A couple of things that have been bothering me!

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1st one - rugging. I know people go on about this all the time but I saw a post on facebook the other day that really annoyed me! “Why do people already have middleweight rugs on already?” Err, because it’s cold, they probably have all their hair shaved off and might be working hard, their owner might want them to be warm and toasty? Now I’m all for letting my horse be naked all summer when he has his natural coat and it’s warm anyway but I think it’s completely different kettle of fish when it’s winter and horses are clipped. Why wouldn’t you have a middleweight on a clipped horse already??

2nd one – leg hosing. I don’t understand why people rinse off their horses legs with cold water everyday and not dry them. Do they realise it’s MORE likely to give them mud fever than if they just left them? I never wash legs in the winter without drying off properly with a towel.

What are peoples thoughts on these? Am I losing the plot??

Cheers
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I agree :) I don't wash my boys legs off just let them dry then brush off, I know people who wash their horses legs off everytime they come in and not dry them then wonder why they have mud fever and have to use lots and lots of products to try and clear it.
I get people asking me about rugging as well - mines in a mw because he needs it, yours might not!!
 
LOL you are not losing the plot as i feel the same :)

My lad is clipped out and is therefore in a medium weight rug already, especially as we had our first frost at the weekend! surely people know what thier own horses need?

I try not to hose legs in winter as makes them more likely to get mud fever, if i am out riding on a weekend ill hose before riding but then dry thouroughly with a towel then ridden and straight into stable and brushed off next morning before turned back out. Hate to think of wet legs and then mud on top!! :)
 
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1st - I don't care what people put on their horses, genuinely don't care unless it affects me, and in return I expect no one to care what I put on our horses. What drives me crackers on this forum is the amount of people who seem completely incapable of rugging their horses without advice from a load of strangers they have never met from all corners of the world - if you can't decide which rugs to put on your horse quite simply you shouldn't have one.

I don't understand leg hosing - I didn't realise it was fashionable again. I'd rather either wash with hot and dry properly or leave and brush.
 
To be honest I think people hose legs because it makes them feel better if they aren't putting a wet and muddy horse to bed at night, of course this is totally pointless unless you want to ride and put boots on etc, in which case legs should be dried first.

Re rugging I just put on whatever I think is appropriate and let others do the same, I have to say that over-rugging is more irritating to me than under-rugging (have a few healthy horses on the yard who are yet to be clipped and in heavyweights already), but each to their own.
 
Each to their own with rugging, mine are still in lightweights but for horses who are clipped I agree a medium weight wouldn't be excessive at this time of year.

I wash my horses legs off at night if they are muddy (not if there is just a bit of mud on the hooves but if the legs are caked in mud) as we are on clay and I ride first thing in the mornings and it dries hard as rock and is really difficult to brush off without being uncomfortable for the horse, I also don't have as much time in the mornings so need to do as much as I can in the evening to make it quicker. Have never had any problems with mud fever.
 
1. People can do as they please with their rugs. Doesn't affect me as not my horse!

2. We wash legs off and dry them if the mud is wet or brush off if it is dry. We wash them off because their legs get caked in our clay base fields after a load of rain, as it is impossible to avoid in the gateways, and we like to check their legs for cuts and scrapes etc. If their legs are caked in wet mud, we don't have time to wait for it to dry. After their legs are towelled off they go into big straw beds where they dry off completely. Never had a problem with mud fever except on one, who gets it a little it wether you leave the mud on or wash it off, he has sensitive skin.
 
With reguards rugs: - every horse is different so it is what works for you! My horse is fully clipped but only in a 100g because quite simply he gets too hot and throws himself against stable walls to itch or rolls alot in the feild. However if that had been my TB mare she was in a meadium all winter with a blanket clip.

Washing legs:- again everyhorse is different and it depends on how the onwner feels about it I dont wash just let dry in stable whilst I do everything else and brush off.

Horses for courses and everyone does it different there is no right or wrong!
 
None of mine are clipped :) so no rugs :):) The two old ladies will be when it gets really cold and the three Welshies - well if their designed to weather the Welsh hills and mountains, they can do without in their nicely sheltered field! They all have the luxury of a deep bedded stable at night though ;)

As for hosing, never, just a brush off when dry. Not only do I not want mudfever but the water then drains straight into the field gateway from the yard.
 
Mine is only in a sheet because he is a hot horse! Oh and yes he is fully clipped and if I had him in a medium weight now he would trash the rug trying to get it off! Even when -14 he is still not in a medium weight, but then he is a hot ISH with more TB in him oh and out 24/7. As for hosing legs, unless booting or on clay personal preference is to leave till dry then brush off. Works for mine who had awful mud fever when I first got him.
 
