To hose or not to hose?

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erica

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What is the general consensus on hosing muddy legs? My mare has black front legs but (very pretty) white socks on her back legs. I've never hosed them because I've always heard it promotes mud rash, and I brush off the dried mud the next morning. However, everyone at my new yard seems to do it when they bring their horses in, and one girl up there very kindly brings mine in for me on occasion and hoses her legs.
I don't know whether I should ask her to stop doing it, or whether she is actually following best practice?
She's bringing my mare in as a favour to me and I don't want to offend her at all, so I just want to make sure I have my facts straight.
Thanks very much.
 
If you hose off and then dry off the legs with a towel and/or use leg wraps to make sure they are dried out, then this is fine.

I used to do this with my old TB who was prone to mud fever. Wash down legs, dry them off and them wrap.

However to hose and just leave can cause problems.

I have hairies so they are oiled up and left.

If yours has always been fine being left, I would politely ask her to leave them and explain why, ie she has had no problems with being left and you would not like to ask her to have to dry them off after hosing.

I do once a week hose off feet - I like to have a good look inside and outside of the hoof without a mud coating.
 
Hundreds of years ago when I was a little girl and first got 'horsey' I was told a few absolutely definite no-nos, one of which was never to touch a horse's legs if they were wet and muddy. Leave the mud to dry and then brush off. Hosing legs in the winter makes me cringe, you cannot dry them completely and it's the same effect as you licking chapped lips . . . it makes the skin much more susceptible to problems as you are removing natural grease and oils in the coat.
 
Same as Forester!! We're of the same era and old habits die hard!!
Even my vet says leave them if they are going to be out regularly, they need all the grease in them to cope with wet muddy conditions as it is not for it to be washed out every night. As F said, how would you like chapped lips washed and scrubbed all the time - not nice or comfy IMO?
You can always bandage/wrap until the mud is dry which will help dry them off quicker and then brush out the next morning.
 
Not sure where everyone gets that they are washing their horses legs? I read it that they were hosing down wet, muddy legs? If the legs are wet already then they are hardly doing any damage to the oils and grease in the legs. Now if they were shampooing.......
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On my yard, everyone including me, hosed our horses legs down before bringing into the stables overnight. The hosed-down hair dried quicker than wet muddy legs.

Trying to get my head around the "chapped lips" connection here.....and I am of the same era-ish, LOL!
 
i hose mine, i bandage at night so i cant have dirt etc on legs that coudl cause rubbing. When i bring in from filed they have feet picked out, keep boots on from field then exercised and then after the legs are washed down and hooves pickeed out, then i can apply any creams and bandages.
 
I recently asked my vet what to do for the best and he told me to rinse the mud off, but his reasons were;

1. we have thick, clay like mud which gives a thick covering and takes for ever to dry out.
2. my horse is a TB with very little hair anyway, so the mud (and any bacteria etc.) is in direct contact with his little pink heels
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!
3. i use hemp bedding, which is v absorbent, so the water will dry off quickly.

so, now i rinse off the worst of the mud, working on the theory that it is best to get the legs dry as quickly as possible. His legs have been ok so far.
i should also say though, that the vet said if we had very light sandy mud, which dried quickly, he would tell me to leave it untill the next morning, and just brush off.:)
 
I had a my first experience of severe mud fever last year as a consequence of hosing off legs daily. My vet told me only hose off if you are prepared to dab the legs (not rub) dry. He suggested using absorbant roll to remove the excess water but not rub as if any residue mud is left behind then you are rubbing it in and then the bacteria can enter the skin. This year, I am going to resist the urge to hose and leave the mud to dry then brush off. My TB also has very fine fur but last year was the first time she had ever suffered with mud fever. If this fails I shall be investing in a couple of pairs of turnout socks.
 
If legs are wet and muddy when I bring my girl in, I hose off mud with cold water and no shampoo (they are wet anyway, so what's the difference). If they are damp and slightly muddy, I leave to dry and brush off before I leave.
 
I was always told not to hose off mud, just leave it to dry. By hosing the legs you are also rinsing off the protective grease. When my horses legs are dry I brush the mud off and put on Keratex Mudshield powder, but that's maybe only once every few days. Otherwise I just ride the horse with muddy legs.
 
