Mud - What to do about it

[TheLT]

Big discussions at my yard:
Not for any particular medical reasons but generally after a hunt, hack or just from the field what to do about the mud?
Cold hose?
Cold hose then scrub with brush or sponge and Hibiscrub?
Leave it to dry and then brush?
Do nothing and forget all about it?
Brush the wet mud out/in?
Towel dry the mud?

 

[JoBo]

With Blackie (who has massive feathers) we wash it of with warm water and then Hibiscrub. He was quite itchy when he first came to us but seems but better since we have been doing this. However we don’t do this every day just every few days.

With Bodey he is left with muddy feathers and he isn’t brave enough to let me wash them off yet but we are working on it.

 

[madhector]

always hose, but i never scrub with brush as i find this can sometimes irritate the skin if there is mud left on it, as it rubs the mud against the skin, especially on white areas

 

[Theresa_F]

For my boys who have a lot of feather I just oil them up and leave them.

If really caked up, will rinse off the ends with a little cold water but avoid getting any water on the skin itself.

With my TB - if again really caked, would hose off and dry with an old towel and if cold, apply leg wraps. If not too bad, just left it and brushed off when dry.

Washing legs constently can cause more problems that it cures.

 

[GinaGem]

Gem (being grey) is a pain to keep mud free. I tend to vary between sponging off the mud with a bucket of water (if i want her white) or brushing off the dry mud (if i don't mind her being a clay orange/brown colour!).

 

[JoBo]

Hey little sis!

Don’t forget you will be helping me get the mud of Bodey’s legs when the we can get to them, he, he!

Gem does seem to have a great nack of getting mud in places you didn’t think mud could get!

 

[sevenoceans]

Usually i am away from yard when hunting I take big water container of hot water (with rug wrapped around it and by the end of hunt the water would have be tepidish and have a warm rug) I just sponge wash whole thing down and put rug on with straw stuffed in. he would be warm and dry by the time he gets home then i do proper checks again for injuries etc. dry brush rest off of what's left.
If hunt is local, I wash him down with hose (depending on how cold it is) let him roll in the stable and put rug on with straw in it. It's up to individual person/horse.

 

[Gentle_Warrior]

I leave it and brush off when dry, getting the sking wet will only iritate and bring on mud fever. The feathers prevent the mud getting to the skin (hopefully) but there are, i know, people who believe that shaving feathers off prevent mud fever and others who think the feathers help prevent it. I pursonally believe that feathers on larger horses are there fore a reason, first thing i done when i brought my horse was let his feathers grow back and, touch wood, did not suffer last year or so far this year.

 

[Happytohack]

Allow mud to dry and then brush off. Have discovered Net tex's 7 day mud away this year and it is awesome!!!!

Clean legs, neck, mane, tail as thoroughly as possible, then spray. When mud dries, it just falls off - no more caked dreadlocks.

 

[Llwyncwn]

My farrier has always told me never to hose or wash off, just leave until dry and brush off.

 

[PoppyPony]

leave to dry then brush off, no mud fever yet

 

[Baggybreeches]

Leave to dry and then brush off. Never had any problems yet.

 

[shadowboy]

I tend to leave it to dry then brush off, unless it is really really caked on then i would just cold hose off.

 

[piebaldsparkle]

Cold hose off if thick wet mud, if just damp I leave to dry, then brush off.

 

[Macha]

I have always been told to wash and dry thoroughly then apply a barrier cream

 

[Chex]

I just leave it. I don't even brush it off, he just goes out the next day and get filthy again! His front legs are different though, persistent mud fever in both - I never hose, but wash with hibiscrub and then towel dry. I do this in the morning though, if I wash them at night they're really gunky by the morning (if the vet didn't keep telling me it was mud fever, I wouldn't think it was!)

 

[WelshRareBit]

I am the same as Chex, I leave Murphy muddy most of the time. The only time I have ever washed his legs off was when the farrier was coming. Then I sponged them down and towel dried them off.

 

[vicm2509]

I normally leave them and brush it off but he gets a good scrub with hibiscrb twice a week and loads of oil applied the following morning before he goes out. He had really bad mud fever when I bought him last april but so far this year he has none so my method seems to be working

 

[lisan]

Just wash her hooves, leave the rest to dry and brush it off. she wears one boot on her white sock because of previous mud fever!

 

[dwi]

Nothing - leave it well alone

Her feathers seem to protect her skin, if I washed it all off her legs would get wet and there would be much more chance of problems

 

[kick_On]

in my experience:
Mud fever is a baterica which lives in the ground and if you want to lessen the risk of infection, Don't wash
But if you need to, you have to make sure that you dry off very well
So normally, I never wash off and if i do (after hunting) i wash with anti baterical wash then rub dry with towels and then use hair dryer.
Otherwise i spend my winter brushing off a fine dust of mud!!!! that why i wear a woolly hat from Sept through to May!!!

 

[Christmas_Kate]

If it comes in from T/O with wet mud I've always found that putting a breatheable fleece on with soft straw under dries them off and keep them warm. By the time the straw's fallen out they're dry and you can brush off the mud. I have a round metal curry comb thingy (shedder) which my ex YO recommended, and they're fab for getting dry mud off.
As regards legs, after hunting I was always told to cold hose legs (and scrub...though i've never scrubbed...always seemed like an invitatio for problems), then put on stable bandages with soft straw under. But when they come in from the field with wet legs I just towel it dry gently. I'm always wary of ading water to mud on legs.

 

[madgirl]

leave to dry then wash off!