Hairy leg care tips please

cptrayes

cptrayes

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I've just bought my first hairy legged horse, a Clydesdale cross gelding, and I'm looking for care tips for his four white hairy legs please.

What is best for avoiding mud fever and feather mites?

All ideas gratefully received. Very stale Christmas cake or rock solid mince pie on offer :D
 
My 2 aren't that hairy (ID) but this winter I've discovered pig oil or baby oil is amazing! Wash and dry their legs, apply it at night then when they go out the following morning the mud just slides off their legs!! Needs applying a few times a week.
 
I'll be watching this thread with interest as my cobs feathers seem to have shrunk recently - they used to touch the floor all the way around his leg, and now it looks like he's wearing ankle swingers :p
 
I also have a hairy beastie - courtsey photo (just cos I love to show her off)

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I used pig oil through the summer to keep her feathers in good condition and it worked wonders however her legs are so muddy just now and I have no access to hot water (feel a bit mean washing with cold water) so havent been putting any on - not sure if there is any point in putting oil on to legs that are inches thick in mud..... they never seem to dry enough for me to brush it off either :(
 
Lucyad said:
Pig oil and sulphur is the way forward, nothing beats it. Can we have some pics please?
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He's not here yet. I've bought him unseen because he is exactly what I've been looking for but too far away to go and view for the money he cost.

We're swapping him and the money in an M1 motorway services on Monday :)

Basically, in his photos he looks like a shrunk lightweight Clydesdale :D. I could point you to his ad but somehow it feels like it might jinx things. Oh sod it, all right :D

http://www.horsemart.co.uk/hard-to-find-clydesdale-x/Horses/316732
 
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He is absolutely gorgeous! I just wondered because when my Clydesdale x TB looked to not be likely to recover from a fractured tibia a couple of months ago I thought that I would cheer myself up and look at adds for a replacement. it didn't cheer me up at all because I couldn't find one for love nor money, despite reasonable budget. I don't think they get sold on very often. Luckily my boy is making a good recovery now and is coming home at the weekend.

Hope you enjoy yours as much as I have mine.
 
Lucyad said:
He is absolutely gorgeous! I just wondered because when my Clydesdale x TB looked to not be likely to recover from a fractured tibia a couple of months ago I thought that I would cheer myself up and look at adds for a replacement. it didn't cheer me up at all because I couldn't find one for love nor money, despite reasonable budget. I don't think they get sold on very often. Luckily my boy is making a good recovery now and is coming home at the weekend.

Hope you enjoy yours as much as I have mine.
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I thought he was gorgeous too. I have been looking for months and not found one with four equal whites, and I was determined to have them!!!

He's going to be my toy boy :)

So glad to hear that yours is going to be OK
 
Looks lovely

Pig Oil and sulphur for mud, but if turned out at moment you can't get to precious about white legs, well I don't, just desperate to keep the mud fever at bay. Re mites, think the sulphur also protects against those and don't use straw, we used shaving and have just moved onto wood pellets which we love. This morning pony had lovely white socks, we went to the beach yesterday, this morning I pig oiled before turnout and tonight only mud to be seen :( oh well
 
pigoil and flowers of sulpher for the legs, once a week, every 3 months frontline for mites.
our big boy has masses of feathers and never have any problems and he lives out 24/7 sometimes sometimes deep in the mud.
best to avoid mud fever I would say is keep the feathers on and your pig oil. it's amazing how clean and dry your horses legs are underneath all the feathers!
good luck
 
Kikke said:
pigoil and flowers of sulpher for the legs, once a week, every 3 months frontline for mites.
our big boy has masses of feathers and never have any problems and he lives out 24/7 sometimes sometimes deep in the mud.
best to avoid mud fever I would say is keep the feathers on and your pig oil. it's amazing how clean and dry your horses legs are underneath all the feathers!
good luck
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Great thank you. How big a cat or dog do I pretend each leg is for the Frontline ???

And where do you put the spots of it??
 
He doesn't have much feather thankfully. He'll look very smart clipped!

Feather mites won't be a huge issue for him, which is a huge plus. They're really hard to control with very thick feather. If you're worried (or even just as a precaution) then Spot On flea treatment is easy and much less hassle than the licensed Frontline spray. Plus you can buy online. Look for a medium dog sized Fipronel pipette and if you buy non-Frontline brand, you'll get 4 in a pack (one per leg). Once mites take ahold they're almost impossible to get rid of.

He's very smart! !!
 
Congratulations, CPT, he's very nice.

PO&S looks a right mess when first applied, but after a day or so it disappears, mud will brush off easily when the legs are dry. Pig oil is a light mineral oil, similar to baby oil, the sulphur is the component more likely to cause a reaction so best to do a patch test first.