Pidgeon said:
Mine is only in a sheet because he is a hot horse! Oh and yes he is fully clipped and if I had him in a medium weight now he would trash the rug trying to get it off! Even when -14 he is still not in a medium weight, but then he is a hot ISH with more TB in him oh and out 24/7. As for hosing legs, unless booting or on clay personal preference is to leave till dry then brush off. Works for mine who had awful mud fever when I first got him.
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You've just hit 3000 posts! At least you'll save on having to buy him expensive rugs! ;-)
 
As per others above: Rug according to YOUR horse, its condition & the weather.
Love RTE comment - you shouldn't have a horse if you have to ask other random people all over the country who have never seen your horse, what it ought to wear :biggrin3:

I'm a leave & let dry & brush off later person - but am on sandy soil.
 
I have never hosed legs and (touchwood) never had mud fever in any of ours. They get thick straw beds and by morning they are toasty warm and mud free bar a fetlock fringe which is brushed off.. and we are on clay.

As for rugs.. don't get me started! We had a fellow livery who would ask every single Sunday morning for 7 years what rugs we would be using for the coming week. I started being helpful, after a couple of years it became 'polite', another couple of years and it was 'polite but not chatty' Then one morning I could take no more and exploded!! 'Why bloody ask me.. every week for 7 years? Your horse and your decision, act like an adult!!' She was quite surprised lol.
 
each horse is different! my mare is 28 with a blanket clip and only has a light weight on coz she is a really warm girl, If it wasn't raining she'd probably still be naked, defo is in the day if its not wet! my boy however is the same breed as the mare is only 3 yrs old and feels the cold more than she does but he only has a light weight on too, obviously not clipped though!

The mare has a 300g heavy weight but the glending has a 350g
 
Erm......?!
I see justabob is feeling as friendly as usual!

To elaborate we don't have mud so no mud fever, but a couple of years ago CS had horrendous cellulitis which we think was caused by long wet grass giving him chapped skin and letting the bacteria in.
Vet advised daily washing with antibacterial tea tree shampoo and spraying legs with hibi scrub x3 per week( as well as oral antibiotics and steroid creams)
So that's what we do with all of them, as well as having antibiotic and steroid creams on standby for every tiny cut.
I also don't clip his white socks out any longer.

All that said I like my horses to be well turned out and they would get legs washed even if I didn't live in fear of cellulitis! They also get manes and tails washed weekly, coat shined daily, ears beards and heels trimmed weekly etc.

Oh and due to the poo diamonds our muck heap is worth such a fortune we sell it off to fund all our matchy matchy!

Hopefully justabob will go and quietly implode in a corner now :)
 
Prince33Sp4rkle said:
Erm......?!
I see justabob is feeling as friendly as usual!

To elaborate we don't have mud so no mud fever, but a couple of years ago CS had horrendous cellulitis which we think was caused by long wet grass giving him chapped skin and letting the bacteria in.
Vet advised daily washing with antibacterial tea tree shampoo and spraying legs with hibi scrub x3 per week( as well as oral antibiotics and steroid creams)
So that's what we do with all of them, as well as having antibiotic and steroid creams on standby for every tiny cut.
I also don't clip his white socks out any longer.

All that said I like my horses to be well turned out and they would get legs washed even if I didn't live in fear of cellulitis! They also get manes and tails washed weekly, coat shined daily, ears beards and heels trimmed weekly etc.

Oh and due to the poo diamonds our muck heap is worth such a fortune we sell it off to fund all our matchy matchy!

Hopefully justabob will go and quietly implode in a corner now :)
Click to expand...

Excellent reply PS. I will not implode, I never do.
 
Nugz is in a middleweight, and shock horror, he is in the same rug day and night :D

When Nugz was on straw on the old yard, he would only get hosed off if he came in looking like an Austrian Bog Pony, but would never dry off as my theory is that unless you have was off every grain of mud and sand, then fine, but this is nigh on impossible with an average hose and time constraints. The straw did a pretty good job of drying and cleaning legs (if just normal covering).

Now, he's on shavings and all that happens is they get stuck to the mud and then concreted on in the morning. So I hose down. I also hose off to cool the skin and hooves off so if they are too warm I can feel immediately (lami risk). Again, don't dry off, leave the bedding to do that :D
 
Agree with you totally! Some stupid woman asked me the other day why one of mine is in a MW and one in a LW (Welsh x arab has a MW, full welsh in LW) saying surely it would be easier if they were in the same type. Couldn't absolutely believe her! Don't understand why it would be easier when all the rugs are there anyway, and maybe it's because if welsh x arab was in a LW he would be too cold, or if welsh was in a MW he would be too warm! Ridiculous!

Also it is a fact that washing opens up the pores of skin, making them more vulnerable to mud fever. All I do is when they come in for night, towel dry legs, then in morning brush off mud and spray 50:50 baby oil and vinegar which helps to prevent legs getting cracked and fights bacteria, simple!
 
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