Ive resisted the urge to hose. And as i have him turnout out in the morning too, his legs are muddy Mon-Friday. At the weekend they will get a good brush down, a check over and have a barrier cream applied. Probably Sudocream (nappy rash stuff) or Nettex 5 day mud away!
 
I agree with Tia - I take the view that if he's muddy and wet he might as well be clean and wet so I hose mine off, dry and apply Thermatex leg wraps. He has three white socks and came to me with a bad case of mud fever but there's been no recurrence using this regime.
 
Always hose my lad off and put Thermatex wraps or bandages on - since I've done this (and clipped his legs out) I've never had mud fever - prior to doing it he had it every winter
 
Agree with Tia - legs are already wet! So why not hose?
I don't wash [if I do I always use hibiscrub] but I do hose and leave to air dry in stable over night.

Horse can get very mild mud fever BUT if I hose her regularly it doesn't happen. Don't hose - mud fever gets nasty.

The bacteria that causes mud fever is in the mud. So best to hose it off is my view. This has worked for horses with raging mud fever too. Hose off. leave to dry. massage in udderr cream [or your preferred ungulent] taking scabs off as you go. mud fever improves.

But many will have had different experiences of course - it comes back to what suits you and your horse.
 
I dont hose, my mare has thick feathers which I think actually protect her skin. I am inclined to think that by hosing it may be possible to force the mud closer to the skin, in the same way as we are told not not turn a hose directly on a cut or graze to avoid bacteria being forced into the wound. Only my opinion, what do others think?
 
Tia said:
I read it that they were hosing down wet, muddy legs? If the legs are wet already then they are hardly doing any damage to the oils and grease in the legs.
On my yard, everyone including me, hosed our horses legs down before bringing into the stables overnight. The hosed-down hair dried quicker than wet muddy legs.

Trying to get my head around the "chapped lips" connection here.....and I am of the same era-ish, LOL!
Click to expand...
I disagree


wet muddy legs are wet but 9 times out of 10 the skin is dry only the hairs are wet and muddy air dry is better or put leg wraps on.

I dont see the point in washing their legs when they go out the next day in the mud.

Years and years of doing both ways in our survay showed horses are more likely to get chapped if u wash their legs with cold water as , I bet when you feel the legs when they are muddy wet they are warmer than the hose water. simples.

Not only that

the mud washed off would:

a, eventually block the drain
b, make more work clearing it up
c, make the yard VERY messy


we don't wash any livery horses off.
NONE have ever been chapped skin where as some in the past who insisted we did got mud fever.
 
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I always hose muddy legs, have done for 4yrs. Last one was a steel grey and never had any problems with his legs and they were sometimes hosed twice a day!! Current mare is a skewbald (all four legs are white) Iv had her a year now and the only time I ever had a problem with hosing her legs was back in October when her field was extremely wet and all her legs swelled up. We don't know for sure if it was due to the wet field/hosing as she had no other signs of mud rash etc but I'm pretty sure that was the problem!! But now shes back out in the field and gets her legs hosed everyday with no ill effects so far. But if someone asks me to bring there horse in I do ask if they want there horses legs hosed as not everyone likes there horses legs hosed :)
 
We all hose at our yard. I've never heard before that you shouldn't. My girl has one white sock but has never show any signs of mud fever.
 
I hose my boys legs, well his feet and fetlocks off because I don't want to get covered in thick mud when I pick his feet out, doesn't anyone else pick feet out when they come in?
He has suffered with mud fever in the past and I tried everything, including leaving them muddy but the only thing that worked was hosing off, (I can't see how water can force mud into the skin) putting stable chaps on overnight and then udder cream on in the morning when perfectly dry.
I have found that mud fever occurs particularly bad when the land has had cattle on it!
 
I never hose my mare's legs when she comes in - and she only gets groomed once per week if that!! She has never had any mud fever. My opinion is that, unless you know that your horse is susceptible to these skin conditions, and/or they are stood in deep mud for prolonged periods, then it's best to leave things as natural as possible. By hosing down and then rubbing with towels etc you are rubbing bacteria into the skin and any tiny cuts etc then become prime areas for the onset of mud fever itself.

I do sometimes hose hooves if they are thick in mud as it saves the bedding being covered in it! :)
 
I never hose. I have had many new liveries move in and complain their horse suffers from mud fever, so i tell them not to hose legs off (which they normally do) and hey presto no mud fever!
 
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