Horse with lots of feather......and winter?

[Bertolie]

My cob x clydesdale has lots of lovely feather but as this will be my first winter with a hairy legged beast can I have some management tips please?

My farrier has recommended taking all her feather off this year as he says she will be prone to mud fever. I thought lots of feather helped to protect against this? She could do with a trim as they are currently dragging on the ground but she's not the best with having her feet messed with. I love her feathers and am loathe to take them off.....how long do they take to re-grow?

Any advice or tips would be welcome

 

[webble]

Last winter I left indys on and hated it. I've trimmed them right back for this winter and he will be getting clipped. Are you planning on showing at all? If so you probably need to leave them on

 

[cornbrodolly]

Have definitely found leaving feathers ON is aprotection against mud fever- part even the wettest of hair and it ll be dry at the skin.[ I think your farrier doesnt want filthy hands from the feathers!] We live with clay soil, and now horses a re older and no longer hunted or clipped as show cobs , there is zero mud fever.

 

[Nativelover]

I'd say it depends on if you want to keep the feather or not.
Keeping the feather will help with mud fever but you can pig oil the feather to keep mites at bay and also protect the feather from the mud.
Many heavy horse folk will use it with sulphur, but I know there have been skin reactions to it.

 

[Follysmum]

We pig oil our hairy, twice a month in deep winter. Mud just slides off.

 

[Tnavas]

My Clydesdale winters out with all her feather on and never gets mudfever - despite this winter being extremely wet. Keep on hand a bottle of Nizoral shampoo and if you see any sign of Mudfever immediately wash the socks with it. Will stop mudfever in its tracks.

I don't pig oil her feathers but I do ensure that the supplements she gets contains sufficient Zinc and Copper in them as both help promote healthy skin

 

[Feathered]

I'm my experience clipping them off is the worst thing you can do mud fever wise, you're taking away their natural protection. Pig Oil every week or so and you'll be fine. If he's really heavy feathered you'll be able to see the outside can look awful caked in mud but if you dig in you'll see its nice and clean and dry before it gets to the skin.

ps if it is your farrier just wanting rid of the feather as they do get in the way, get some of those pull on bandages, I can't think of the name of them but you can get them in tesco and pull over the hoof and up the leg and they keep the feathers out the way, my farrier moans like hell otherwise.

 

[FFAQ]

I'm my experience clipping them off is the worst thing you can do mud fever wise, you're taking away their natural protection. Pig Oil every week or so and you'll be fine. If he's really heavy feathered you'll be able to see the outside can look awful caked in mud but if you dig in you'll see its nice and clean and dry before it gets to the skin.

ps if it is your farrier just wanting rid of the feather as they do get in the way, get some of those pull on bandages, I can't think of the name of them but you can get them in tesco and pull over the hoof and up the leg and they keep the feathers out the way, my farrier moans like hell otherwise.

Crumbs! You're damned if you do and damned if you don't! Speaking as an EP, feathers are a pain in the butt if the owner hasn't hosed the legs off before the trim (not always possible if you're horse is in a field with no yard). Speaking as a hairy beast owner, I too have found that the feathers do seem to ward off mud fever, but if the horse already suffers from mud fever or mites taking the feathers off makes it easier to catch the problem and treat it before it gets out of hand!

I would thoroughly recommend pig oil and sulphur - in fact I'm going to grease the boys up in a moment! However, if you do hose the legs off before your farrier visits, wait until after the visit to apply P&S - one of the first things I learnt when trimming my boys for the first time - DOH!!

 

[AdorableAlice]

Heavy horse supplies. They do a paste that is better than pig oil.

 

[Bertolie]

I have no intention of showing her and I love her feathers and would definitely prefer to keep them.

Don't think farrier suggested it to make his life easier and I use vet wrap before he gets to the yard to keep her feathers out of the way.

I admit her feathers could do with a good trim but she has issues with having her front legs picked up and held, she has to have sedation for the farrier, as a previous owner used to rope her front feet and tie them up to stop her moving about. We are working on this.

I think I will try and trim them somewhat and use pig oil and see how we go.

Thanks for the advice and suggestions

 

[katherine1975]

Leave them on and don't wash them in winter. Had my hairy cob for 6 years and no mud fever. Even in deep thick mud the feathers next to her skin are dry, I find they are protecting the skin.