Feather Winter Protection

grandmaweloveyou

Well-Known Member
Joined
30 May 2007
Messages
2,004
Location
Sussex
Visit site
Having bathed my boy for possibly the last time this year, any suggestions on how to keep him white through the winter i.e. boots or tailwrap etc? He has lots of feathers though so I struggle with getting something around them and is a tail wrap a mean thing to make him wear in front of his mates?? hahaha.
 

Cahill

Well-Known Member
Joined
9 March 2007
Messages
5,258
Visit site
i am going to apply pig oil once a week,and hopefully any mud wont stick
grin.gif
grin.gif
 

Box_Of_Frogs

Well-Known Member
Joined
1 May 2007
Messages
6,518
Location
Deepest Wales
Visit site
He's absolutely bloody gorgeous! But the only way to keep him white all through the winter is to put him in your freezer until about May. Whole if possible or he may not work again when you defrost him. Good luck and pray you don't have a power cut in December xxx
 

Farrieress

Well-Known Member
Joined
19 May 2006
Messages
78
Location
Bristol UK
Visit site
If you add Flowers of Sulpher to pig oil this will act as a barrier to prevent the mud from sticking and also prevent mud fever, and those beautiful feathers from snapping with mud burn. It will look yellow to start with but this will fade and you will be left with beautiful white feathers.

It can be used on any breed but same of the top draught and cob producers swear by this concoction. google it
 

Theresa_F

Well-Known Member
Joined
10 August 2005
Messages
5,577
Location
London - Essex side
Visit site
Mine are being left to be as dirty and hairy as they want from mid September until end of October - I spend from March onwards keeping in show condition and like to let them have a month to six weeks of no rugs, baths and pampering just left in the field with tick over exercise. I have finally got my SI rugs off as it is cool and windy and midges are not bad where we are.

They will come in at night at end of October and will be clipped out and hot towelled so they are clean again. Manes will be washed and then conditioned and put into plaits and mane bags, ditto forelocks. Tails are also washed, conditoned and bagged up. I then forget for two weeks, then comb out, condition and plait and bag again - bags are from tailgator.co.uk.

Legs are covered in pig oil and sulphur and this is repeated every other week until it get really wet and muddy then done weekly. I don't wash out legs unless I am doing a winter show. I have never used any sort of wraps - the oily hair gives the legs all the protection they need.

Necks (I don't do covers) are once a week when it gets very muddy in the field, given a go over with a sponge that is dipped in hot water and pig oil so a very light coating of oil is on the hair, ditto anything else that sticks out of the rugs - this keeps mud from sticking and staining the coat.

By bagging and oiling, I find that my hairies come out of winter fairly clean and the hair is in very good condition from being bagged up and it does not take much time and effort to get them ready for the show ring.
 
Top