# peeling chestnuts



## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

Well I don't know why you find that so disgusting. Wierd. I actually kinda like picking them off!  I just pick off any "extras" at grooming time.


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## boofa (Nov 25, 2011)

OOOO,thats a pet-peeve of mine I cant help but peel them off..LOL...It will help if you periodically rub vaseline on them to keep them soft and easier to peel off.


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## Cowgirls Boots (Apr 6, 2011)

^^^ I do the same thing!!! LOL
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## csimkunas6 (Apr 18, 2010)

****, op, Im sorry....thats just hilarious to me! Personally tho, Ive never had a problem cleaning sheaths, it was just something for me, that had to be done for the horse's health. As far as chestnut's go tho, my little guy doesnt seem to have any on his rear legs, I mean Im sure he does, but they dont grow to where you cant notice them what so ever.....


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## ThursdayNext (Oct 18, 2011)

It was kind of hilarious to me too. I mean, the sheath cleaning was just like "oh, ho-hum, look at him crib on the hitching post, this is taking forever, he's being so good just standing for this, am I ever gonna be done with this, sigh"...

but when that chestnut came off his front leg into my hand I threw it on the ground and squealed like a little girl and said "EEEEEUUUUUWWWW!" before I could stop myself. I'm thinking the whole time "WTH? Why am I doing this?" but I just couldn't help it. This is not even 10 minutes after I picked a scab out of his hair (his scrape was healed up, but the scab was still stuck to the hairs) and that didn't bother me at all. The big gnarly chestnut on his back leg that sort of crumbled into chunks....eeeek.


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## ThursdayNext (Oct 18, 2011)

From what I've been reading on the web about these things, drafts have them big-time, and Huey's a WB, probably some kind of Belgian mix, but he's definitely kind of draft-y in his conformation. I guess this is where it shows, too, these whacking huge nuts on his rear legs.


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

They do smell pretty awful.
Fun fact: They contain a unique scent identifier that is specific to each horse.


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## ShinaKonga (Jun 24, 2010)

ThursdayNext said:


> From what I've been reading on the web about these things, drafts have them big-time, and Huey's a WB, probably some kind of Belgian mix, but he's definitely kind of draft-y in his conformation. I guess this is where it shows, too, these whacking huge nuts on his rear legs.


Drafts do have some pretty big nuts between their rear legs...

Couldn't resist the joke, sorry :lol:


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## ThursdayNext (Oct 18, 2011)

bubba13 said:


> They do smell pretty awful.
> Fun fact: They contain a unique scent identifier that is specific to each horse.


OMG...there's *more*? This thing about the smell totally escaped my notice.

Somehow, my pre-horse trips to Happy Horse La-La Land involved muck rakes and mud, but not picking big scary (and, I hear now, smelly) scabs off his knees. or picking them out of his hair, for that matter.


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

Only thing that smells worse than a peeling chestnut is a peeling frog. Particularly if you've got thrush going on.


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## DejaVu (Jul 6, 2011)

Vaseline, or baby oil applied on, keeps them softer and more smooth looking, plus easier to peel. 

After I bathe my gelding, and they're soft from being wet, is when I take care of what's there.


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## Endiku (Dec 6, 2010)

Out of curiousity, why do you peel chestnuts in the first place? Just because they're ugly, or is there some health reason to it?

As far as I know we don't peel our horse's chestnuts off. Makes me wonder ;P although it was mentioned to me that I should be peeling Noah's, especially before the upcoming show. But they didn't tell me why.

You just sorta get your finger under it and pry it off, like a scab?


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## QOS (Dec 8, 2008)

Biscuit's chestnuts are not thick and they peel off fairly easily. He doesn't have big ergots but Sarge's ergots look like spurs on a rooster :shock: 

Some horses chestnuts grow thick and just keep growing out like an inch or more. Our old shetland pony had LONG chestnuts and a mare out at the barn had some really long ones last month that I cut off with a circular hoof knife while the barn manager held her! 

They don't gross me out but hey...everyone has a different gross out level!:lol:


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## ButtInTheDirt (Jan 16, 2011)

I peel them off when they come of somewhat easily, and I don't really mind it. Dogs really like them, and when one of my dogs smell them he'd almost be willing to take them off himself. (If Moe wouldn't eat the dog every time he came close.) Just take a little dog, attach it to the chestnut, and pull. xD Maybe not intirely a well thought-out idea... But once a dog smells them they'll take their chances.

