Standing in serious mud

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poiuytrewq

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Apart from the obvious mud fever and pulling shoes (*touch wood* neither seem a problem for me) what damage if any am i doing my horses by letting them be out in mud which is up to knee height in some places but they do have drier areas where its not as wet but still probably covering their hooves.
They are in at night solely because i dont like to leave them in it 24/7. I dont wash daily but hose off twice a week say to check legs and oil them for a bit of protection.
 
My horse has knee deep mud by his gate but only stands in it occasionally. I do worry about it but most of his field is ok, although not great. It is very wet in places.

The main thing i worry about is when they change about and could pull a tendon or something horrid x He has slight mud fever but gets it on his one foot even if he's in so i tend to almost ignore it and carry on as he is x
 
Its horrible isnt it?! and only November! mine were still all out this time last year.
I guess they will find somewhere dry if they need to, tendons i hadnt considered :-(
 
poiuytrewq said:
Apart from the obvious mud fever and pulling shoes (*touch wood* neither seem a problem for me) what damage if any am i doing my horses by letting them be out in mud which is up to knee height in some places but they do have drier areas where its not as wet but still probably covering their hooves.
They are in at night solely because i dont like to leave them in it 24/7. I dont wash daily but hose off twice a week say to check legs and oil them for a bit of protection.
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Don't feed on the drier bits or these will end up that deep too.

I hate it and couldn't wait to get mine out of their temp field when like that. I found it hard to walk slowly, jog and I'd fall over, so hate to think what horses are doing to their legs. Long as they have drier ground though, I wouldn't mind so much.

I don't know ins and outs but know my friends used to brush off the mud when dry rather than hose it because of mud fever risk. Not sure whether there is any real reasoning behind this or not though.

All mine do however cross mud that deep if they can't be bothered to go through gates between fields and pop between the hedges though and in the bog and river, so can't be too bad if they choose it, but I wouldn't like as the only option.
 
Breaks when it freezes :(

If I had mud that deep mine wouldn't be going out in it, but that is easy to say when I:

a) don't have mud (mine is frozen now) and
b) have alternative paddocks to use

I do understand fully (been there, done that) the predicament, sometimes you have no choice in the matter, it is either turn them out or find an alternative (in, or exercise in an all weather - which not everyone has access to)

When I was at a muddy yard (think rice paddy) if the horses went out I would leave their legs, never washed them down. They had straw bedding, by morning they would have dried and flaked off. A couple of times a week I put baby oil on their legs which did help.

Tails were always tied up too, I cannot abide muddy tails:mad:, either looking at them or brushing them. I can't tie tails up now because of the pasture my horses are in, so they have 'winter trims' I trim tails to just below the hocks, by Spring they have grown 4" and are right for the fly season.
 
grim.
id keep in 24/7. hand walk and hand graze twice a day or 3 times if i could pay someone to do it at lunchtime too, ride every day, loose school every day before riding for a buck and a kick and allow mutual grooming over a stable door with a chum.

harder work but worth it to avoid career ending injury if they get spooked and start hooning round in mud.

:thanksgodyetagainforsandysoilandnomud.ever:

easy for me to say given how lucky i am ground wise but i would not risk it,esp as mine suffers from cellulitis after even a microscopic scratch.
 
ewww, Im hating it!

I cant keep in as i have a weaver who gets seriously stressed out and a windsucker who just wouldnt eat and a youngster who NEEDS his free time to stay sane.
I'd love to keep them in- also its a time thing, no way can i ride,hand graze etc all 3 everyday.
I would prefer not to hose legs really but dont have time in the morning to brush so would never get to see them mud free otherwise!

scarily its probably going to get wetter yet?!
 
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