# Washing muddy legs off from the field.. yes or no?



## Dusty85 (21 February 2015)

Hi all, 

They say that you're always learning and I just wanted to ask you all something, Im wondering whether I've been doing the wrong thing for many years!

I have always hosed my horses legs off after bringing them in from the field. I hate them having thick wet mud on their legs (we have clay soil here) overnight, and I thought I was being good and avoiding mud fever. Its hosed using cold water. I don't tend to dry them afterwards. I do apply pig oil/sulphur in the mornings, on to dry heels. My mare has her fetlocks trimmed, so there isn't much feather there (WBxTB). 

Ive never had a horse thats had mud fever. 

However a good friend and I keep our mares together- her mare has had mud fever before. She said that the vet told her not to hose the legs down and to let the mud dry overnight, then just brush it off- the theory being that the mud just sits onto of the hair and doesn't get down to the skin. 

Our gateway is quite muddy at the moment, so they are tending to come in with sticky mud all over their hooves and lower legs. 

Have I been doing it wrong? I can see both sides of the argument. I dried them off with an old towel this evening to get rid of the worst of the damp. Im a bit of a clean freak and I don't really like the idea of her having horrible muddy feet all night long! 

Thanks- what do you all do?


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## be positive (21 February 2015)

I have done both and generally find the finer types with little or no feather are best hosed off properly every night, the mud tends to stick round their pasterns and under the fetlock which is where the mud fever takes hold usually. 
This year the only one with any mud fever is a tb that was out at night coming in each day for a few weeks and I did not wash off the mud, it was still wet at turning out time 6-7 hours later which cannot be great, so he swapped to in at night and is now washed off, it has recovered with little intervention.
I think those with plenty of feather may be best left as the wet does not get through to the skin but if they do get mud fever it is very difficult to treat with full feathers.

I have also found over the years that they will sometimes suffer from mud fever the first winter and never get it again, whether this is down to management, diet or general resistance to the bacteria that causes it I am not sure, possibly a combination, rubbing wet muddy legs with a towel is probably almost the worst thing you can do as it will irritate the skin and rub the mud and damp further in.

I would wash and dry the worst if she was one of mine.


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## ILuvCowparsely (21 February 2015)

Dusty85 said:



			Hi all, 

They say that you're always learning and I just wanted to ask you all something, Im wondering whether I've been doing the wrong thing for many years!

I have always hosed my horses legs off after bringing them in from the field. I hate them having thick wet mud on their legs (we have clay soil here) overnight, and I thought I was being good and avoiding mud fever. Its hosed using cold water. I don't tend to dry them afterwards. I do apply pig oil/sulphur in the mornings, on to dry heels. My mare has her fetlocks trimmed, so there isn't much feather there (WBxTB). 

Ive never had a horse thats had mud fever. 

However a good friend and I keep our mares together- her mare has had mud fever before. She said that the vet told her not to hose the legs down and to let the mud dry overnight, then just brush it off- the theory being that the mud just sits onto of the hair and doesn't get down to the skin. 

Our gateway is quite muddy at the moment, so they are tending to come in with sticky mud all over their hooves and lower legs. 

Have I been doing it wrong? I can see both sides of the argument. I dried them off with an old towel this evening to get rid of the worst of the damp. Im a bit of a clean freak and I don't really like the idea of her having horrible muddy feet all night long! 

Thanks- what do you all do?
		
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I won't wash my boys legs off when coming in from the field, no point as he goes straight back out into the mud in the morning.  I wont get his legs wet just for the sake of it, as IMO it chaps the skin and makes it more prone to cracking.   The ONLY time I wash in the winter is if there is an injury, no mud fever as a result of leaving it.

 He is a Qh x thin legs very little feathers at all, he has survived 13 years of no washing and not getting mud fever so I am not going to start wetting legs just for the sake of it or because it is the said thing to do.


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## splashgirl45 (21 February 2015)

I have done both and prefer to hose off with cold water so I can check for injuries, swellings etc....have only had mud fever with one horse and she was one who I didn't hose off(we didn't have running water!!) and the vet told me to clip her legs and wash them each night , dry them and apply his special cream..it worked and from then on I kept her legs clipped,( but not very close, ) and she never got it again..so I think do whatever suits your horse..


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## Cinnamontoast (21 February 2015)

My very feathered h/w cob is just oiled, lots, brushed through as much as he'll tolerate so despite heavy mud, nothing sticks. I don't need to hose, therefore.


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## honetpot (21 February 2015)

Definitely not, why create work  and potentially a problem. Most times when you part the hair the skin is dry and the mud is surface most noticeable on greys, by hosing you are actually pushing the soil down to the skin, and washing out the protective oils and leaving  the skin more susceptible to bacteria.


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## BlackRider (22 February 2015)

the times mine got mud fever where when they were on yards where they had their legs hosed.  

