Horses loving out and MF and chapped heals?

Spyda

Well-Known Member
Joined
30 October 2005
Messages
5,148
Location
U.K.
Visit site
My 2 year old is very happily living out in a giant, well drained, field with 2 other youngsters on a 24/7 basis.

I've been bringing her in every other day or so, to dry her lower legs off and apply a good application of Pig oil. She's a WBxTB so has no feather to speak of.

Dispite this, when I brought her in today I could see the skin under the white hair around her pasterns was looking really red and sore, and there were a couple of small black-scabby patches indicating the start of MF in her heel fur.

She's in tonight to have the scabs softened under a thick layer of Aromaheel, but what else can I do to prevent her skin becoming so chapped and sore?

She's only 2 and well fed and rugged, so it's a shame to have to keep her in when she's got the opportunity to live out this winter. I just wondered how people without stables manage their horse's legs when it's wet for long periods in winter?
 
dont know if this might help every 2nd day i slap a huge layer of tescos own brand nappy rash cream on my yearlings heals and then the vegetable oil on top i put the oil on every day i never wash his legs just stick it all on top this is what i have always done and i find its a great preventitive and cheap to. x
 
My TBxHanno also lives out. I try not to brush the mud off his legs too often or wash his legs off. I put baby oil on daily which tends to help. Sudocream is also a good 'barrier' for the skin.
 
I use Keratex mud shield powder which is very good - and not too expensive either
grin.gif
 
I use udder cream, yes, the stuff you put on cows teeties!! It works fab! The best thing to do is keep her out of the mud/wet and keep the area clean and dry. Or restrict the time she is standing out in the yuck.
 
Mine got MF last year (they were stabled at night) but since moving to a field (they are out 24/7 on 5 acres) they havent got it as yet. There is mud near the gate ways and field shelter and when I see them their lower legs are either wet from the grass or covered slightly in mud but they havent got sores yet and I don't think they will. I don't touch their legs.

If they were to get it though I would use sudocrem and pig oil their legs when I got the chance.
 
To be honest, it's not actually all that muddy. I'm VERY fortunate. She's out with the YO's yougsters so benefits from the best fields and is moved regularly to fresh pasture.

The filly's legs are very clean when she comes in. The field is large and well drained, plus there's hard standing around the gate entrance and around the troughs. I think her chapped skin is simply from being persistently damp and cold. She's always been prone to MF, so the tiny patches she has ATM are actually excellent consider the vile wet weather we've had over the past month or so.

I'm sure I bought a couple of giant tubs of Sudocrem at the end of last winter. I'll have to dig them out. I guess I'd hoped the Pig Oil treatment applied 3 times a week would be enough to protect her, but obviously not
frown.gif
 
Top