muddy horses-how do you deal with it?!

[SarahRicoh]

Do you:
A) wash off legs then leave
B) wash off legs and dry
C) leave legs and brush off when dry
D) leave legs
E) other...

Does anyone put anything on their horses legs to try prevent mud fever (preventions better than cure ) as my boys coloured-white legs- and hopefully soon will be living out 24/7 although field isnt that bad muds unavoidable this time of year..

Does it depend on horses lifestyle as to what you do?
Eg. Atm as ponys in overnight i wash mud off and dry with towel. Once he starts to live out i guess il leave it but i dont want him getting mud fever-its awful!!

 

[LouS]

I hose legs off, I don't brush them at all when wet, then they go straight into a deep shavings bed. Never had any problems with mud fever. Legs are all clipped off.

 

[bumblelion]

To be honest I don't do much anymore and both horses are still alive! I used to brush my tbs legs off when dry and i also tried hosing one year but he used to get awful mud fever! Now, I probably brush once a week, will hose if very bad but normally just concentrate on hooves, so slightly more pleasant to pick up when picking out!! Touch wood, he doesn't get mud fever as bad as when I used to faff about! If he does get a scab, I slather in aromaheel and it soon sorts it out!

 

[SarahRicoh]

Thanks

 

[phoebe.and.bonnie]

My mare has four white legs and she always used to get mud fever when she was stabled overnight. I'd bring her in, clean and towel/hairdryer her legs, then put on a layer of Sudocrem as a barrier and bandage in the winter. She would still get some scabs under this routine.

When I moved her to a field, she was out 24/7 and I didn't have running water on site. As a result, I didn't ever wash her legs, just brushed off her legs when they were dry and checked for signs of mud fever. She hasn't had mud fever for the last three years since she's been out and I've left her legs alone.

So I would advise to leave them be! If you want to be careful about prevention, consider using a barrier such as Sudocrem applied when the legs are clean and dry - but I'd be inclined to not wash off the legs at all unless you particularly need them to be very clean!

 

[whizzer]

Rinse off with baby oil & hot water once monthly, nothing at all inbetween except to remove mud where boots go(usually by hand) Had constant bouts of mud fever when I used to hose all the time & saves me time every night as well now!

 

[Ginger Bear]

Pick feet and hose hooves only as have to paint them with Keratex to keep his shoes on.. Leave legs & brush mud off once dry.

 

[SarahRicoh]

Thanks guys.. I think.hosing does more harm.than.good!

Do you think.using a barriers worth it?

 

[SarahRicoh]

Bump

 

[MerrySherryRider]

I leave the mud too. Sometimes brush when dry and apply pig oil or Keratex Mud Shield powder just to keep white legs looking a bit cleaner and less muddy.

 

[Suby2]

My pony lives out 24/7 and likes nothing more than a roll in the mud. I just accept that in the winter she will never look white on her white bits and prefers to be a mud monster. I usually only groom her when riding and even then will only brush the mud off if it is completely dry.

 

[Dab]

Before i picked up my TB last year he had really bad mud fever (3 white socks) and he was on box rest for 6 weeks and drugs to clear it up.

With me he lives out 24/7, and am lucky in that i have very well draining land, nevertheless he was still getting scabs on his heals well into the summer months. I was worried that come the winter the mud fever would be back, but so far not a scab in sight. Since autumn i have been feeding micronised linseed and his coat is super glossy, the scabs all clearer up and we are mud fever free.

BTW, I only ever brush off his legs when they are dry, never, ever hose off. And as for the rest of the mud i make sure that he has a great rug that keeps him relatively mud free

 

[SarahRicoh]

Thanks guys. Its interesting to see what people do

 

[Toffee44]

Leave, brush off in the morning when dry. She goes into a straw bed and she has four white feet and I dont have a problem with mud fever.

 

[cob&onion]

My 3 live out 24/7.
The welsh colt has 4 white socks, i never brush them i just leave them, however i do check regular for mud fever.
My cob has white legs and very pink skin, again i leave her as she is turned away. However when she comes in next week to start work again i will put her in her straw bed then brush off the dry mud where her boots go.
The tb has black legs and tiny diagonal whites around the coronet band, again i leave or brush off when dry.
None of them have ever suffered from mud fever.

 

[LaurenBay]

I have a coloured with 2 white legs. She came to me with very bad mudfever scabs. I cleared them all up, but I am paranoid about her getting mud fever now.

