How to deal with muddle legs

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ClareGilby

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Quite new to horse ownership and just wanted to see what others do when they come in with really mudy legs from the field. I know that washing them with a brush can brush the mud in and give mud fever, so I thought you let it dry then brush off at a later date. But then I read that this rubs the mud in as well even when dry.

I read that you need to hose it off and dry naturally. Is this best?? Not so sure what to do now. What does everybody else do??

Thanks in advance for your replies. Clare
 
I always hose them off and let them dry, and haven't had any problems with mud fever even if other horses on the yard do. I also watch out for my horses' general immune system and health, so that mud fever is prevented also from the inside, not only the outside.
 
I actually opened the thread to see what muddle legs were :D

From experience there will be as many points of view as there are people offering it.

From my own perspective I choose to either clip the legs out then wash and dry, or keep hairy and leave to dry naturally.

For the clipped ones I would hose off, so not scrubbing with an abrasive brush as the skin is soft when soaked. I may sponge with warm water once the worst is off, and pat dry with a towel.

For the not clipped ones I would keep a good eye on the condition of the skin under the hair. Using an oil to make the feathers more waterproof can help. If they come in wet and muddy then hopefully the skin is still fairly dry. Once a week I would wash, examine even more carefully, dry and re-oil.

Personally I have always clipped them and kept it all clean and dry. It is easier to spot any problems, and also keeps them looking smart.
 
do you mean before riding from the field? if so do nothing just leave them unless the mud is dry in which case brush off. if you mean before stabling for the night then I'd stable horse and put on leg wraps with a wicking lining eg thermalite ones leave on for an hour then remove. most residual mud will have been shed by the morning. a really deep straw bed helps.
 
I just leave them to dry off naturally, and only brush the dry mud off if I really need to. They really don't need to be clean every day!

Pig oil once or twice a week helps keep the worst of the mud off too.
 
everyone will have their own ways... I manage my horses in varying ways - the non-natives get clipped out so they don't have much fuzz to collect mud or keep the skin damp. I hose them off if they come in with a lot of wet mud, no scrubbing just spray with the hose nozzle and then leave to dry. As there isn't much hair, they tend to dry quickly.

The native keeps her furry heels so I just leave her be as much as possible. Brush off anything left in the morning if I'm going to ride as she is booted all round. She goes to shows and lessons regularly throughout the winter so I give her a shampoo the night before and use that time to have a good inspection of her heels, then towel dry. I use turnout boots if necessary to keep her clean after washing.

My newly retired oldie has grown a good bit of leg fluff since I last clipped her so I'm hoping I can just leave her to it. She'll be turned away in plenty of ground so hopefully won't get too muddy anyway :o
 
Mine keep all their leg fluff (though one really has none to speak of), and then I brush off when dry if I need to put boots on. I only use a rubber curry comb to brush mud off though.

If they're not being ridden I just leave them to it and do a full groom once a week to check skin and limbs in general
 
The product Muddy Buddy works well if you put a lot on, don't clean it off every night and it will last a few days
 
I leave it on and brush if dry, or hose and towel off if wet for putting on boots. 80% of the time they are left muddy as I don't really use boots unless competing or XC.
 
agree I always wash legs off. my boy wears boots in the field. he has a shaving bed so they dry off really well. never had a problem. I really think that the virus that causes mud fever is found in the soil so it really depends upon where you are
Sleipnir said:
I always hose them off and let them dry, and haven't had any problems with mud fever even if other horses on the yard do. I also watch out for my horses' general immune system and health, so that mud fever is prevented also from the inside, not only the outside.
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Unless the legs are very hairy/feathery best washing off, then towel off and leave to dry (can use drying boots or bandages - PE do some)

There is a lot of research that says the bacteria that causes mud fever cant survive if its too warm (contrary to popular belief that bacteria grow in the warm) so good results can come with washing with warm water and then towel dry and bandaging to dry off/warm up.
Some fields are worse for it than others, and it definitely prefers anaerobic conditions so clay is worse than sand even if both are waterlogged.

In all situations as you say, the key thing is not breaking the skin - NEVER brush wet legs, even if dry over vigorous brushing can break the skin, you can also get an onset of mud fever from a cut on the leg, which can spread to the other legs through the circulatory system.
 
At this time of the year the legs are left to get hairy. I never wash legs but they live out 24/7 anyway so seems pointless anyway! I would brush off the mud when dry and concentrate on having a yard that doesnt get so muddy! ;)
 
I clip their legs and hose the mud off then dry with a clean towel.

If they're unclipped or even clipped and covered in thick mud you can't really see whats going on underneath e.g. any little cuts etc.

Once a week wash them with muddy buddy and every couple of days put muddy buddy powder on dry clean legs before turning out.
 
Antw23uk said:
At this time of the year the legs are left to get hairy. I never wash legs but they live out 24/7 anyway so seems pointless anyway! I would brush off the mud when dry and concentrate on having a yard that doesnt get so muddy! ;)
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I am the same as you Ant - my mare will occasionally be kept in if we have the farrier coming or if the ground is particularly bad and their feet could do with drying out. At that point I brush her feathers off when dry and apply an antibacterial mud powder. She has never suffered with anything
 
Our fields don’t get muddy. If there’s any dirt or wetness on their legs at coming in time it soon dries off on a straw bed. I never hose legs.
 
I either spray clean legs with Canter show sheen or mane & tail or cover liberally in Gold Label mud guard a couple of times a week then leave the legs to dry overnight. As they dry, the mud falls off. Very easy way of doing it!!
 
Thank you for all your replies it's good to know I am doing ok. I leave been leaving and brushing off lightly with curry comb when dry. So far no probs. Have had her for a year now and what a learning curve. We have been very lucky 17h Irish Sport, she is quite thick set and has good strong legs but very athletic. She is mainly my teenage daughters but I ride once a week. Loving it lots. Thanks for help. Clare
 
i think it depends on the type of soil and horse.....................none of mine have feathers and my soil is sandy so dries quickly,washes off easily and doesnt tend to be very muddy in the first place..................i can normally hose off the small amount of mud and then pat dry with a towel and pop thermatex wraps on.

a hairy cob on thick clay wouldnt be able to be managed in the same way as the mud would stick, and there would be a lot more of it and the skin would stay damp for ages so i would tend to leave it and brush off when dry except for shows.
 
I have two semi-hairies. I clip their feathers most of the year but stop around October and then leave well alone for the winter, unless they are going somewhere where they need to be really smart. This has only happened twice in 12 years - both times in mid Feb so I didn't feel too bad as it wasn't too much earlier than I normally would start clipping again anyway. I clipped it jut short enough to look tidy but long enough to still offer a bit of protection, I think with the 6mm guard on my trimmers.

I only brush their legs if I have to and never when wet. If I need them clean of an evening just after they've come in, I hose their legs and towel dry as much as I can, otherwise I leave them overnight and brush the dry mud off in the morning. I don't bother for hacking or schooling at home and only do it if we have a lesson or are going somewhere where we'll be seen. We go to the beach fairly often and that's one of the best ways of getting their legs really clean!
 
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Antw23uk said:
At this time of the year the legs are left to get hairy. I never wash legs but they live out 24/7 anyway so seems pointless anyway! I would brush off the mud when dry and concentrate on having a yard that doesnt get so muddy! ;)
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I'm the same. From now until springtime, Mary will look like this, as will the other three: an ISH, a Welsh B, and a Welsh D x Gypsy Cob foal. None of them have ever had mud fever, and touch wood it will stay that way. I find that the more you interfere, the more problems you seem to have!

1NScQGw.jpg
 
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