I've seen geldings cleaning themselves by rubbing on low shrubbery, I'd guess that's what the Mustangs do in the wild.

Mary

Ok when my dad was here this week, we spoke about Big Jim that was a gelding. My dad never heard of cleaning his "willy" nor did he ever do it for him or any other gelding he owned. In fact he laughed at me when I asked him about it and said, "Where do you come up with these things?" LOL Hell the fact is he never got a bath, just curried/brushed. Also Jim was never sick in all the years we had him, but always very healthy. And I'm sure y'all know by now, he was turned out in pasture 24/7. I guess it goes back to why was this even started? Perhaps with us hearing it needs to be done, now they don't know how to do this for themselves or they don't have the habitat to do it or by us washing/cleaning "it" all the time the natural ability of care by the horse's body to do it is now gone? If I was a horse and had a human do something for me so I didn't have to, why the heck not? ;)

I'm just saying history has proven that we tend to "over do" on some things that truly are unnecessary and some believe they know much more than mother nature. If I had a gelding that needed to have it done, then I would do it! But I will not start cleaning out the "willy" just because I heard it should be done. Albeit my horses will be turned out 24/7, which is different than one that is boarded. As was the case years back, I'll more than likely never bathe my horses, just curry/brush them. Yes that is a lot more work! LOL Really in nature they don't get baths as we give them with shampoos, only rain and waterholes along with grooming by their buddys of the herd. :)

 Well, it isn't needed for a lot of horses.  Rascal, my 24yr old gelding (I have owned him for a little over 12yrs now) has NEVER had issues.  I had another rescue, Major, that never really had much of anything, and my rescue that I have now, Mojo, just gets a little crusty.  It is just Ta'ceyewi that gets a dirty willy.  In general it is not a big deal, and isn't talked about much.  It is one of those things that if you have a gelding, and you notice it needs to be done, you do it.  As with most things, you only hear of it if it becomes an issue, which isn't often.

As far as turn-out: My horses are, always have been, and always will be free choice on where they like to hang out.  There is always access to either the barn (with stall doors open) a large tree, or a run-in available.  I feel that is a better way for them, and all my guys 95% of the time stay out, whether it is raining, cold, or hot.  They generally only come in (besides for food) if it is hot, and then they much prefer trees over the barn.

Baths- I bathe maybe twice a year, but most of the time I only wash right when the shedding starts to wind down, bc since I have one horse with pony type winter coat (Rascal) and a draft with Cushings(Mojo) it is much easier to do a thourough cleaning with a bath.  I would literally rub them raw if I tried to curry it all out, but then they get brushed regularly and sprayed off in hot weather.

Big Jim sounds like he was a good old boy!  Actually though, horses should be quite healthy.  If a horse has regular health issues then his food/care/teeth and hooves really need to be evaluated.  Rascal, in the 12 yrs I have had him, has only had one episode of colic( and no other health problems at all), and that was after my idiot neighbor decided to feed him moldy bread, and that was about 10yrs ago.  Mo had a rough winter this past year, and stayed colicy through most all of it, but he is 28, a rescue, has Cushings, and I was still putting weight on him (he was rescued back at the very end of June 08 and was very nearly dead, and so weight was put on slowly)  and now he is a nice weight and (fingers crossed!) won't have issues this winter.  

Hope this helps, and I can't wait till you get your horse, cause that is going to be one lucky booger to be with you!

Oh, and my new mare (hey, do you want her, bc I am not real sure about her...) is one of those mares that needs teat cleaning, and I would rather deal with 3 super-duper dirty willies than her constant mood changes, she is psycho!!!

crittergirl:

 Well, it isn't needed for a lot of horses.  Rascal, my 24yr old gelding (I have owned him for a little over 12yrs now) has NEVER had issues.  I had another rescue, Major, that never really had much of anything, and my rescue that I have now, Mojo, just gets a little crusty.  It is just Ta'ceyewi that gets a dirty willy.  In general it is not a big deal, and isn't talked about much.  It is one of those things that if you have a gelding, and you notice it needs to be done, you do it.  As with most things, you only hear of it if it becomes an issue, which isn't often.

