Icelandic Horse mares, like any other breed of horse or pony, need to have their teats cleaned at times.

My pinto mare can go for months without needing to be cleaned. On the other hand, my palomino filly needs her teats cleaned every week or so. She has dark smegma and the pinto has white smegma.

From Qeok:

"Smegma is a natural lubricating residue made up of shedded skin cells, skin oil secretions, and moisture, including sweat. Its cheesy like appearance can vary in color from almost white to a darker shade, depending on a horse's skin tone. Smegma gathers in the nooks and crannies of the body's skin folds including teats.

Smegma consists of surplus oil, dead skin cells, stale urine, and miscellaneous dirt which have collected under the teat. Smegma is a 'waste product' and serves no useful purpose. If not cleaned away regularly it becomes hard and smelly. It is also a breeding ground for bacteria, which can lead to mastitis."

Here are a couple of pictures showing use of KY Jelly as a cleaner. The first picture shows a blob of jelly squeezed onto a paper towel. The next picture shows some of the smegma.

Jeffers has a gallon of a cleaner / lubricant, called J-Jelly, for $10.

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