Equine Hygiene UK
Dedicated, professional sheath and mare hygiene service to promote optimum health, wellbeing and performance.
Do horses need to be sedated?
Not usually. Liz has developed gentle calming techniques which normally help to settle nervous horses and gain their trust. In rare instances, a horse may be just too sensitive to clean safely, in which case a return visit will be advised once the owner has obtained sedative gel from their vet.
How often do horses need cleaning?
It depends on the amount of smegma produced by the horse, but generally speaking, once or twice a year is sufficient to help prevent the formation of large urethral stones ('beans') and uncomfortable smegma. Some horses do seem to suffer from excess smegma more than others and may need cleaning more often.
Where are the beans located?
Male horses have a cavity inside their penis called the urethral diverticulum, which becomes clogged with dead skin cells, dried secretions and urea. This eventually hardens and forms a stone. It is not visible on the outside of the penis, unless it becomes so large that it outgrows the diverticulum and begins to protrude outwards.
Do mares get beans?
Yes, they do! Although small, about 1cm in diameter, vulval beans can cause irritation which can manifest itself in tail rubbing and irritability. They are situated in a little sac called the clitoral fossa and in the folds of skin within the vulva.