Managing the retired horse's mud fetish

[Annagain]

As you probably know, Archie is now retired. It's the first time I've had a retired one (although he was old, I lost Eb very suddenly and he was still in work) and after years of battling the mud with the hippo, I've now embraced it. He's naked, fat and filthy and I'm struggling against the urge to get him clean. I know this is entirely pointless as he'll be plastered with 45 seconds of going out again, but he does like a bit of a brush these days and I like spending the time with him. You read so much about not stripping oils out of the coat and mud providing good insulation so should I just leave him completely until the spring or give him a once over with the grooming gloves every few weeks? I will of course be checking regularly for rain scold (I've never had him out naked before so don't know how he'll cope, although I supsect he'll be fine) or cuts.

 

[AmyMay]

Get a cactus cloth mitten. That way you can go over him to remove mud, without brushing out the oils.

 

[HashRouge]

I never brush my unrugged Welsh ?

 

[poiuytrewq]

I struggling not to clip mine out fully ? it’s his first winter retired and im not used to him being such a complete and utter yeti.
I’m trying to just wiz over him with a stiff brush and get the worst every few days.... it’s tough

 

[planete]

It is worth using a rubber curry comb to knock the worst of the mud off when he is dry so you can check there are no problems lurking anywhere. It is easy to miss a cut for instance if it is not obviously bleeding and then only notice when the horse gets a fat leg. I also shorten the tail to hock level so a long muddy tail does not keep brushing against the hind legs possibly causing mud fever.

 

[PapaverFollis]

You won't remove oils with a rubber curry comb, it will probably help spread them nicely over the coat in fact. Knocking the mud off and spending time with them helps you keep an eye out for problems. I brush Little Dragon... she instantly re-coats herself but we both enjoy the brushing time.

 

[Carrottom]

I'm another who uses a rubber curry to remove the outer layer of mud. I also use my fingers to scratch away in bony and sensitive areas like armpits and top inside hind legs, no wonder my finger nails are usually disgusting ?

 

[tda]

Like others I just use plastic curry comb to get the worst off the non ridden ones, if I am bored and want to end up covered in dust ?
Don't wear lip salve ?

 

[Trouper]

You see I struggle with this "mud keeps them warm" theory. They presumably grow a long/thick coat which traps the warm air around their body to keep them warm and keep the weather out - cf sheep. Birds (I know it's feathers but humour me) spend a lot of time preening to keep their feathers in good nick to do the same job as well as the flying bit. Why wouldn't you get the dried mud off to fluff up the coat to do its job?
I agree that wholesale grooming is not a good idea but helping to keep the coat clear of dried mud must help? - plus all the other medical examination points others have raised.

 

[J&S]

I heard a theory that mud wind proofs them.

 

[PurBee]

You see I struggle with this "mud keeps them warm" theory. They presumably grow a long/thick coat which traps the warm air around their body to keep them warm and keep the weather out - cf sheep. Birds (I know it's feathers but humour me) spend a lot of time preening to keep their feathers in good nick to do the same job as well as the flying bit. Why wouldn't you get the dried mud off to fluff up the coat to do its job?
I agree that wholesale grooming is not a good idea but helping to keep the coat clear of dried mud must help? - plus all the other medical examination points others have raised.

my mare loves rolling in literal mud pits, and covers herself entirely in a thick layer, sticking all her hairs together. It takes overnight and plenty of hay to warm her up as the nightime dropping temps then cause her to shiver, as thick mud stays wet for hours and hours...
Even by the next morning ill knock off the dry and find the mud against skin still wet. Ok in mild temps but she would be shivering if windy.
So i prefer to get the mud off - if i left it, she’d recoat herself, and by the end of winter would have a many inches thick layer of mud as a coat!

 

[Lois Lame]

I heard a theory that mud wind proofs them.

Absolutely.

If I were standing in the wind, I'd enjoy a coating of dried mud.

 

[ycbm]

Why bother to remove mud that is only going to get replaced again as soon as they get turned back out if you don't want to put tack on?

 

[Annagain]

Thanks all, he loves the grooming gloves and they’re a rubbery texture so similar to a rubber curry comb. I’ll give him a going over with those every so often. Good to know a bit of a (non) brush isn’t totally banned.

 

[doodle]

I like grooming Robin. As and when he is retired I will continue grooming him. I use the pimply grooming gloves in winter which is LOVES and presents which ever body part I am required to scratch. I also find brushing tails very soothing so that is done too.

 

[Arzada]

I heard a theory that mud wind proofs them.

Yes it's nature's own rug

 

[Lady Jane]

I groom my retired horse just because we both enjoy it. I'm not getting him scrupulously clean but spending quality time with him. He is lightly rugged though as he doesn't grow much coat. My last retired horse I groomed less - if he didn't fancy it then I didn't. He was very old so could do as he pleased.

 

[SEL]

I use a metal shedding brush for the worst of it. We're on clay and it does seem to make them itchy so I try and knock it off when it's dry. I usually lose motivation around Jan and start longing for coat change!!

 

[meleeka]

I use a magic brush on my hairy natives. I don’t think it hurts to brush them if they like it and it does give you a good opportunity for a thorough check over..

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I used a metal shedding blade on the worst bits then just left the rest not worth getting it all off.

 

[Annagain]

I like grooming Robin. As and when he is retired I will continue grooming him. I use the pimply grooming gloves in winter which is LOVES and presents which ever body part I am required to scratch. I also find brushing tails very soothing so that is done too.

I get this with Archie too - before the grooming gloves, he hated being groomed to the point where I'd have to do anything under his tummy or around his back legs from as far away as I could with a very outstretched arm and be ready to move quickly. With the grooming gloves he starts rocking back and forth, and licking the wall or grooming the hay bar. All the worst areas before are now the ones he loves to have brushed, especially inside his back legs - he lifts them for me to get a better go at them. For his ears, I just hold my hand up and he rubs against it, sometimes with such force he nearly knocks me over!

 

[Not_so_brave_anymore]

I was coming on here to ask almost exactly this! What's the general consensus these days about washing off muddy legs/feet if you're chucking them straight back out into the mud? I give her a spray of pig oil once a week which was really keeping the mud at bay, but after all the rain this week we're now next level mud.

She does have a field shelter, and that's where i give her hay, so she stands on dry ground for a good few hours a day at least.

I like to give her a "fluff up" every day (because I feel like she's more likely to get rain scald if the hair is plastered down in the exact same spots always. I might be wrong?) and i pick her feet a few times a week.

 

[Annagain]

This is what I'm dealing with. I'd say this was an average to good day in terms of mud coverage. It's a good job I love him! I've taken about 6" off his tail since this.

 

[Dyllymoo]

Look how happy he is with that! J is retired and unrugged at the minute but has most of his tummy, and neck off as he was steaming and uncomfortable. he comes in like a hippo every day. I wait until morning and give a brush off the hard bits and then out he goes to roll again.

I use a pad from Smart grooming that is softer on his clipped skin and he actually lets me use it on his face. I don't manage to get everything off but its our little routine and lets me check for cuts and bites.

 

[Annagain]

Look how happy he is with that!

You know that saying "happier than a pig in $h1T" ? Everyone at my yard says "happier than an Archie in mud" instead! He's not doing too badly for a 25+ arthritic old man.
As I said, this was a good day. I've found him like this in the past.