When they've been left so it dries and I brush it off, they've been fine.


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## luckyoldme (22 February 2015)

mine lives out with three others, coming in for a morning feed and check every day. We ve never hosed and never had mud fever.
If you have hosed and oiled with no problems then obviously that works for you ... If it works and you are happy with it why change?


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## applecart14 (22 February 2015)

Mine used to come in at three pm and I just used to ask the staff to chuck him in the stable.  By the time I'd get to the yard after work about half five his legs would be dry so I would just brush off the mud with a body brush.  It was much better than repeated washing of his legs.  This washing legs all the time I think predisposes horses to mud fever more easily.


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## NinjaPony (22 February 2015)

I hose my two's legs off when they come in because otherwise I can't put their leg wraps on at night- one has arthritis and the other is prone to legs filling. So, I wash off, then put their thermatex leg wraps on. This dries their legs off nicely, and touch wood, I haven't had any mud fever issues this year. I wouldn't want to leave them with wet legs all night though.


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## Tiddlypom (22 February 2015)

If you do decide to wash the legs, then I can thoroughly recommend popping a set of thermatex leg wraps on immediately afterwards. No prior towel drying or rubbing necessary, or in fact desirable. The wraps wick the moisture away without abrading the skin, and can be left on all night if necessary.

I tend to take them off after a couple of hours, and they will be heavy with moisture but the legs are left warm and nearly dry.

This works both for the hairy HW maxicob and for the girls, who have much finer legs and feather.

ETA Just seen NinjaPony's post re the Thermatex wraps, snap!


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## Dusty85 (22 February 2015)

Thanks all. 

Hosing seems to have worked for me in the past, but I suppose I may have just been lucky. I had always thought I was doing the right thing, so I wanted to check. 

I guess ill either just stop rinsing them off and brush off in the mornings, or invest in some leg wraps!


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## Midlifecrisis (22 February 2015)

Im in the no wash legs camp...


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## diamonddogs (22 February 2015)

I've never washed a leg in my life (most of my horses have had light feather, but current one has a bit more than I'm used to) and have never experienced mud fever.


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## Boulty (22 February 2015)

If your horse has never had mud fever from this management then it sounds like it is working for your horse at the moment.  In my personal experience I had more problems with mud fever when I trimmed and hosed my horses legs so now I let the feather grow and leave well alone which works for me. I do know someone at my yard who must hose and dry her horses legs and then wrap them otherwise he gets both mud fever and filled legs so it's a case of finding what works for your horse I think


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## twiggy2 (22 February 2015)

Midlifecrisis said:



			Im in the no wash legs camp...
		
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me too


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## tallyho! (22 February 2015)

Having had to deal with MF.... never would hose a leg now, unless it was on fire.


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## Nudibranch (22 February 2015)

Towel off the worst mud if you must, apply talc then leave to dry.


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## Goldenstar (22 February 2015)

Always hose and dry I also have thermatex wraps ( I wash them in dilute hibiscrub).
Experience has taught me that's what works best for us .


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## ILuvCowparsely (23 February 2015)

NinjaPony said:



			I hose my two's legs off when they come in because otherwise I can't put their leg wraps on at night- one has arthritis and the other is prone to legs filling. So, I wash off, then put their thermatex leg wraps on. This dries their legs off nicely, and touch wood, I haven't had any mud fever issues this year. I wouldn't want to leave them with wet legs all night though.
		
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 but Thermatex wraps are designed to dry the legs so you could put them on or ask y/o to put them on when they come in then when you come they are dry enough to brush off.


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## ILuvCowparsely (23 February 2015)

In the 70's there were two arguments for this.



1. leaving feathers on  - 

a)    makes the water drip of the ends and not soak through to the skin
b)    if standing in mud for periods of times makes legs take longer to dry and can hide MF]
c)   makes the legs wet in cold weather and take as long to dry washed as un washed.




2.  Trimming the feathers -

a)     makes the legs dry off quicker  and MF seen quicker
b) no protection from the feathers means the skin  is in very close contact with the bacteria and dampness when standing in mud and horses are more prone to MF because of this the skin is open to the elements and dries out.
c)   cold water on trimmed legs  makes them dry out and makes the skin crack unless you put lubrication on 


Personally I wont wash my horses' legs off every day only to go back out the next day, they come in at 4 and by the time it comes to any of them being ridden the legs are dry enough to brush and put boots on.  If not being ridden I put the wraps on which are designed to dry legs out, I don't take them off later I leave them on till morning.  When they come off and fields boots on  there is only pure dust left on the legs so the boots go on.

 The time you soak the legs and wash them - they dry just as long or longer than if left with wraps on.

The result is None of my livery owners want their horses legs soaked night after night after night.  When by the time they come up at 6.30 the horses legs are dry enough to brush any mud off.