If he gets mites, the best thing I have come across is an Ivermectin sheep drench (oral wormer) you can buy a litre from your local farm store, best to say you have some sheep, wear gloves, apply it to the lower legs, knee to coronary band, work it in well. It costs about £20 and works brilliantly.

Looking forward to more pictures and updates of his progress.
 
Pig oil (I use it with sulphur to kill any bacteria - patch test it) is your very best friend !! Everyone asks me how I keep the Boy so clean, and it's simply because I slather it on every two weeks, to very dry legs, up to above his knees, and especially around his pasterns. I also use it on his mane and tail, and they are looking fantastic. :D

I wish I'd known about it for my last hairy cob.
 
Nothing to add but wanted to congratulate you - he looks fab! (Of course if you were still blogging, we would have heard about him before now...just sayin'... ;) )
 
I think he has every chance of growing into a very nice horse.

Next question is what do I buy pig oil and sulphur please, I need to get some for when he arrives.

Thanks for the feather mites tips. I have a 'farm' address so sheep ivermectin is no problem. I had no idea it would work topically, so that's a great tip. A lot cheaper than spot on flea treatment, I think.
 
Sam_J said:
Nothing to add but wanted to congratulate you - he looks fab! (Of course if you were still blogging, we would have heard about him before now...just sayin'... ;) )
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I'm testing a small horse for when I get old :D. Not totally a joke, that. He certainly has potential, don't you reckon?

Any chance he'll manage barefoot :D :D :D
 
You'll all turn his head before he even gets here :)


Still looking for a recommendation of where to buy pig oil and sulphur please.
 
Lucyad said:
Pig oil and sulphur is the way forward, nothing beats it. Can we have some pics please?
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Ohhhh, please be careful, very careful with this......... some horses can develop a dreadful reaction to this stuff. Mine did :( I took advice from very well meaning people on here and just slathered it on, only to go out later and his legs were absolutely PINK. My poor boy. Yes, some of you will say I should have patch-tested, and yes, I s should have, but didn't. And apparently this sort of reaction is not uncommon with Pig oil with the sulphur.

It is the sulphur that is the problem; it can be very caustic which is what caused the problem with mine. I have tried pig oil on its own, mixed in with some tea tree oil, and that doesn't cause any problems at all, so it WAS the sulphur.

But always, when this sort of topic comes up on here, PO & S is recommended: and I just cringe. Not criticising anybody please note: but this was what happened to MY horse when I used the stuff.

Just flagging up so people (unaware) will know.
 
MiJodsR2BlinkinTite said:
Ohhhh, please be careful, very careful with this......... some horses can develop a dreadful reaction to this stuff. Mine did :( I took advice from very well meaning people on here and just slathered it on, only to go out later and his legs were absolutely PINK. My poor boy. Yes, some of you will say I should have patch-tested, and yes, I s should have, but didn't. And apparently this sort of reaction is not uncommon with Pig oil with the sulphur.

It is the sulphur that is the problem; it can be very caustic which is what caused the problem with mine. I have tried pig oil on its own, mixed in with some tea tree oil, and that doesn't cause any problems at all, so it WAS the sulphur.

But always, when this sort of topic comes up on here, PO & S is recommended: and I just cringe. Not criticising anybody please note: but this was what happened to MY horse when I used the stuff.

Just flagging up so people (unaware) will know.
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Patch test it is. Our plain pig oil.

Still need a source please?
 
cptrayes said:
You'll all turn his head before he even gets here :)


Still looking for a recommendation of where to buy pig oil and sulphur please.
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My local tack shop does it so id ask your local one first

I got mine from http://www.totally-tack.co.uk/acata...1-litre.html?gclid=CPfa6OWv6rsCFUr4wgodiiYA_g

Take care as my friends pony had quite a bad reaction causing spilts and weeping, try one leg first small patch behind knee or something. If they have thick feathers you should be okay though as it is brill stuff.... Paint on with new paintbrush
 
I've seen it somewhere locally - either Bowlers or Shentons. Probably worth ringing them tomorrow to ask. PM me if you need the numbers.
 
I buy plain pig oil in 5 litre container from local agri shop. Costs 20 pounds plus bat. I fill old fairy bottle, start from knee/hocks down getting as close to skin as I can. I also massage in to skin on legs. I absolutely saturated around heels/fetlocks as this is where any mites may lurk. Feathers are pure white (no staining) and mud simply slides off when you ride out. I do this once a week on my heavy trad cob. Never had a problem with mites. I don't use much in summer cos worried about frying her! Good luck.
 
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