Feathered Horse - Scabby knees, any suggestions!

[Skilgariff]

HI everyone

Just noticed my cob has big clumps of what looks like grease on the back of her legs. Cut most of them away last night as they were within the hair, however some seem attached to her legs and don't want to pick too much off. Her skin does not look red or sore. I am just unsure if this is a form of mud fever or if it is common with feathered horses and whether I should be treating her legs with something or just wash more often to soften it. I have just started letting her feathers grow back as her legs are normally clipped and as the fields are so muddy I thought the feathers may offer some protection from mud fever.

Any advice would be helpful.

 

[piebaldsparkle]

See http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/1500037/an/0/page/1#1500037

I can recommend Hoof to Heel by Barrier Health, it soften the scabs/ crusty skin in a couple of days, as left on cracks can form and get deep/sore. Best not to keep washing legs.

 

[piebaldsparkle]

And here

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/1479916/an/0/page/2#1479916

 

[Theresa_F]

Try using pig oil and sulphur - I have done this on all my feathered horses to date - spent a happy 20 minutes last night putting in on my two boys.

Our clydie is prone to grease - just below his chesnuts but I can keep it controlled by P&S. If it does flare up and a hard ridge of crust forms, I find the following works very well.

1 tablespoon of sudocream, 1 teaspoon of sulphur, 5 drops of teatree oil mixed together and rubbed in every day for a week - looks very messy but works.

After week, wash with the area with a little warm water and drop of hibiscrub and remove any crust and old cream. Apply the sudocream mix and repeat. Normally completly gone within a few weeks.

If you have nowhere local, I have just bought 10 litres of oil - £24 and 3 kgs of sulphur- £10 plus postage which came to £48 from Heavy Horse Supplies. Lasts my two being done every 10 days 2 1/2 months but they do have a fair amount of feather.

Tom Brewster is very helpful.

http://www.heavyhorsesupplies.co.uk/index.html

If he has mites, the P&S will help to prevent them, but a good spray of frontline also works very well - do make sure you rub it well in.

P&S should be applied every 7 - 10 days- mix in a pot so it looks like a thick shake and brush from knee/hock to floor and then rub - make sure feather is well coated.

In the summer I wash out legs every two - three weeks and rub a few handfuls of sulphur into the skin - drys the leg and keeps mites at bay without oily feather.

I also do not wash out my legs from October to April - they look grubby but underneath all is clean and dry. Do check for any scabbing when you are oiling up.

To date I have not had any problems on Cairo, Chancer or when I had her, Jemima by using this method and they all have lovely full feather.

Personally I prefer feathered legs in winter - yes they do look grubby, but kept as above, your horse shouldn't suffer from mudfever or mites.

 

[amzy]

Yes, this is common with feathered cobs. I wash the legs with an antibacterial shampoo to soften the scabs and then, once dry, apply Fuciderm cream. The vet recommended this and it certainly is very good. You apply it once a day for 5 days and the skin soon heals up. Unfortuanately I think it is a condition they will always have so you have to keep on top of it. Keeping feathers clipped didn't seem to make any difference to my horse. You can only get this cream from a vet btw.