How to groom wet, muddy ponies!

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billylula

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Our new boy LOVES the mud. Despite being turned out with a full neck rug on he manages to grind the mud absolutely everywhere. I've never seen anything like it. Daughter had a rally this morning and we had to wash him quickly and he didn't dry in time and basically looked a mess. We are converting our field shelter into a small stable in a month or so but does anyone have any tips to keep him less muddy? He needs a ninja style full neck bodysuit :D

I washed him this morning with soapflakes and warm water, it didn't seem to do much good to be honest. He has a very curly coat also which maybe cushings...he's 20, the water just made it worse he ended up looking like a lamb :rolleyes:
 
Proper horse shampoo may do a better job than soap flakes, but to be honest if he was mine I'd do the best I could without washing & if he was muddy so be it. In my opinion it's too cold to be washing an unclipped hairy pony who'll take hours to dry.
 
Far too cold to wash an old hairy pony, can you not give him a bib clip, and he may be rolling in the mud as his hot and uncomfortable with all that coat, being overly hot is also a symptom of cushings or metabolic problems so I would get him tested if this is what you suspect as his very prone to getting laminitis if he is.
 
If he has a full coat does he really need a big thick rug with a hood? Mine is 22 and has cushings and I don't clip or rug her even though she works five days a week. I said I'd clip if she sweated more than just under her saddle and rug when she got cold and so far neither has happened. I don't think it's fair to rug to try to keep them clean.
The best thing to do to keep hairy ponies clean is to feed for a really healthy coat that repels mud - micronised linseed is brilliant and is also very good for their feet. Then coat manes and tails, legs and feathers with a liberal coating of pig oil once a week so that the mud just slides off once you start grooming. You can get a cloth and wipe a thin coat of pig oil everywhere else that mud sticks - I like to put a little on the withers and face (but I don't have a problem with my saddle slipping, if you do I would rethink that). I also use it belly and girth area.
You then need a hairbrush for the mane, a hoof pick and a REALLY stiff dandy brush. I never use a plastic curry comb on the coat.
I give my pony a full groom every single day apart from brushing her tail out because I don't like to break the hairs. She lives out 24 hours and hasn't seen a rug since I put her fly sheet away. I also work full time 7am to at least 5pm and sometimes later - grooming is not a big deal if you do it the way I said. The only time she doesn't get a full groom is if she comes in wet - in that case I do her head with baby wipes for the bridle area, her girth area is usually dry so I can brush it and I put a thick numnah on and ride - her coat is like a bear so she hasn't rubbed. She is so sensitive to girth galls that I wouldn't ride if I couldn't get mud off her girth area. If I needed her clean for a lesson then I would bring her in an hour early to dry in the stable.
 
I would clip as much as you dare off, and then brush a layer of mineral/pig oil a couple of times a week onto the legs, belly, thighs & flanks to prevent the mud sticking so badly. Having his hair off will help you to wash him clean if you need to and you can rug/cover more surface area to prevent excessive muddy make up.

I was faced with a hairy, absolutely filthy (mud inside ears filthy) horse on Saturday morning when I was due to be at a jumping clinic. It was no fun - I did get the hose out for all parts below the waist.
 
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