Feathers on or off??

[jojo.1986]

I have a Clydesdale cross and he has the biggest hairiest legs I have ever dealt with before. I have had him for three months and as gorgeous as the feathers are, he is clearly uncomfortable. I have de-liced/shampooed/creamed his heals etc etc but he still bangs his back feet. I am now to the stage where clipping them off completely. (will be a sad day as they are lovely.) but his quality of life outways the cosmetic beauty of him having hairy legs.just need advice on what Other people do or think??!!

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

Will he be in or out over winter? If in then take them off, try and get all the itchyness cleared up then let them grow back. If out then I would just try keeping him comfortable over winter then clip them in the spring.

 

[Sparkles]

Have you Dectomaxed him?

 

[jojo.1986]

No I haven't. Is that the jab that is administered by a vet? I have heard of it...is it worth a try do you think?

 

[rockysmum]

The heavy horse people use pig oil and sulphur, you can even buy it ready mixed these days.

Its worked on the odd times I have decided not to use the clippers on our cobs

 

[rolsterlady]

If it was me, feathers would be off.

He will be so much more comfortable, it will make life easier for you to treat etc too.

 

[roshah]

hi... i have a clydesdale cross too; he lives out 24/7 and i have only had him a few months too

have yet to face the ravage of winter... so i may change my opinion on this, but i tend towards keeping feathers on the big horses where possible. i think they look a bit silly without but its personal opinion.

when my boy first arrived with me he had very full feathers as he was boxed most of the time.... living out now all the time, his feathers have thinned out naturally so to speak (what we in Ireland called 'bog burnt')

I'm lucky enough to live next to the beach, so he's down in the water 3/4 times a week and as yet i've had no problem with mites. i've also used pig oil and sulphur to great effect (in terms of protecting feathers and keeping them white - sussex cobs on ebay sell a great product that i will definitely be buying more of to try and preserve the feathers thru the winter)

my boy itched and banged his feet at the beginning but does so less now. i put this down to the salt water treatments he gets. also, if your horse is boxed all the time, look into his bedding. believe it or not, i had a gal who was irritated by shavings and i think she picked up a case of mites from the bedding.

 

[Sparkles]

Definately Dectomax him

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

There are many thoughts on this.

certain breeds like M&M have to be left el natural nothing clipped or trimmed.

But consider.

a . does he have white legs? they are prone to mud fever .
b. does it get boggy where you are , ie will his heels be submerged in a boggy gateway.
c. long hair take ages to dry and can cause chapping of moisture which leads to itchy heals/ mud fever


d . long hair is supposed to let the rain roll off away from the heal

e. short trimmed heals are easier to dry but mud can get to skin

f. short hair is easier to manage when a problem occurs you can wash and dry skin properly.
g. fox mites do get into heels causing itchy heels where horses stamp and need to rub heels ( till bleed sometimes )

at the end of the day you know the horse These are just the pros and cons .

 

[Tnavas]

My Clydie has all her feather on and have never had problems with mites. They are regularly washed useing hand hot water and washing up liquid to get the initial dirt out - once the skin is pink deep in the feather they are washed with Nizerol to clear any fungal infection. The Nizerol is usually left in to dry.

Once dry and combed out they are sprayed with Delva Spray sheen which is a human hair shine product. Silicon spray will also do.

For shows they get washed first with the washing up liquid then blue shampoo, rinsed off and towel dried then I use a mix of Curash baby powder and warm water made into a soft paste which is rubbed well into the white socks. The curash has zinc in it so protects the legs.

To help prevent mud fever feed Copper and Zinc.

 

[BonneMaman]

I read somewhere that the cat and dog flea treatment Frontline works.

 

[w1bbler]

In a similar situation I took the feathers right off (After a year of failing to get anywhere with them on) - enabled me to get treatments right into the area, got the problem sorted once & for all - now the old boy is back to having his feathers. His issue was mud fever rather than mites, but I think the issues are similar.
They will grow back eventually to their full glory & if you take them off now he will have some hair over his heels in the winter - I found that bare legs was not a good idea when the weather is really wet & windy
Also bare in mind that if he has white legs & you shave them really short he can get sunburnt (found that out the hard way)

 

[Charlir666]

Mine was clipped off soley due to itching. I had injection for mites and it cleared it. They've now grown a bit and I've decided to keep them for the winter as he has White legs. Last winter even in the thickest mud if you parted the hair it was bone dry and mud free next to the skin.
Agree if left in get rid.
If turned out keep them for protection.

 

[Miss L Toe]

I got a shampoo for mites, which worked, and I know people who used Dectomax with poor results [admittedly bad case] Shampoo was from vet, and a lot cheaper than several visits.

 

[**Vanner**]

In a similar situation I took the feathers right off (After a year of failing to get anywhere with them on) - enabled me to get treatments right into the area,

That's exactly what i have just done - my boy has to be out of work for a couple of months and so I thought opportunity to get on top of it. He has had four courses of dectomax, frontline and pig oil and sulphur but with his feathers on I just can't get rid.

My boy looked fine until you lifted his feather and now I have clipped him I can see the true extent - poor man!

I would say clip - sort out the issue and than let them grow back treating them as they should be from the outset.