If you have ever owned a horse, then you may have heard that the sheath of the horse must be cleaned at least every six months. Otherwise, the horse may be exposed to different types of infections and diseases that could lead to cancer. Here the question may arise in the minds of many people, “How do wild horses clean their sheath?”
This article will guide you on whether or not cleaning the sheath of the horse is necessary for its survival and do wild horses regularly need it?
How do wild horses clean their sheath?
Wild horses move and rub their sheaths across abrasive surfaces. This helps them to thoroughly clean their sheaths without any external help.
Cleaning the sheath helps reduce the build up of smegma in horses. Now you are probably wondering how often wild horses do this.
How Often Do Horse Need Their Sheath Cleaned?
Various horse owners and other researchers say that if you do not clean the sheath of the horse, it may experience trouble in urinating. An extremely dirty sheath may lead to the complete blockage of urine which may cause a lot of health issues in the horse. As a result, the horse may get severely sick and die.
Therefore, the best practice is to clean the sheath of your horse every six months. It is also recommended that you do a visual check on the sheath on a monthly basis.
How Do Wild Horses Clean Their Sheath?
Most wild horses will clean their sheath naturally at least once every couple of months.
They do this by rubbing their sheath against bushes and other leafy surfaces. That being said, wild horses are more at risk for infection because they can not clean their sheath as thoroughly as domesticated horses.
As you probably know, horses have a very large penis, and therefore they have very large sheaths. These areas can be hard to clean due to their extraordinary size.
Is Horse Sheath Cleaning Necessary & What About The Wild Horse?
The popular belief is that horse sheath cleaning is necessary for the survival of the horse, but the fact is, nature has created a complete system for the horses to clean their sheaths. Wild horses rub their sheaths with the various bushes and wild plants in order to clean them. It is an instinctual behavior of horses that keeps them safe from health issues.
However, if you have kept your pet horse in extremely clean circumstances where there are no plants and wild bushes and flowers, the horse may end up with extremely dirty sheath that can negatively affect the health of the horse.
How Long Does A Wild Horse Take To Clean Its Sheath?
Wild horses naturally know how to clean the sheath. However, the duration of the sheath cleaning varies and depends on how much dirt is accumulated in the area. Some documentaries also reveal that some wild horses help one another to clean their sheath.
How Do Wild Horses Clean Their Hooves?
The hoof cleaning process of wild horses can also give you an idea of how the horses clean their sheaths. As we know that horses cannot touch their hooves, they rub their hooves over various surfaces and walk long distances in order to ware them down and clean them.
Just like hooves, wild horses also know how to keep their sheaths neat and clean. Some wild horses are naturally very clean so that they do not need any kind of cleaning for up to one year.
The Bottom Line
Nature has taught wild horses how to keep their sheath clean without human assistance. You can observe this reality by closely looking at the sheath of the horses.
