Horse prone to chronic mud fever... clipped legs?

_jetset_

_jetset_

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My 7 year old mare is prone to chronic mud fever. The first winter I had her, she ended up on 6 weeks of antibiotics and suffered from lymphangitis following a bad case of it
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Last year we did not get to see any mud as she was on box rest from November... but this year we are back out (touch wood)! She is a chestnut mare with two white back legs. It was only the white legs which were affected two winters ago, one much worse than the other.

Through the summer, due to our dreadful weather, she has had the legs regularly washed with Carex (my secret, or not so secret now, weapon), thoroughly dried and there has been no sign of anything nasty. I have since moved yards, and the grooms there bring my horses in for me late lunchtime, so they are not having their legs washed off, and I am brushing the mud off when I get back. This seems to be working at the moment and is not causing any nasties either.

However, my question is whether I should clip her legs off this winter? She is quite wooly already, in medium work and is ridden most days. She is being turned out about 4 days a week from 9.45am until 2pm and the mud had dried by the time I get there so it is brushed off before bed time.

Any ideas???

Because I usually wash the legs, I have always clipped so they dry much more quickly. She does have some feathering on the legs, not sure where it has come from being WBxTB) but it is very fine in comparison with my IDxTB
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I have a similar problem, only thankfully not as bad, and have been advised to clip his legs.
As he was a dressage horse, he used to always be clipped and wearing bandages, now he's retired I thought I could get away with feathers - not so.
It does seem to be working and it means I can get to the scabs a lot easier (bad English, it's early!).
Good luck with yours, mud fever is a real problem.
 
If she's being turned out and bearing where you are (as in up North so colder!), then I would leave her legs on although you could tidy up her feathers or clip with longer 'leg' blades so that she gets natural protection from the wet and wind which are the main causes of M/F, very much like our chapped hands.

Washing weakens the skin so always allow to dry and then brush off; if necessary use leg warmers or stable bandages which will speed things up a lot. Before turnout, either apply something like udder cream or zinc & castor oil cream as a barrier but don't keep washing them off, you're half causing the problem yourself that way!
 
If I leave stuff on her legs though, she ends up getting strange lumps on her legs after ridden work as she wears boots or bandages for work every day... so if I put something on her legs it needs washing off before work
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She is such a complicated horse isn't she???
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I would usually use a zinc oxide cream like sudocream or something similar left on as a barrier when turning out. If its not possible as you say she gets lumps then when she comes in brush off any mud, get lukewarm water and clean the heels. then apply flamazine cream and leave for five to ten minutes to soften up the skin. Remove the cream after ten mins with cotton wool or soft wipes. This should help to keep the skin soft and strong and as flamazine is a sulphadiazine cream it should help to fight any infection.
Following this method of treatment is even more important if your horse is already starting to get cracked heels and small cuts.
 
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If I leave stuff on her legs though, she ends up getting strange lumps on her legs after ridden work as she wears boots or bandages for work every day... so if I put something on her legs it needs washing off before work
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She is such a complicated horse isn't she???
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Have you ever thought that her skin might get too hot in boots which are causing the lumps particularly if she has hairy legs! Boots aren't natural are they and you can't compete in them either so are they needed at all?
 
They are fine when used when the product is washed off or in summer when she does not have any products on her legs, it is just when she has some form of mud barrier on her legs then boots applied. It is fine when the legs are completely cleaned with Carex, but otherwise she gets some form of irritation
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She does need some sort of protection when being lunged, long lined and ridden because she is a big moving girl and when she gets a bit confused can get her legs in a muddle. She has been known to cut her leg with her other foot (if that makes sense) and I am trying to prevent any cuts or open skin just in case this aids the mud fever's journey
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The boots/bandages have scuff marks on, so would rather have them scuffed than her leggies
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Could you try perhaps leaving legs unclipped but just trimming slightly. Putting no products on her legs when turning out and then brushing the dry mud off before riding? I've done this with Pidge now for the past 3 winters and touch wood no sign of any mud fever despite the fact that he has 3 white legs, sensitive skin and had a huge lump of mud fever when I first got and that was the end of May! My vet advised once cleared to leave well alone and only brush the mud out when dry and it seems to have worked - oh and he nearlly always wears boots when he's ridden too
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I just get so confused... some people say leave legs on for more protection, others saw clip them off completely so that they dry quicker etc etc
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It's a complete mine field
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Thumper had mud fever last year - not as bad as Hannah's though.

My plan this year is to protect the legs as normal. But if I see the merest hint of it I will clip the legs out.
 
Ah right... thanks for clearing that up
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I don't know whether to clip them off now as she has to be fully sedated to be clipped so it is not an option to clip them off at a later date without full sedation and with the number of times she has been sedated over the past 11 months, I would like to keep it to a minimum
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Do it straight away then. My vet wants me to clip the legs off when I clip, I'm just reluctant to that's all.

I would fees the same as you about the sedation......
 
I leave his legs clipped but just trim his feathers with scissors and it seems to have worked so far. doesn't take that long for the mud to dry naturally either. I don't think you have a problem time wise drying due to the time gets brought in, so should be totally dry by the time you get there and can then be brushed out.
For the times you do need to wash legs, have you tried the thermatex leg wraps to dry the legs afterwards - no rubbing involved.
 
hi jetset i have a mare in the same situation as your horse she had chronic mud rash and developed lymphangitis and was hoping lame and on antibiotics for weeks. i used malaceb shampoo which is an antifungal shampoo give by the vet ect. i clip her legs and apply pig oil and sulpur and touch wood she has hardly had mud rash in months and has went from only been allowed out when it is frosty or dry to being out every day and you only need to put it on about once a week and it realy does work
 
they are fab aren't they
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IMO be brave and leave the legs on, trim the feathers, and brush the mud out when dry, even on white legs they come up nice and clean even without a wash, and touch wood no mud fever.
 
We leave feathers on our horses, never wash their legs and put Thermatex leg wraps on overnight. They have never had mud fever even when just about every other horse at the yard has had it.

Constant washing and drying of legs seems to me to exacerbate the problem going on the fact that we are the only ones at our yard who don't do that...
 
If her feathers are minimal I would leave them on to offer some natural protection. With Henry I have to clip him, he's half shire and inherited his Dads hairy legs! When they are clipped they tend to dry a lot quicker and it also means I can clearly see what's going on. His feather can retain water for days without ever being fully dry so for me, clipping is the only option. For your horse though, it sounds from what you have said you are doing the right thing at the moment.

Whatever you do though, don't put those dreadful turnout socks on when she's out in the field! They are a breeding ground for moisture and bacteria, yuk!
 
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