But whatever works. I've never really had them get that big, I will pick them off when one good layer looks ready to peel. (By the way, if it is dry it I don't think it will smell as bad. Just when you get near the knee where it is moist it has a smell that only dogs cherish.)


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## ThursdayNext (Oct 18, 2011)

Endiku said:


> Out of curiousity, why do you peel chestnuts in the first place? Just because they're ugly, or is there some health reason to it?


I know this is usually done for show horses because it looks nicer. Huey's just got huge and ratty and when I scraped my knuckle on one of them while grooming him, I knew it was time... I have also read stuff from people who said that their horses knocked or tore them off accidentally and that they bleed like crazy if that happens.


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## faye (Oct 13, 2010)

I take them off when Reeco has a bath. Basicly give them a good scrub and then whip them off using a knife.

He never normal grows much anyway, so normaly I only have to take them off once just before show season (march) and once about september.


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## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

I do as Faye does. It's very easy to remove them after a bath. Aside from appearance, your farrier will appreciate them being removed, they can be rather scratchy.


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## kendrawrrr (Nov 17, 2011)

OK.. I don't wanna sound like a complete moron... But what do you guys mean?  Just curious..haha


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

What do you mean what do we mean? Which part?

Chestnuts? Those are the little ugly scabby things on the inside of a horse's upper leg. Remnants of a vestigial toe. They grow and flake off.


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## kendrawrrr (Nov 17, 2011)

bubba13 said:


> What do you mean what do we mean? Which part?
> 
> Chestnuts? Those are the little ugly scabby things on the inside of a horse's upper leg. Remnants of a vestigial toe. They grow and flake off.


Oops! Sorry I wasn't very clear.. But yeah I wasn't sure what a "chestnut" was..


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## ThursdayNext (Oct 18, 2011)

kendrawrrr said:


> Oops! Sorry I wasn't very clear.. But yeah I wasn't sure what a "chestnut" was..


I was taught that when a horse doesn't pick his feet up on request, you can get him to do it by pinching his chestnut on that leg. 

...Probably why I didn't notice Huey's chestnuts getting so huge - he always picks his foot up right away when I run my hand down the back of his leg.

I slathered aquaphor on them yesterday. Today they were absolutely vile - filthy and gummy and black with I-do-not-even-want-to-think-about-it, but one of them had started chunking off. I laid on another slick of that stuff this morning, and rubbed some in to the chestnuts that had peeled off earlier on his front legs.


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## Kato (Apr 20, 2011)

Don't feel bad I think it is gross too. Scabs and sheath cleaning I can deal with. Scrubbing open wounds...done....but for some rather illogical reason chestnuts are...ICKY!  LOL


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## LuckyRVT (Nov 4, 2011)

as everyone is "laughing" i want u to know your not alone! I think that it is absolutely revolting! I would probably give one of my other horse friends a call and have THEM come pick them off! lol  as i say at work..."im not a picker" (i dont pick off skin scabs nothing!) but i love to clean shealths.... :-/


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## legyield768 (Jul 24, 2011)

For some reason, I enjoy peeling chestnuts...When I'm hand grazing my horse, and I get bored after awhile, I find myself peeling them off. I've never smelled them before, so I can't comment on the smell. But as for sheath cleaning..I'll spend the money for my vet to do it!


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## Puddintat (Jul 24, 2010)

I am a vet tech and see all kinds of gross things at work. I have to say peeling chestnuts is disgusting. My stomach actually turns when I do it. Give me a big ole abcess any day.


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## RhondaLynn (Jan 26, 2010)

since we are talking about gross/funny thing... I am going to add my 2 cents... 

My daughter (grown daughter) has an old horse (30-35 years) he had a very hurt leg and she was spending lots of time at the barn washing/bandging. she realized that she really, really needed to clean his sheath. it was really nasty with scaley crud on it. She had never cleaned him and all I had ever had were mares.

So we decided to do it right.. I was her assistant and she got some sheath cleaner. while she was cleaning the wound in his leg she rubbed his stomach and moved her hand ever so gently back to "the area". she put her hand on him and he dropped, she worked the sudsy stuff all over hiim and he started "hunching" and swaying forward and backward.. now this is a gelding but he was acting on pure instinct... we laughed because she was giving him a hand job/massage and he really wanted it to have a happy ending, but alas it was not meant to be!!!!

After a few minutes of this, she got warm water and washed him off. then she gave him a butt massage (he has always loved them) and I laughed and told her I should be giving them a cigarette to share and turn the barn light off!!!

