Clipping legs and mud fever

[Cob Life]

I planning on clipping tomorrow and I can’t work out if I should take legs off or leave them on?

he’s got thick traditional cob feathers, usually they aren’t in the mud anymore when I clip so I do a blanket clip take it all off and rehog him but this year they are still going out in the fields at the moment and I don’t want to lessen his leg protection, the field isn’t really muddy and once it gets bad they come in to the all weather

 

[SEL]

If they aren't itchy or scabby under the hair then I leave on, although I may take off the pony's this year because I want them out 24:7 and the mud dreadlocks are grim.

 

[Cob Life]

If they aren't itchy or scabby under the hair then I leave on, although I may take off the pony's this year because I want them out 24:7 and the mud dreadlocks are grim.

normally he’s hogged and legs off all year round but they haven’t been in the fields this late into the year before, the field they are moving to is drier so I’m tempted to take them off as only another week or so until they are coming in

 

[Cob Life]

He’s just had his pre clip bath and I’ve put him back out with a rug on praying that he doesn’t get too muddy!
he was dry so hopefully the mud wont stick quite as well

 

[L&M]

I do a bit of an 'in-between' job which seems effective with my white legged cob. He has to be clipped 4-5 times over the winter so I fully clip his legs beginning of oct then again end of Dec, any clips in between I leave his legs so he still has a little protection and warmth, but not enough hair to trap in any moisture or mud.

The only time he has had mud fever was when I left his legs on fully.......

 

[Cob Life]

I do a bit of an 'in-between' job which seems effective with my white legged cob. He has to be clipped 4-5 times over the winter so I fully clip his legs beginning of oct then again end of Dec, any clips in between I leave his legs so he still has a little protection and warmth, but not enough hair to trap in any moisture or mud.

The only time he has had mud fever was when I left his legs on fully.......

i think I’m just going to take legs off as realistically they are going to be in and on the all weather surface within the next week or so

i managed to get away with 2 clips last year but I didn’t clip this early and he could have probably done with a third