Why Clean the Sheath and Express the Bean?

Adult male horses will build up oils and exfoliated cells in the penile sheath and the urethral fossa. The medical name for this build-up is smegma. The rate and character of the build-up varies considerably amoung individuals. Some male horses never seem to accumulate significant amounts of smegma, while others become a thick gooey mess in just months. Over time the male horse will also build up a firmer concretion in the urethral fossa located at the head of the penis. This is called the "bean". In horses predisposed the bean these can get as big as a golf ball. Occasionally expressing the bean prevents this.

The horses penile sheath and urethral fossa needs to be examined periodically to determine the need for cleaning of the sheath and penis and expression of the bean from the urethral fossa. Some horses neeed frequent attention while others, not so much. Remember, that some amount of oiliness is normal and even healthy: preserving the natural bacterial fauna of the sheaths skin.

This article teaches the anatomy of the horse's penis and sheath, explains the range of the character of the smegma, then gives a description of cleaning the horse's sheath and removing the bean from the urethral fossa.

If you need help with the anatomy, particularly visualizing the urethral fossa, see this article. It will open in a new window so you can use it as you read this article: Penis, testicles, and related structure anatomy