We still laugh about that!!!

Rhonda


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## WesternBella (Jan 7, 2012)

I'm fine with peeling the chestnut...the smell just REALLY grosses me out. Smells like an old musky basement or something...bleck! 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## ShinaKonga (Jun 24, 2010)

WesternBella said:


> I'm fine with peeling the chestnut...the smell just REALLY grosses me out. Smells like an old musky basement or something...bleck!
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


You've dug up the corpse of an old thread... LOL


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## PaintedFury (Aug 18, 2010)

It doesn't bother me in the least to peel the chestnuts and ergots off of either of my horses. Lady will stand there and let me do it, but I check her's regularly, as she tends to grow them faster than most, but she also enjoys the massage of the lower legs that usually accompanies the peeling of them. Fancy could care less if I ever touched her period. She's not a human horse, if ya know what I mean.


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## Allison Finch (Oct 21, 2009)

For anyone who thinks it's gross, just remember a chestnut is only a wee bit of old hoof material left from their long gone extra toe.


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## ThursdayNext (Oct 18, 2011)

Allison Finch said:


> For anyone who thinks it's gross, just remember a chestnut is only a wee bit of old hoof material left from their long gone extra toe.


Heheh...I changed farriers over the winter, and the new guy has a dog. As soon as the farrier picked up Huey's feet to trim them, the dog was on it like a shot, gobbling up the hoof trimmings almost before they hit the barn floor. I'll have to wait to peel Huey's chestnuts again until the BO's Jack Russell is around, see if he eats them like the farrier's dog went after the hoof shavings.


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## xlionesss (Jan 30, 2012)

Reading this thread makes me wonder how many people can clean the dry skin under a horses' tail for them when they get itchy without throwing a fit...horses are worth the awkward things we must do for them


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## ThursdayNext (Oct 18, 2011)

xlionesss said:


> Reading this thread makes me wonder how many people can clean the dry skin under a horses' tail for them when they get itchy without throwing a fit...horses are worth the awkward things we must do for them


The area under my horse's tail is SUPER nasty because he's got a chronic issue with loose BMs. He doesn't have diarrhea, his bloodwork looks fine, he's not losing weight, he doesn't appear to be ill, he just make wet poop. And it gets on his tail, and his hocks, and his butt, and ugh. It doesn't seem to itch his butt, since he doesn't rub or bite it or anything, it's just...there. And manky and nasty. I'd like to keep this tidy, but I'd have to be cleaning it every single day (and even then...sigh...).

I know there are people who won't clean their gelding's sheath. I know this because when I cleaned Huey's (the month after I bought him) he had a bean the size of a 50-cent piece. Clearly had not been done in QUITE a while.


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## WildAcreFarms (Apr 6, 2011)

*holey COW I had no idea....*

holey Cow I had no idea that we are supposed to pick those chestnuts off. I can't believe that I've owned around 10 horses in my life and Nobody ever TOLD me nor do i remember reading that we are supposed to pick off the chestnuts......

awesome I can't wait to do it!

And I'm a born picker, I LOVE to pick stuff LOL. I'm the kind of person who can't stand to see a white zit or an abscess or anything that looks like it needs to be popped or picked.. My hubbys like "get off me" LOL


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## ThursdayNext (Oct 18, 2011)

Well, I should say, you're in for a huge treat then, because chestnut peeling is like picking scabs x 1,000! :lol:


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## WildAcreFarms (Apr 6, 2011)

lol I can't wait!


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## Shropshirerosie (Jan 24, 2012)

Old Horseman's Hint - 

peel a chestnut, keep it in the pocket of your (gnarly old worn out) coat

Next time you come to deal with an angry non-cooperative beast of a horse, take said chestnut out of your pocket and offer him a sniff. 

The best instant chill-pill for horses. 

Apparently.





(is this the origin of "that old chestnut" phrase?)


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## ThursdayNext (Oct 18, 2011)

Has anyone tried that? I'd be willing to do it, because heaven knows, my barn coat is as manky as they come...but I don't want to do it unless it works.  Not willing to take the chance that my barn coat *can* get mankier than it already is.


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## Shropshirerosie (Jan 24, 2012)

ThursdayNext said:


> Has anyone tried that? I'd be willing to do it, because heaven knows, my barn coat is as manky as they come...but I don't want to do it unless it works.  Not willing to take the chance that my barn coat *can* get mankier than it already is.


There is an ex-jockey ex National Hunt TB breeder at my yard. She says it works


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