Muddy legs

[Follysmum]

Just wondering what people prefer Stabled horses
Do you wash off when they come in or wait till dry then remove mud.

 

[vmac66]

Wait till dry then brush off. Never wash mud of in the winter.

 

[Ranyhyn]

Come in muddy and allow to dry preferably unless I'm riding immediately where I will wash them and towel dry.

 

[Follysmum]

Wait till dry then brush off. Never wash mud of in the winter.

Same here

 

[gingergreg]

Never wash off. Huge straw bed, let it dry and voila - virtually no mud left come morning

 

[awelshandawarmblood]

He's out 24/7 now so left muddy permanently but when in every night only if he was properly stinking I'd hose him off but I'd always towel dry.

 

[dogatemysalad]

We're on heavy clay which burns like concrete. It has to be washed off daily otherwise the horses suffer from mud fever and hair loss on their legs.

 

[AdorableAlice]

The mud won’t stick if you use a smear of pig oil starting at elbow and stifle. Use a bit of sponge and simply wipe downwards to hoof.

 

[Meredith]

The mud won’t stick if you use a smear of pig oil starting at elbow and stifle. Use a bit of sponge and simply wipe downwards to hoof.

My horse’s 4 white legs are permanently pink as we have red clay. I keep the legs well coated in baby oil. I did do an allergy test. If the mud is really thick I use breathable leg wraps in the stable at night over the mud. When the wraps are taken off most of the mud comes away and the legs are dry.
This is the third winter doing this and, crosses fingers, so far no mud fever.

 

[Follysmum]

I use pig oil or baby oil for the really feathered ones and even on their manes. Works a treat 👍

 

[Petalpoos]

Brush off every morning as, as DAMY said, if I leave it for a few days then lots of the hair comes off and some skin . Never made that mistake again.

Curiously, the clay sticks like glue to my non-hairy trakehner and I have to spend ages scraping it off each morning with a circular curry comb. The mud just seems to drop off my hairyish haffie and she is pretty much clean by the morning.

 

[Esmae]

Never wash off. Huge straw bed, let it dry and voila - virtually no mud left come morning

That is what happens here.

 

[spotty_pony]

I leave and brush off but we are on thick clay so I use 7 day mud away else it just won’t come off!!

 

[Northern Hare]

I've just discovered Lincoln Pig Oil spray which creates a nice fine spray so it's easy to get a good coverage. The mud is so much easier to brush off - what's left off it! I did a patch test first as some horses can be allergic to mineral oil.

 

[claret09]

i always wash my horses legs off and have never, ever had a problem. they have always had very deep shavings beds though. having said that, i firmly believe that the spores for mud fever are in the soil and that some places are more prone to it.

 

[tallyho!]

It really depends on the horse skin condition too. Feed for skin health. You will be fine.

 

[Ossy2]

I’m a wash off and towel dry and never had a problem, in fact the only time I’ve had a problem was when they weren’t getting washed off properly. Our mud can be so thick sometimes it would take all night for it to dry.

 

[Fiona]

My guys all have plenty of hair on their legs, so I'm in the 'leave to dry' camp...

Pig oil spray sounds like a good idea though, does it stain white legs?

Fiona

 

[GoldenWillow]

I have a traditional cob and leave to dry most days but hose off with cold water every so often to have a proper check.

My guys all have plenty of hair on their legs, so I'm in the 'leave to dry' camp...

Pig oil spray sounds like a good idea though, does it stain white legs?

Fiona

I put just pig oil, not the pig oil and sulphur, on my cobs white feathers and it doesn't stain them.

 

[Fiona]

Thanks golden willow...

Fiona

 

[SEL]

My two are on a combination of wood pellets and easibed both of which dry legs really well - much better than straw I've found. I tend not to hose too often

But you don't get a pretty coloured bed after about day 3 of mud.

 

[HashRouge]

I think it can depend a bit on the horse as to what is best. 7 or 8 years ago my mare had mud rash going into winter and the vet suggested just hosing the mud off her legs when she came in at night and towel drying. I'd always been taught not to wash legs but actually, her legs healed up on this routine and she didn't get any mud rash then or the following winters on that yard.

I've sometimes wondered whether washing legs is more of an issue for horses with hairy legs. If a horse has a lot of feather, they could be covered in mud but the skin underneath the feather will be clean/dry. Whereas if you hose their legs, then the skin will get damp and take a long time to dry, making mud rash more likely. Whereas horses with no feather and fine hair will have wet, muddy skin when they come in as they have no protection, so actually hosing their legs may be the best things for them. Of course, it's not fool proof - some horses are more prone to mud rash than others, definitely.

 

[Tihama]

If mud on lower legs & feet is dry coming in I leave it - if wet I hose it off & leave to dry - we have a good bed of shavings.

My mare has only had mud fever twice - only on white leg - both times in the autumn when out 24/7 and I was away on holiday 😏

 

[Annagain]

Dare I admit that ours have very little mud on their legs - just a few splatter marks. All our gateways have hardcore in them - the mud around the gateways where the hardcore stops is about hoof deep and the rest of the field is still lovely and green - they're still only eating about 1/2 the amount of haylage overnight compared to most winters. It's been very mild and wet with us so the grass is still growing. OH had to mow the lawn at home yesterday.

 

[Cheeky Chestnut]

Rinsed off with water no soap or anything, never had an issue, the legs are wet from the mud anyway so plain cold water isn’t going to hurt lol