Washing muddy legs?

[NiftDisy]

What is everyone’s opinions on washing muddy legs in winter?
I’m a new horse owner and my boy spends most of the day and night standing in out wet sloppy mud covering his whole feet. Up until now I’ve been brushing it off with a wet brush whenever I bring him in so I can put his cornucrescine on since he has pretty terrible feet but I’ve heard from a few people that washing his legs may increase his risk of mud fever? Wondering what everyone’s thoughts are or if there’s a better way to do it?
thanks ?

 

[SpeedyPony]

I've always stood by what I was taught years ago- that you should never wash legs in the winter, wait until they dry and then brush mud off. It's worked very well for unclipped native legs IME, not had any real trouble with mud fever etc.
But the more modern approach seems to be to wash off legs daily. I can't speak from personal experience with that method, but perhaps it works better than letting them dry muddy with clipped/less hairy legs?

 

[HappyHollyDays]

I rarely wash off legs in winter, I prefer to allow them to dry naturally overnight but realise this won’t work for a horse out 24/7. If you can provide an area which is mud free it might be a better option to washing but again not always possible.

 

[Follysmum]

I never wash mud off when they come in for bed. I use pig oil at the start of the muddy season for the really hairy feathered ones and this seems to work well

 

[SpeedyPony]

I rarely wash off legs in winter, I prefer to allow them to dry naturally overnight but realise this won’t work for a horse out 24/7. If you can provide an area which is mud free it might be a better option to washing but again not always possible.

Mine are out 24/7- IMO unless you can get them into a bed/off the mud long enough for them to dry washing will probably just drive the wet into their skin and cause problems. That said, I don't have too much of a mud problem these days, they have enough dry areas of the field to escape it.
ETA: If you can bear the scruffiness, leaving legs ungroomed before working them gives the mud a chance to dry and they can be brushed off afterwards.

 

[Petmurf]

I never wash legs, mine has lots of feathers and they‘re there for a reason so I spray pig oil and brush every couple of days but my boy is in overnight. I wouldnt wash if he was out overnight as there’s not time to dry them off.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

Mine are out 24/7- IMO unless you can get them into a bed/off the mud long enough for them to dry washing will probably just drive the wet into their skin and cause problems. That said, I don't have too much of a mud problem these days, they have enough dry areas of the field to escape it.
ETA: If you can bear the scruffiness, leaving legs ungroomed before working them gives the mud a chance to dry and they can be brushed off afterwards.

Exactly my point. Unless you can dry them off don’t wash them off.

 

[Renvers]

I hose the hoof never the legs. I let them dry and brush them off

 

[NiftDisy]

Thanks everyone, he’s a thoroughbred type with no feather at all
From now on I’m not going to wash the mud off, I will just leave it to dry up and brush it off
He did start to show some signs of mud fever coming into winter which were cleared up with protocon ointment
He’s out 24/7 and only comes in for a pamper or ride home so theres never much time for his legs to really dry before I put him out again

 

[spotty_pony]

I try not to wash unless I am going somewhere and then I dry throughly with a towel afterwards. I usually leave to dry and brush it off. I have some turnout boots for when it’s really muddy, but honestly I find pig oil on the legs and Stockholm tar based hoof oil on the hooves works just as well.

 

[Gloi]

Once the legs are clean and dry I like keratex mud shield powder.
The best thing for hooves is a good mineral supplement like the ones from Progressive Earth.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

What is everyone’s opinions on washing muddy legs in winter?
I’m a new horse owner and my boy spends most of the day and night standing in out wet sloppy mud covering his whole feet. Up until now I’ve been brushing it off with a wet brush whenever I bring him in so I can put his cornucrescine on since he has pretty terrible feet but I’ve heard from a few people that washing his legs may increase his risk of mud fever? Wondering what everyone’s thoughts are or if there’s a better way to do it?
thanks ?

I used too for liveries now I don't, not only does all that mud on the yard look a mess, the mud goes down the drainage and blocks it so the soakaway does not work. Mostly though , I won't wash my horses legs off, as normally there is so little mud on them, that brushing will remove it but I don't tend to brush it off at night, on the basic part livery as it is not included. Mine I don't bother brushing as they just go out and get muddy again. I do brush saddle and bridle off, but having wet legs on a cold day BRRRRRRRRRRRR nope.

 

[MidChristmasCrisis]

Oil dry legs and don’t wash off.Mud will dry and rub off in the morning. A wet brush is almost the worst thing to do as the bristles will push wet and mud from surface towards skin and could lead to skin problems.

 

[SOS]

It’s worth remembering that mud fever isn’t actually caused by mud. It’s caused by legs staying damp and creating a lovely moist environment and softened skin for bacteria to enter in and cause havoc. This can be caused by both wet mud on the legs and washed legs that haven’t been dried. In theory with washed legs that haven’t been dried there would be less foreign material present than muddy legs I suppose?

I’m going against the grain here though and saying with a fine skinned horse I would wash the legs, towel dry and then apply thermatex wraps whilst I finished off other chores. I would then apply a barrier cream morning and night onto clean legs. I would normally opt for talcum powder at night and a pig oil in the morning. This is what I was taught at a eventing yard when I groomed.

With natives or thicker furred horses the mud sits on top of the hair and doesn’t create such a moist environment. Where as on finer skinned horse the mud sits on the skin.

On a side note this is the first winter in a while I haven’t had a retiree or sick note out in a field all winter and never had any problems with mud fever. I let them get hairy and checked their legs but never dried or messed around with them. I do think it’s when we start trimming and clipping and bringing in legs wet-dry-wet that starts to cause these problems.

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

I rinse off with water twice a week in the evening and apply pig oil the following morning when the legs are dry. As long as there is no soap going on the legs rinsing off is no different to them splashing in puddles or the rain running down their legs.

The pig oil is fab and keeps my boys white legs mud fever free and helps with the mud. They go into the stables at night with dirty legs and by morning there is nothing on them ? stops the bog burn in the feathers as well

 

[planete]

Years ago I used to thatch my riding horse's legs with straw under stable bandages at night to help his old joints keep warm! I cannot imagine doing this now. I never washed them.

 

[First Frost]

I am in the leg washing camp and have been for the last 50 years. My horses are stabled at night in winter. I hose their legs with cold water and towel dry. Would rather they stood in with damp clean legs than wet muddy ones. It also gives me a chance to check for cuts and nicks that wouldn't be seen through mud. My horses have the backs of their legs clipped so no feather to deal with. Never had a mud fever problem.
I would not wash the legs of a horse that lived out, seems pointless if the legs aren't going to get a chance to dry.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I wouldn't wash a horses legs everyday that lived out I would just leve them and brush off what you can.

 

[MissTyc]

I only wash them for outings, or occasionally because I feel like it, in which case I always make sure I have a stash of dry towels to give them a good rub down.

 

[Fools Motto]

If they come in overnight and have to be clean for the owners they get washed off - unless they are on straw, in which case we leave alone, and find the straw helps clean. It's sometimes the only way to see little cuts. Those out 24/7 are generally not self harmers!!

 

[AFB]

I tend to just wash off for lessons, I don't/wouldn't do it daily tbh.

I use pig oil to minimise the mud so it seems to sit on the surface rather than really get in to the coat, makes for much easier brushing off when it is dry.

 

[Spot_On03]

Nope, mine comes in and gets brushed off of a morning if I need to boot up/groom. Otherwise untouched until her yearly summer bath haha!

 

[pistolpete]

If you do wash them off drying them in thermatex wraps works if stabled overnight