The term "horse bean" has two different meanings depending on the context.
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In the context of horse anatomy, a "bean" is the common name for a collection of smegma in the tip of the horses penis. The tube that the urine passes through is called the urethra and just above the urethra is a pocket of space called the urethral fossa and this is where the build-up of dirt and grime happens, which results in hardened "beans". When the beans get so big, they interfere with the horse’s ability to pass urine properly, which can lead to all sorts of infections and kidney problems. Ideally, for horses over the age of four, you should clean the sheath once a year.
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In the context of gardening, horse bean is a subspecies of the broad bean proper, also known as Windsor or straight bean. They are a cool-season annual that bears large, thick pods containing four to six seeds.
