Grooming my mud armadillo. Ideas?

[Hepsibah]

Getting ready to bring Ruby back into work would be much easier if she hadn't embraced the mud quite so literally this winter. Her long winter coat on her belly, chest and legs is all taggy and glued up with dried mud and I'm really struggling to find the right bit of kit to deal with it. I've tried curry combs (plastic, rubber and metal) magic brush. shedding blade, undercoat rake and slicker brush. Any ideas on how else I can tackle it? I'm thinking I might have to break each individual dreadlock with my fingers. Save me!

 

[Snow Falcon]

Mane and tail brush or human hairbrush. I've resorted to the mane brush for my mud caked youngster who is a hairy monster.

Then run a baby oiled brush over said animal to prevent further clogging.

 

[Northern Hare]

I wonder if pig oil sprayed on and left for a while loosen it up? Otherwise a warm bath with lots of shampoo lathered up and left to soften the dried mud. Good luck!

ETA: check your horse is not allergic to pig oil first....

 

[ChipsChaps]

I wonder if pig oil sprayed on and left for a while loosen it up? Otherwise a warm bath with lots of shampoo lathered up and left to soften the dried mud. Good luck!

ETA: check your horse is not allergic to pig oil first....

Following on from this, baby oil also works a treat. Throw a load on the offending areas (use gloves or you'll be slick!), give it a day to sit, then attack with brush of choice. Repeat as necessary, also works well on the older ones who aren't as inclined to lift their tails fully so they get their hocks.

 

[Goofus]

I start on dry crusty mud with HandsOn Grooming Gloves. They're gentle enough to really scrub away, even on legs.

 

[LadyGascoyne]

The brush @FinnishLapphund bought for me for SS does the most fantastic job on my outdoor living yaks and doesn’t hurt them at all, if they are sensitive. I call it my Swedish mud brush but maybe FL can give you a better description

 

[tda]

Mane and tail brush, sprayed with pig oil or mane and tail spray. If she's starting to shed the clumps should come out quite easiky

 

[Gloi]

Pliers for squashing mud buttons so they break up.

 

[Widgeon]

I start on dry crusty mud with HandsOn Grooming Gloves. They're gentle enough to really scrub away, even on legs.

Me too, I love these. And for dreadlocks you can just rub them between the palms of your pimply hands until they fall apart. I have a cheap knockoff pair from Amazon, I think they were about a tenner. They're great.

 

[AmyMay]

Good old fashioned cactus cloth, rubber curry comb, dandy brush and…. Go!

 

[FinnishLapphund]

The brush @FinnishLapphund bought for me for SS does the most fantastic job on my outdoor living yaks and doesn’t hurt them at all, if they are sensitive. I call it my Swedish mud brush but maybe FL can give you a better description

I think it was a Fairfield massage brush, which I found at my local Hööks horse shop, but it says on their page that they're only sold in shops, and not online.

The one I bought was black, but I've found this image of a red one

 

[TPO]

Haas curry comb works a treat, and better than anything else I've used. I then use the Haas mane & tail brush to flick the loose dirt away.

Net Tex 7 day mud away helped with a mud monster I had too.

 

[LadyGascoyne]

I think it was a Fairfield massage brush, which I found at my local Hööks horse shop, but it says on their page that they're only sold in shops, and not online.

The one I bought was black, but I've found this image of a red one

Yes this is it! I love it. I go over the whole horse and loosen the dirt and then just use a dandy brush as I normally would. It goes very deep and the seem to really like it.

 

[Auslander]

I'm clearly evil - as I'd use a hosepipe!

 

[Hepsibah]

Before and after. Each of those pointy bits is a tiny mud dreadlock as hard as rock. Chest, belly and flanks all the same. The mane and tail brush followed by a plastic curry comb, shedding blade then pinching the last few out by hand got me to the second, merely filthy picture in only two hours...

 

[Red-1]

I'm clearly evil - as I'd use a hosepipe!

I didn't know if I'd dare to admit this. Although, I would use hot soapy water first and only finish with a hosepipe!

 

[tatty_v]

Another who’d go for warm water and a lot of shampoo! Our Shetland gets this as his belly is so close to the ground. Haven’t found a grooming solution that doesn’t pull on the hair and annoy him, so warm wash it is!

 

[Hepsibah]

My two live out rugless and the only water is what runs off the roof of their shelter so not really feasible at the moment to hose them. Not that I believe Ruby would be amenable to me setting about her belly with a cold hose anyway.