0ca9-6366-000012b2f7a6&kpid=sku6127083

      I don't like the sheeth cleaning products

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  6. I only clean them if I suspect a bean. I'll check under there every couple of months and make sure it's not like, disgusting or causing him any pain. Spirit's never had any issues at all with it (one tiny tiny tiny bean once) but Red has a tendency of getting big ones so I keep an eye out.

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    1. He's only had a bean once but his sheeth gets so so so nasty if I don't and then he rubs his tail.

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  7. I haven't had to clean a sheath in a long time since I have a mare, but now that I have a mini gelding I am going to have the Vet do it as needed.

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    1. Henry loves it so thankfully I can do it for free lol

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  8. I have to do Apollo's on a monthly basis or the smell is sickening. I used to do my previous gelding once a year and there was hardly anything in there. I've heard that drafts and draft crosses are worse for not taking it out all the way to pee. Not sure if that's true or not but I have never seen/smelled another horse with a sheath half as filthy as Apollo! Oh the joys of gelding ownership. :P

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    1. Yeah Henry can't go too long either, it's NASTY is i let it go.

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  9. My geldings now won't let me tough their bits - so never. But they are sparkly clean so I guess it's ok.

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  10. I do Val twice a year (at most), to check for and remove beans primarily.

    My understanding is bean accumulation is what's problematical - interrupted urine stream issues. I've also heard that too frequent sheath cleaning messes up the bacterial balance, and mineral oil is better than cleansing products.

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    1. His gets unusually crusty ha! And if I don't do it, he rubs his tail and bootie till i clean it, then he is happy.

      I don't like the sheeth cleaning products, i use:
      http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/dr.-bronner's-18-in-1-hemp-pure-castile-soap-baby-mild/ID=prod6143593-product?ext=gooBaby_Kids_ampersand_Toys_PLA_Bath_Essentials_prod6143593_pla&adtype=pla&kpid=sku6127083&sst=1a4de812-86bd-0ca9-6366-000012b2f7a6&kpid=sku6127083

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    2. The mineral oil is supposed to keep the gunk from accumulating on his junk... (#sorrynotsorry)

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  11. I do once or twice a year, mostly to check for a bean.

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  12. glad it was a nice ride!! i have a mare so no sheath cleaning needed - tho at past farms we maybe did it once or twice for lesson horses (tho some places never do it)

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    1. Yeah idk when was the last time I saw a lesson horse get their cleaned lol.. most of the other people at my barn don't clean as often as I do but their horses parts don't get nasty like Henry's.

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  13. Wow I've never heard of a horse needing to be cleaned that frequently!! Everything I've heard is that it's not good to do it too often. I never have to clean Chrome's (I did once or twice when he was younger, but not since then) and he has no problems. The vet checks for a bean once or twice a year, but that's all. Chrome wasn't gelded until he was two and a half though so that might have something to do with it. Do you know when he was gelded? Do you ever see him drop at all out in the pasture?

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    1. Oh yeah he drops down all the time.. Esp when he gets in trouble lol

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  14. Once a week is way too much. Maybe Once a Quarter.

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    1. If I don't keep it clean, Ira gets after me lol ... You know how often he gets excited when in trouble! :)

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