Smiles Well my dad never had a gelding with any issues. The internet is a wonderful thing, but I think too often people hear something and take it as an absolute. That's why I think some clean "willy's" when it's not necessary.

crittergirl:

Big Jim sounds like he was a good old boy!  Actually though, horses should be quite healthy.  If a horse has regular health issues then his food/care/teeth and hooves really need to be evaluated.  Rascal, in the 12 yrs I have had him, has only had one episode of colic( and no other health problems at all), and that was after my idiot neighbor decided to feed him moldy bread, and that was about 10yrs ago.

Big Jim was a one in a million horse! LOL Looking back he should've gave us youngens what for with all we did to him, but nope he'd just walk away when he had enough. I agree with you: if a horse has regular health problems then everything should be evaluated. Again it goes back to hearing this or that, but since every horse is different, what works for one may not work for another. Besides spoiling any animal like it's a human, usually isn't good for it. ;) I always use common/animal sense and to this day, I've never had a dog that had any health issues and going back to when I owned horses, neither did they.

crittergirl:

Hope this helps, and I can't wait till you get your horse, cause that is going to be one lucky booger to be with you!

Oh, and my new mare (hey, do you want her, bc I am not real sure about her...) is one of those mares that needs teat cleaning, and I would rather deal with 3 super-duper dirty willies than her constant mood changes, she is psycho!!!

Yes it did! LOL Neither can I wait, but first have to find/set up the land and get a couple of certifications (hoof and teeth) to care for my horses needs myself comes first. Thanks for the compliment! Ummmm.... I'd have to pass on your mare, as I'll be adopting 2 wild Mustangs once I'm set up. :)

Well, just be careful how far you go with your "in the wild" justifications.  Fact is, domestic horses aren't in the wild.  In the wild, horses also maybe live 10 years and can die slow deaths of dehydration, starvation, injury, or be killed by predators.  Also, there are no geldings in the wild.

No, they don't always need baths, etc, but some things we do to improve their comfort and sometimes it IS a health issue.  Is a clean willy a health necessity?  No -- but I'd bet it's more comfortable for the horse.  Just imagine if you had a bunch of dirt and grime up there.  And if a bean develops that blocks urine flow or traps bacteria in or near the urethra, it CAN be a health issue, so you should at least check for beans. 

Likewise, being dirty may be the "natural" state for a wild horse, but I'd also bet it's more comfortable for my horse to get the two or three baths a year that he gets, to get out some grime and I know it reduces itchiness.  Necessary to survival?  No, but his skin is healthier and it helps reduce fungal issues.

I am just not a person who buys into the "well, I'm an old guy and I never did it and I never had problems with my horses" argument -- maybe the horses DID have subtle issues that were just never noticed.  Maybe they would have appreciated a good cleaning every now again. 

There is a line, of course, as in all things but I think everyone should be open-minded to what may improve life for their horses.  Just because something was or was not done 10 or 20 or 50 or 100 years ago does not mean that it was right -- we expect better treatment now as education has increased.  Sure, some people go over the top.  And some people go wayyyyyyyyy over the top.  But all things in moderation leads to healthy, happier horse, so I'll keep cleaning when things get gunky enough to cause friction!

Hi Crittergirl

I'm new to this forum and blogging world.  We have raced horses for the past 20 years or so and I empathize with your situation.  see us at http://equinemotel.com or http://boxtranch.com

I was actually relieved to have someone ask about a subject that many horse owners neglect.  Thank goodness you opened the door.  I see much good advice here in the forum and it's important to ensure that a gelding or stallion is clean and the mare's udders too - I've actually got warm water plumbed to my barn so a hose with an adjustable sprayer on "mist" works well if you just let the warm water do it's trick by holding it up to the sheath and letting gravity take over (doesn't take the place of a thorough cleaning). 

I did have this cute little verse to put it in a different light - it's actually kind of an amusing situation if you let it go that direction.  Enjoy:

(Sing it to the tune of "Hello Mother, Hello Father" from camp song)

Happy Trails 

OMG!! That's hilarious!!

Scout's weiner is all pink and it gets the scuz that dries and flakes off in BIG flakes. I usually just pull off the loose ones til he goes "up periscope"!

I didn't know Excaliber could burn. Scratch that off the tack shop shopping list. I'll try Ky or mineral oil.

You guys are great and hilarious!!