Do turnout boots help protect against mud fever?

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Lucinda_x

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I know they say they do but wondering if anyone actually has some which protect against mud fever? We have a mare who has never had it before until moving to our new yard and she has had 2 spouts of it already. Which ones are the best to get?

Thanks
Lucy x
 
I did have some for my mare, but as soon as they got wet/ muddy they made the mud fever worse, rubbed and got destroyed.

I dont put anything on her now and luckily for the past 2 years shes been okay!!! I just wash her legs when she comes in and towel dry them to ensure their dry before she goes to bed.

Some people put vaseline etc on which can help before they get it as acts as a barrier. x
 
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Have to say the mud guard boots are rubbish!! I got some last year for my boy who is coloured with white legs and he used to get it all the time. So thought get some boots keep the mud out... hrmmm well they fall down, get lost in field, When they get wet stay wet on legs which then can rub.. my old boy has arthritis aswell so keeping the cold wet boots on his legs were rubbish and made him stiffer didnt stop mud getting in at all!! and when the mud did get in boots held it in..

Good old fasioned wash legs on a night i recomend hibbi scrub then dry with a towel much more effective. i also give mine supplement called Mud guard which goes in there feed has really helped.. Good Luck :) xxx
 
Never used them myself personally, but someone at our yard used them - she said they were a waste of her money and she would much prefer to just apply mud guard cream :)
 
Iv always thought the mud could get up under them, especially where we are on clay soil, goes really wet and boggy and takes ages to drain! My tb is prone, I wash his legs off at night, put thermatex wraps in to dry and then take them off later at night. I don't bother with barrier creams or don't scrub his legs or even brush them as it makes him more prone. Doing this last year, he only got one bout and that cleared up within a couple of days by plastering on aromaheel. Scabs dropped off, no need to pick.
 
only time my old mare ever got mud fever was when i used turnout boots!!:rolleyes: i now don't bother and also don't wash their legs too often as no matter how well you think you've dried them off they'll still be damp which leaves the skin vulnerable to infection;)
 
I would prefer cow udder cream rather than boots. I used to do this with my mare who had 4 white sock and it was very successful (and much cheaper)
 
best way i have found to prevent mud fever...............no washing if possible brush the next morning when dry and i use a mixture of udder cream and a pinch of sulphur, pop it on everyday, horse use to always have a patch and now not had any for months (yes would get infected legs even in the summer)
 
Hi Lucinda_X,

I was looking at these too and got told the same things, mud judt gets under them and causes more problems.
Best thing we have tried is liquid parafin on the legs. If you start it before it gets muddy then no more mud fever. Also you can get it from a pharmacy (just don't say it s for a horse lol). :-)
 
One of my horses (TB) came to me in very poor condition, and therein lies the clue often to mudfever I believe. Anyway, that first winter she had is very bad indeed, and it took me months to get on top of it. Once I did, however, I used the chaps and I must say that for her they worked very well. Problem is you do have to get them dry and you do have to ensure that the insides are clean of course. She is also dreadful for knocking her own legs, so they offer a buffer to that too.

Now, since her nutrition and general condition has improved considerably, she doesn't seem to suffer (touching EVERY bit of wood around me!!!!) But when we really get into the very worst of the weather, I will put her in them again as a preventative measure.
 
Ours are really good doers, always on a diet, with wonderful gleaming coats, yet two of them still get mudrash, two don't..

We use turnout boots now and again - I don't like the idea of having them on all day, especially on legs with mudrash - as they are swollen and sore quite often, then go down when the horse walks around, so the mud gets under.

Our two that are mudrash prone go into a turnout pen in the worst months that is hardcore under the grass, so never gets more than hoof deep in mud! Once a week they go out into the big muddy clay field for a play - and on those days I use turnout boots (derby house, which are half the price of others) and they've been pretty good. Even on my mare that spends all day like a hippo in the deep clay bog of the field, the boots stay on - occasionally the bottom strap comes undone.

Do a patch test before using pig oil - lots of horses are allergic - particularly chestnuts according to my friend, who is a vet!
 
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