Who uses baby oil on their horse?

Joanna710

Joanna710

Well-Known Member
Joined
16 May 2012
Messages
330
Location
Sunny Scotland
Visit site
And would light olive oil be any use as a substitute?

At the moment I am going through a bottle of baby oil a week to keep my horse's legs mud-free in his field. A member of another forum recommended the Royal Dick method of mud-fever prevention, which is a 50-50 blend of vinegar and baby oil. I was reluctant to mess with the formula as it works a treat (the vinegar kills off bacteria that cause mud-fever, without compromising the skin with harsh chemicals, and the baby oil stops the mud from sticking), however I was wondering if olive oil would be any use as a substitute. I think it is probably a little greasier than baby oil, and as I type this I am wondering if pig oil would do the same job... Yet as it is a natural substance I didn't think the extra greasiness would be an issue...

Thoughts?

Cheers, Jo x

P.S - Also, if I switch out the baby oil for olive oil, it won't taste quite so awful if I accidentally get the stuff in my mouth... Then again, people on the yard might start to think that I've gone mad putting salad dressing on my horse's legs!
 
Another vote for pig oil and sulphur. It's brilliant, one of mine is a very hairy Fell pony. It goes a long way and lasts ages, he comes in looking like a hippo but by the morning the mud has gone and I haven't had any problems with mud fever. Brilliant for manes and tails too.
 
I think baby oil is the same as pig oil (paraffin oil I believe) so pig oil would be better economy. I use baby oil on my haffy's mane, curious about the salad dressing on legs haha!
 
I used to use baby oil but have now switched to pig oil, and given that is just a slightly different density of the same thing it should work the same as baby oil in your salad dressing concoction!
 
You need a MINERAL oil to use for horses bodies, and VEG oil to put in their bodies.

Veg oil will go rancid quickly, and I know people say it does work, but i wouldn't risk it - it'll just rinse away anyway.

Pig Oil (with or without sulphur, which is anti-bacterial) is fab stuff.
 
mandwhy said:
I think baby oil is the same as pig oil (paraffin oil I believe) so pig oil would be better economy. I use baby oil on my haffy's mane, curious about the salad dressing on legs haha!
Click to expand...

Is it really?! Oh well, pig oil it is then!! Now I just need to work out where to buy it from :/ I'm currently using baby oil on my Friesian's mane, tail and feathers. Mud just slides off and makes his hair incredibly silky, but I'm starting to worry about how much it's costing me!

Thanks for all the replies :D x
 
Joanna710 said:
Is it really?! Oh well, pig oil it is then!! Now I just need to work out where to buy it from :/ I'm currently using baby oil on my Friesian's mane, tail and feathers. Mud just slides off and makes his hair incredibly silky, but I'm starting to worry about how much it's costing me!

Thanks for all the replies :D x
Click to expand...

Another vote for pig oil - you can get it on ebay but my local tack shop and feed shop sell it for the same price.
 
I've been using baby oil on legs for months. Then suddenly on Sunday his white hoof leg became swollen
A day later a few bits of hair fell out
Now on the other front leg a huge extremely bald patch has appeared. I could only presume it was the oil. But as so many use it and he has been fine for
Months ???!!
He is not itch or stamping so didn't think it was mites

Any ideas ?
 
Twinkle Shy said:
You need a MINERAL oil to use for horses bodies, and VEG oil to put in their bodies.

Veg oil will go rancid quickly, and I know people say it does work, but i wouldn't risk it - it'll just rinse away anyway.

Pig Oil (with or without sulphur, which is anti-bacterial) is fab stuff.
Click to expand...

I didn't even think about it going off, ta for the heads up! I've always thought baby oil was good stuff, hence why it is safe for use on babies... Just couldn't justify spending so much on it! Veggie (olive) oil seemed like a good idea as it comes in bigger bottles, but as you've pointed out it could go off.

I work at a tack shop so will get them to order in the pig oil... Probably will get the sulphur-free stuff as the vinegar does the same job and isn't so harsh :)
 
Joanna710 said:
Is it really?! Oh well, pig oil it is then!! Now I just need to work out where to buy it from :/ I'm currently using baby oil on my Friesian's mane, tail and feathers. Mud just slides off and makes his hair incredibly silky, but I'm starting to worry about how much it's costing me!

Thanks for all the replies :D x
Click to expand...

I love it for her mane, as it is so blonde people think I must spend ages faffing with it but I just oil it and the mud picks off easily when dry or even gets rinsed off by rain :-) it keeps the stains at bay too.

I think pig oil is less runny as it does make a mane get quite greasy so I find it best to wet the hair a bit first and run it through with my hands.

I tend to use baby oil as it is so freely available and my girl doesn't have feathers to worry about!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top