Hair serves to keep the skin protected from most of the sunlight and moisture. The longer hair around the ergot serves to help direct water off the leg, instead of running down the back of the pastern and heel bulbs. Obviously though, wet enough conditions get the leg wet to the skin, and then all the hair serves to keep the skin wet longer

If you clip legs, you allow the skin to get wet more often, usually combining that with more exposure to sunlight, both of which can be catalysts for scratches to develop, though it's easier to dry.


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## ihatework (23 February 2015)

I don't think there is a right/wrong answer it really depends on the horse and their sensitivity / prevalence of the bacteria in the soil.

I have generally been pretty mud fever free for my time with horses. I haven't tended to hose of legs routinely every day, just feet - but then the majority of my time has been in areas with no clay!!

I generally think the more you hide the more likely you are to soften the skin and expose it to the bacteria. That said if you have a very prone one even without hosing, it would make sense to keep very clean and inspect daily / catch early.


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## Thriller (23 February 2015)

No no no never.


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## Montyforever (23 February 2015)

Never used to, had no problems.
Have done since moving to current yard (year and a half ago) still no problems! 
I think so long as you go at it with an all or nothing attitude you cant go far wrong. Out of all the horses on the yard we have two with mud fever. One appaloosa (very sensitive skinned) who has legs washed every night and one warm blood who never really has her legs washed thoroughly.


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## applecart14 (24 February 2015)

HGA-12 said:



			but Thermatex wraps are designed to dry the legs so you could put them on or ask y/o to put them on when they come in then when you come they are dry enough to brush off.
		
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We had to pay a £1 to have boots taken off/or put on at one of the yards I was at.  Right rip off especially as Bails boots were for health reasons.


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## applecart14 (24 February 2015)

ihatework said:



			I don't think there is a right/wrong answer it really depends on the horse and their sensitivity / prevalence of the bacteria in the soil.
.
		
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^ Agree with this


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## mightymammoth (25 February 2015)

I rinse the thick of the mud off quickly with a hose, i then towel dry and appy keratex mud guard before leaving him in overnight. If he wasn't muddy I wouldn't rinse his legs and would just do the powder.

I also wouldn't rinse them if we weren't treating mud fever (now gone thanks to the keratex). I have to rinse then as I cant apply the powder if he has 6 inches of mud on his fetlocks.


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## HashRouge (25 February 2015)

Agree with those who have said there probably isn't a right or a wrong answer - depends on the horse and the soil. I'd definitely say that when a horse has a lot of feather anyway, then washing probably isn't the best idea because the chances are that the feather has kept the skin underneath clean and dry, so no point hosing legs and risking water getting through, as that will just create problems where there aren't any. However, if you have a fine haired horse who is standing in deep mud at the gateway waiting to come in, then their skin will already be wet, so if you hose the mud off you shouldn't be causing more damage BUT I would always dry the legs as thoroughly as you can, because you don't want the skin to get chapped, as that then gives the bacteria easier entry to the skin and can lead to mud fever.

The most important thing is to do what works for your horse. If your horse doesn't have mud fever, don't change your routine just because someone else tells you that washing/ not washing legs will lead to mud fever. You will always find people who swear that one way works and one way causes mud fever, but I firmly believe it depends on the horse and also where you keep them. I used to keep my horse on a yard where she would be stood in deep mud at the gateway waiting to come in and she got mud fever when I didn't wash her legs, but it healed up when I hosed the mud off and towel dried her legs. Now she lives out and her legs are usually muddy as they have a muddy gateway to get through from one field into another and mud around the field shelter, but she is never standing in it, just walks through it, so her legs get muddy but are soon dry again, rather than being exposed to the wet for long periods of time. She doesn't have mud fever, but I think it's the conditions, rather than whether or not I wash her legs, that makes the difference.


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## ThoroughbredStar (25 February 2015)

ihatework said:



			I don't think there is a right/wrong answer it really depends on the horse and their sensitivity / prevalence of the bacteria in the soil.
		
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Another who agrees with this, however................

I NEVER (albeit on a desperate occasion with damn good reason) bring my horses in and leave mud on them anywhere! Legs are washed and scrubbed free of any mud and grit up to the hock/knees if needed. I can't bear mud and I can't bear to see muddy stabled horses! Mine go out everyday and are groomed daily, regardless of the mud they face the next day. Call me a mud fearful freak!

Our soils seem to contain a fair bit of bacteria so those that don't hose off tend to find their horses get MF and not a very pleasant strain of it!


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## stencilface (25 February 2015)

NinjaPony said:



			I hose my two's legs off when they come in because otherwise I can't put their leg wraps on at night- one has arthritis and the other is prone to legs filling. So, I wash off, then put their thermatex leg wraps on. This dries their legs off nicely, and touch wood, I haven't had any mud fever issues this year. I wouldn't want to leave them with wet legs all night though.
		
