When I groom Glis, I am always cleaning between her teets. They are always packed with thick, black, tarrish, yuck. Its caked in there and will come out fairly easily when I pick at it. Mostly big chunks of it.  But not all of it just comes out. When I bath her, I try to get up in there and clean her out but it always comes right back. You think using a sheath cleaner on her would clean it up better and prevent it from coming back as quickly?

Probably not. :) I used to ride a mare that was the same way, always incredibly cruddy no matter how often she was bathed. The sheath cleaner is gentle enough to use on a mare, just be sure to rinse the area VERY thoroughly to avoid any potentially irritating residue. I've used Excalibur on my gelding, but prefer ky jelly, more for the peace of mind that if I don't get it all out, he won't be irritated.
Be careful not to over-clean. You could dry out the sensitive skin and potentially cause her more grief than good. As long as you're getting the big stuff like you said, I don't think you should panic too much about it.

 I think a sheath cleaner would work well for this cleaning. Any sheath cleaning product should be non-irritating and good at cutting through waxy build-ups. Sheath cleaner is designed to clean and not lubricate - but take care to check for irritation or sensitivity. Make sure that your rinse it well. You don't want to leave any residue that will attract dirt and grime.

Mark Sellers
Horse Health Matters

All of my mares have crud on their teats, depending upon how dusty it is. I just flick it off once in awhile, maybe every couple of weeks. It doesn't hurt anything to stay there, but they like their teats massaged--it feels like a foal nursing--so I do it. I really don't think you need to use any kind of cleanser. They're like a self-cleaning oven. Spend your money on horse treats. :)

 I would recommend KY Jelly.  I quit using Excalibur on Solo, since it can burn if you don't rinse all the way.

I also opt for KY over sheath cleaner.

For some reason sheaths and teats stay dirtier here in the east as opposed to the west. Out west I never had anything but a little flaky on the outside, I could clean sheaths once a year - but bring those same horses east and I'm cleaning goop and smegma constantly! Has to have something to do with the soil I think. 

This is a horse I got in for training a while back- pics of why it is important to clean regularly and frequently...

Isn't KY more of a lubricant than a cleaner though? Thinking things would be more apt to stick to the KY. Or are you saying use the KY to loosen up the crud than just wash off with soap and water? Please remember that I am blonde so I need things explained out.

KY is a lube - but it's a very easy lube to wipe off. When you clean with KY you don't even need water, just some paper towels and KY. I squirt some on the towel, wipe/scrub, let sit for a minute or so then wipe clean. It isn't sticky at all. Gotta love the vets that are down to earth in their practices

If you really want to use a soap/water combo - ivory dish soap (not the hand soap) is good - it rinses really clean.

Baby oil -- squirt some up there, then gently wipe with a rag and the scum will all come right off. If you leave a little bit of baby oil, no biggie, it won't irritate anything. That's the method I use with my gelding, except sometimes after the baby oil is squirted on up into the "dragon's cave," I'll leave it for a day and then just spray the hose up there when he's getting rinsed off. Easy!!

My vet recommended mineral oil, since it can be left on without irritating.  I would leave it on for a few mins to soften and then just wipe, but for the girls I found some wipes that are awesome.  They cleaned more goo than I knew was there.  And no rinsing either.  My girls do not appreciate the massage at all, so I try to just get it done, but they DO seem to appreciate that I am taking the crud off, and just request that I do it quickly.  hahaha...  I only get so many seconds, then the tails start swishing again...

luneducheval:

for the girls I found some wipes that are awesome.  They cleaned more goo than I knew was there.

What are the wipes called, and where did you get them?

Carr & Day & Martin  "Under the tail" wipes, light blue packet.   I got them at the bony pony, but they are on amazon too, http://www.amazon.com/Carr-Martin-Horse-Under-Wipes/dp/B002HJ4KRG  also a couple other places when I googled them. :)

They seem to get a lot of crud without a lot of scrubbing.

Thanks. Olsen's probably has them but Bellevue is too far from Port Townsend to run over and get some. Maybe The Equine Shoppe in Poulsbo, or I'll just order them. My girls like their teats tickled as I get the crud off them--I mean, they ASK me to do it, Juno actually stomps her hoof--but maybe the wipes will do a better job every now and then. 

spragueme:

Isn't KY more of a lubricant than a cleaner though? Thinking things would be more apt to stick to the KY. Or are you saying use the KY to loosen up the crud than just wash off with soap and water? Please remember that I am blonde so I need things explained out.

 

 

Actually, you don't need to wash the excess off.  Just wipe with paper towels.  

 *note* takes about one tube of KY per average sized horse.. you WILL get funny looks when buying several tubes at once... 

Katie:

I also opt for KY over sheath cleaner.

For some reason sheaths and teats stay dirtier here in the east as opposed to the west. Out west I never had anything but a little flaky on the outside, I could clean sheaths once a year - but bring those same horses east and I'm cleaning goop and smegma constantly! Has to have something to do with the soil I think. 

This is a horse I got in for training a while back- pics of why it is important to clean regularly and frequently...

OK......... THAT is truely disgusting!!!!! I'll bet you're glad you were using gloves! I just use a dry terry cloth wash cloth and gently rub most of it off. Chic spreads her hind legs and sticks her nose up in the air. I hope she doesn't think I'm getting fresh..... I think I may try the mineral oil trick, though. It sounds like it won't irritate the sensitive skin and probably would do a better job..