Winter 'Leg Managment' advice please!

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Rupert-the-bear

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Hi all,

After a little advice please on winter leg managment please.

My new forest gelding is prone to too soft heels and mud fever. Over the winter he is stables at night and turned out during the day in (hopefully) a field that isnt just a mud bath. My issue is due to injury he MUST wear boots when ridden (most days) so legs have to be hosed daily when he comes in from the field.

So my questions are:

What would you do r.e general preventative steps for mud fever?

Also, any suggestions for ways I can ensure the hosing won't leave him more at risk to above mentioned issues?

And anything else you may want to tell me :p

Thanks, Rupert-the-bear's mummy :D
 
I wouldn't hose his legs I would arrange his routine so he stands in his stable for long enough for his legs to dry before riding and then I'd brush the mud off. A deep straw bed will help dry the mud off.
 
Unfortunatly theres no way I can let it dry before I ride due to my very busy schedule :( Straw bed is also a very big no go, he's a very special pony :o

If I dried his legs fully after hosing would that help? Or i did think about preventing the mud but dont know what sort of boots I'd be able to turn out in :(
 
Slather legs in pig oil regularly and don't wash it off all winter (unless needed for comps).

Mud won't stick to legs very much at all so you can just wipe legs over with a towel and put boots on over without washing. Worked for me anyway :)
 
Another vote for pig oil!
Also, will your chap stand for a hairdryer (on cool setting)? My cob has full feather and I can 'show' wash his legs and get them dry in 45 mins (with a cattle blower though, hair dryer might take a bit longer)
 
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