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Can I ask why you are still stabling if one horse has arthirtis and the others legs fill?  Surely turnout 24/7 would be best all round, I understand that might not be possible, but it seems it would save you a lot of faff if it was!

I hose mine off if I'm going somewhere the next day, with a grey I need the cleanest base possible to work from, otherwise I leave him happy in his hippo state.


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## Mister Ted (30 March 2015)

Maybe your vet has not tried brushing off encrusted mud the next day.It is very difficult to remove and very time consuming especially trying to remove chunks of it entangled in the leg hair.I have always hosed it out before coming in and drying off with an absorbent towel,not had any problems.


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## Yellow_Ducky (31 March 2015)

When my horse was at previous yard I was in the hose camp as he would often be covered up to his knees in mud. I would wash and dry at night, couldn't bear to leave him in that state all night. He didn't end up with MF so worked for us. I now have moved and no longer suffer that much mud so I just do a weekly wash for mite prevention, but if I did again I would go for hose and quick dry wraps. Also to the poster who said they where charged a £1 to get boots on/off.... it is a STEAL at that price and nothing compared to dealing with MF. I am all about the prevention of issues!


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## wench (31 March 2015)

I have had several tb/finer types. Three of them have lived out, and only one of them has had a bit of mud fever. Never have constantly been washing legs either, due to them being out.

However what I have done is to apply "anti-mud" products a couple of times a week, and this has worked out to be a suitable alternative. I used to use one made by IV horse, but have switched over to pig oil and sulpher. If the legs have been very muddy on a day I intend to apply said product, I would either have brushed off if mud dry, or hosed off legs if no time for mud to dry.


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## 9tails (31 March 2015)

I have never washed mud off my horse's legs.  Her legs are white stockings and it brushes off the next morning.  I wash her properly with shampoo maybe once every 2 years.  She gets covered in far worse mud when we go hacking.


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## mytwofriends (2 April 2015)

Mine live out 24/7/365, so obviously they don't get hosed off. Even last winter when it rained non-stop and the field was muddy (only muddy in places as we're lucky we're on a hill and it drained well), we had no mud fever in sight. Same this year.

I used to be on a livery yard where people faffed with their horses' legs, washing, clipping feathers, applying Sudocreme etc., and they had mud fever for the majority of the time. I didn't partake in such activities and left my boys alone, and the only time one had mud fever was when my old boy had several unusual (for him) symptoms which ended up being Cushings. 

I think less is more, to a certain degree.


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## tallyho! (2 April 2015)

mytwofriends said:



			Mine live out 24/7/365, so obviously they don't get hosed off. Even last winter when it rained non-stop and the field was muddy (only muddy in places as we're lucky we're on a hill and it drained well), we had no mud fever in sight. Same this year.

I used to be on a livery yard where people faffed with their horses' legs, washing, clipping feathers, applying Sudocreme etc., and they had mud fever for the majority of the time. I didn't partake in such activities and left my boys alone, and the only time one had mud fever was when my old boy had several unusual (for him) symptoms which ended up being Cushings. 

I think less is more, to a certain degree.
		
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Yes and unfortunately those people will perhaps be feeding a delectable selection of expensive feedstuffs which exacerbate the problem but they would never believe it if you told them.


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## saddlesore (3 April 2015)

If my horse is in at night then I always hose the legs off. Perhaps it's colder and damper here on the west coast of Scotland but with the coating of mud ours bring in and the weather such as it is, you'd be waiting a good 24 hours + for muddy legs to dry!


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## muckypony (3 April 2015)

I have always hosed legs off and ponies have always had a touch of mud fever. 

This winter I had to get someone to catch in for me and their legs weren't washed and they have no sign of mud fever!! I think that's good enough proof for me so I shan't be washing legs off in future!


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## twiggy2 (3 April 2015)

applecart14 said:



			We had to pay a £1 to have boots taken off/or put on at one of the yards I was at.  Right rip off especially as Bails boots were for health reasons.
		
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I think that is a fair charge-the fact it is for health reasons has nothing to do with the charge or i would not earn anything out of rehab and caring for sick and injured horses.


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## milesjess (3 April 2015)

Have you tried keratex mud powder - it acts as a barrier from the mud and keeps legs dry. I found it very good in the winter.


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## FfionWinnie (3 April 2015)

9tails said:



			I have never washed mud off my horse's legs.  Her legs are white stockings and it brushes off the next morning.  I wash her properly with shampoo maybe once every 2 years.  She gets covered in far worse mud when we go hacking.
		
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Same here. Would only wash for a show and I've never had mud fever in any horse I've owned. One I bought with mud fever and completely cured her despite living out while I owned her.


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