She is out on clay soil, so gets very boggy and muddy! I put pig oil and sulphur on her legs. Never brush the mud off. She comes in everynight to a thick straw bed, so in the morning most of the mud has slipped of her legs due to the oil and straw.

 

[Victoria25]

Vaseline is my wonder item ... great as a barrier and great to soften scabs! I personally leave mine when they come in and brush off in morning once dry and apply vaseline before going back out in rashy areas x

 

[ossy]

Have to say I'm a hose off fan. Don't use any barriers or anything just wash with a tee tree shampoo once a week. I find if I leave the mud to dry and brush that is when I get mud fever, but hosing off has always worked for me. Plus I don't like the idea of putting her boots on to ride with really muddy legs.

 

[Winklepoker]

I hose legs up to and including knees/hocks EVERY night very thoroughly, wash his tail and remove ALL mud. OCD!!!

 

[4x4]

same as suby2

 

[OldNag]

One, a little grey, is out 24/7, obviously loves rolling in the mud, and is currently looking more skewbald than grey. We just brush off the saddle/bridle area (assuming it's dry - if her back is wet and the kids are riding, we put a Thermatex numnah on first) and leave the rest.

The other is in at night, and he usually gets his lower legs hosed off. If it's dried off though then I go for brushing rather than hosing.

 

[milesjess]

Varies...

Mine suffers mud fever on one leg but at the min it's under control and he has no scabs etc.

When it scabbed I was washing the mud off, hibi-scrubbing, drying off and putting Keretex Mud Power on if he was being turned back out. If he was staying in then sudo cream on the scabs.

At the mo as his legs are good I'll just brush the mud off if it's dry and add the powder.

If they are wet I'll just leave them to dry and brush it off.

I swear by Keretex powder though, it's brilliant. Once you treat and get rid of the scabs they don't return when you use the powder as it's a waterproof barrier powder that keeps the wet/mud off the skin. I've used the barrier creams but they just get rubbed off and dampen the leg.

It's taken me a while to find a treatment that works but using hibi scrub and Keretex really does work

As for the rest of the mud on his body I brush it off when it's dried. If it's wet I'll just leave it to dry up.

 

[coss]

it depends on the horse and the field. I used to have mud fever problems with one horse and not the other in the same field. Changed fields and neither had issues.
If there was a mud fever issue i used muddy marvels barrier cream which went onto clean dry legs - so i'd shampoo the legs to get rid of all dirt, then bandage (breathable/wicking) overnight then apply barrier cream. Repeated after 2 weeks when all the cream has basically dispersed.

 

[maggiehorse]

both my horses wear equilibrium close contact turnout boots

 

[Annagain]

I only wash legs if I need them to be clean for a lesson/ competition/hacking. Basicly if we're going to meet anyone out and about! If I'm riding in the school at home I leave them muddy. I put pig oil in tricky areas - armpits and nether regions as well as ears and around eyes so the mud will brush off more easily and not pull the skin. I would put it on their legs as well, but it's hard to come by in my area this year and I don't want to use too much!

 

[SarahRicoh]

where can you get pig oil from?

 

[ELFSBELLS]

I am a hose em down fan, our mud is very clay like and sticks terribly, both mine are hosed down when they come in for the night and wear thermatex stable wraps, I also use kerratex or muddy buddy powder, never had a problem yet.

 

[JustKickOn]

Wash off legs and remove most of the wet with a towel.

 

[VixieTrix]

On alternate days I wash legs off or gently wipe as much mud as poss with some straw, and just check his legs plenty, I put sudocreme on if i ever see a sore spot which is not too often luckily. At the weekend i usually leave them then brush the dry mud off in morning. Not much mud this year though!! xxx

 

[not_with_it]

Last year both of mine got really bad mud fever. I used to wash their legs off every night.

This year I have left my youngsters legs and put her straight in the stable. I brush off the mud when dry if I have time. She has 2 white socks and very pink heals and this year has had no mud fever.

The older one has her legs rinsed when she comes in. She wears 'bed socks' on a night or I will put boots or bandages on her to work her so her legs have to be mud free. She has had a few scabs this year but nothing too bad.

So I have come to the conclusion that leaving the legs to dry off naturally is better for them and washing them off everyday gives them mud fever.

I should also add that the older one is fully clipped out so does not have hairy legs either.