Applying Pig Oil

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HaffiesRock

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I know this stuff is a pain to apply, but my question is, does it have to go on completely dry legs?

My pony is out 24/7 and although he is fairing very well, I'm wanting to protect his legs. I have got use of a stable for a couple of hours tomorrow so can let him fully dry off before applying it. Can it be put on clean damp legs? I'm sure ive seen people on here say they mix it with water but that seems a little strange as I was it to repel water?

Also, am I best to let the legs dry naturally and then brush off the mud or should i give his legs a through wash (and check over) with an antiseptic shampoo before applying? he is a haffy and very slightly feathered in his winter outfit :)

He has no signs of any mud fever it is purely a preventative measure, but with having the stable for him to dry I'm tempted to wash the legs and have a really good scab/cut/mite check too.

Any suggestions much appreciated x
 
The thing with Pig oil is, it won't work with just one application.

I put on to dry legs daily for a week, then ever other day, then every few days. I never wash her legs off as don't want to risk breaking through the barrier. I put her in her stable and by the time I get her out the stable the next morning, the mud has all slipped off into the bed. She has white legs and they look very clean :D
 
Forgot to add, to apply to the legs I tip a small ammount into an old supplement pot and then use a paint brush to apply, making sure you work against the hair to really coat the skin.
 
I could do with some advice on this too as my new boy has some very mild mud fever patches and so I am getting some sulfur and pig oil this weekend to do the same.

I was under the impression that it has to go on completely clean and dry legs. I should imagine that the opinions on whether to brush dry mud off, or hose it off will be pretty evenly split.

What I could do with knowing is, can I apply the pig oil over the couple of scabs that he already has, or will this cause potential infection? I don't want to get into the realms of having to remove scabs!! Which I read somewhere!
 
Once i have the initial coat on the clean legs, I can easily top it up when required. Just want that first coat that goes down to the skin to be clean. x
 
Personally, and if you can, I like to ensure the legs and skin are as clean as possible prior to applying the first layer of pig oil. Makes sense to apply a waterproof barrier to a clean surface, particularly if the areas are going to be kept covered in oil for some time to come. I use NAF Tea Tree oil shampoo myself. I find it cleans really well; rinses off easily and leaves the skin and hair clean and soft. Once rinsed, I dry the horse thoroughly with towels, decant some pig oil (and sulphur mix) into an old supplement tub and paint it on with an old kid's size body brush. The body brush works really well and makes applying it so quick.

After that first application, I just reapply every few days. I have a very fine skinned WB who doesn't have much coat and no feather at all and I think this makes the pig oil wear off her quicker than it would on a denser haired, feathered horse. But you'll know when another application is due because mud will suddenly start to stick to patches where prevously is just slid off. Once this starts to happen I brush off any bits of mud that have stuck, towel the leg clean and dry and re-apply the oil again. It take about 5 mins from start to finish and really isn't time consuming. It's much quicker than an industrial groom with a dandy brush to scrape thick mud off, like before!
 
If I'm pig oiling when Troy isn't in overnight (in which case I apply to nice clean, fully dry legs) I wash Troy's legs with a small amount of shampoo and hose off to make sure they are completely mud free. Towel dry. Then spray pig oil liberally from his knees down to his feet (probably 10 good squirts per leg, all round) and work it in with a body brush. This is much quicker than it sounds. It's amazing how little mud sticks when he goes back out, even when its deep!
 
I've been wondering this as well. I've been using pig oil and sulpher on my lad through the summer after an attack of mites and its doing well at stopping them coming back and his feather is growing back nicely...

However! He lives out 24/7 and his legs are never clean and dry enough lately for me to apply it.
 
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