When it comes to mud fever prevention is the way forward. Once you are aware that your horse is prone to it there are many ways you can help to prevent it. Firstly it is very important to understand that it is not caused ONLY by mud. It is thought that the continual washing of legs and then not thoroughly drying them also contributes. Mud fever is caused by a bacteria that sits harmlessly on the skin, entering inside the body. This occurs anywhere there is skin damage, and constantly wet legs are much more prone to being damaged as the skin is weaker and softer from the water.

The best prevention for mud fever is keeping the legs dry. If possible section off the muddy parts of the turnout to prevent horses standing in deep mud. If your horse lives out all year round try and create a dry area they come on / in to every day for a few hours to allow the legs to fully dry.

If you have a hairy horse the feathers can offer protection from the mud and water, however they can also exacerbate mud fever because it is so hard to fully dry them, they do also make it much harder to see any mud fever in the early stages. If you do have a heavily feathered horse make sure the feathers are regularly dried and skin is thoroughly checked.

If you are hosing the legs off after turnout and exercise daily make sure the legs are thoroughly dried each time. You can pop a set of stable wraps on after washing to help the legs dry, or you can gently rub the legs with a towel. If your horse allows it using a hair drier is a fantastic way to dry the legs. These methods are all quite time consuming and labour intensive though.

If your horse is coming in for the night you can just put them in the stable with out washing the legs and allow the mud etc to dry naturally before gently brushing it off, to speed up the drying you can pop stable wraps over the muddy legs, and remove once dry and again gently brush the mud off.

Once the legs are clean and fully dry applying a barrier cream is a very good way of stopping the mud from getting to the skin, there are many different types of cream available on the market and it is all down to personal preference. We have a fantastic one available: Nacrimud made from natural ingredients, it helps to form a protective barrier whilst nourishing the skin. You simply coat clean dry legs with it and leave. Any mud can be gently brushed off once dry and the cream slathered on twice a week. It is a very easy to use low maintenance way to help prevent mud fever.

The key is to keep the legs as dry as possible.

What is mud fever?

A skin infection primarily caused by a bacteria that thrives in wet and muddy conditions. It causes the skin to become inflamed, red, cracked and scabby. The affected area can also ooze and is commonly very itchy.

Mud fever can also be known as greasy heels, or cracked heals, it can also occur on other parts of the body such as the back, where it is more commonly know as Rain Scald.

The infection can lay dormant in the horses skin and become active when the skin is damaged allowing the bacteria to penetrate into the skin causing an active infection and an acute inflammatory reaction.

Causes of mud fever

• Skin exposed to Prolonged damp and mild conditions.
• Standing in deep mud or soiled bedding for long periods of time
• Excessive washing of limbs without fully drying them afterwards
• Excessive sweating under rugs or tack
• Rugs being left on constantly 24/7
• Damage to the skin through rubbing from overreach boots, incorrectly fitted bandages, chaffing from artificial surfaces,over-enthusiastic grooming, overreaching etc
• A poor immune system, usually secondary to some other health problems
• White limbs or patches on the body possibly due to an associated photo-sensitisation issue
• Fungal infections

Symptoms of mud fever

• Stamping of legs due to itching
• Sticky, matted areas of hair covering crusty scabs
• Beneath the scabs are areas of oozing, ulcerated skin.
• Thick, creamy, white, yellow or greenish discharge  between the skin and overlying scab
• Cracks in the skin and heels – hence the term cracked heels
• Skin looks sore and inflamed
• A change in the horses behaviour around the affected area
• Heat, swelling and pain in the affected leg
• Possible lameness

Mud fever treatment

The skin needs to be kept clean and dry, which usually involves box rest until the mud fever has cleared up completly.

The scabs need to be removed so the treatment cream can get to the skin and bacteria underneath. Removing the scabs can be extremely painful for the horse and also needs to be done carefully to avoid further trauma to the skin. Depending on how painful it is for the horse you may need to get the vet out to sedate whilst the scabs are removed.

You can soak the scabs off using a warm poultice, make sure you only leave it on for a short time – not overnight. Holding a warm sponge over the scabs can help to soften them too, then gently rub the loosened skin off – avoid picking/pulling the scabs off as this will cause trauma to the surrounding skin.

There are also mud fever treatment available on the market that will help with the removal of the scabs and the treatment of the mud fever. We have a really good cream. The GDB cream is packed full of natural ingredients that work with the horses skin to gently exfoliate off the scabs, whilst forming a protective barrier that allows the skin to breath, and also promotes cell regeneration and hair growth to speed up healing time. You can see more details here.

Once the area is free from scabs, it should be washed using a mild disinfectant or a medicated shampoo. Again be gentle with the washing process and do not scrub the area, as we are trying to void further damaging the fragile skin.Make sure the area is extremely well rinsed.

The area must be thoroughly dried – this is vital. You can blot/pat dry using kitchen roll or clean towels. If your horse will permit it using a hair drier is a great way to thoroughly dry the hair and skin.

Once the coat and skin are thoroughly dry you can apply a treatment cream. Before applying the cream make 100% sure the area is dry. The treatment creams create a barrier over the skin, so if you apply the cream whilst the skin is wet it will lock the water in and cause further damage to the skin. The GDB cream is formulated to treat mud fever and has natural ingredients to help promote cell regeneration and hair regrowth. We highly recommend it to help with the treatment of mud fever.

Although mud fever is very treatable there is a chance your horse will get it again. Once you know your horse is susceptible to mud fever prevention is the best course of action. We have another blog all about How to prevent Mud Fever

Mud fever can be hard to treat and may take weeks to fully heal. You will probably need to repeat this treatment process a few times. Depending on the severity of the mud fever your horse may need antibiotics or anti-inflammatories . This will be decided by your vet, who should always assess your horse first before any treatment commences. Not only to determine the best course of treatment, but also to confirm what it is you are treating, as there are other skin conditions that can look very similar to mud fever, but require a completely different approach and treatment programme.

Always seek your vets advise before commencing any treatment programme for your horse.

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Stable yards use up hundreds of gallons of water everyday, from drinking water to watering the school to bathing horses, and that is before we consider things like washing buckets, cleaning tack, washing lorries, scrubbing hooves and washing out stables. That all adds up to a lot of water. Now some of these things we have to do for our horses welfare so we cannot cut them out completely, however there are loads of ways we can save water on the yard. Read on for some ideas

1. Fit water butts to all drain pipes, this will catch run off water which can then be reused for watering the school.
2. Check all tap and automatic water drinkers, including the ones in the fields, to make sure there are no leaks. If you do find any leaks get them fixed.
3. Switch from buckets to automatic drinkers. When we use buckets, how many of us tip away a full bucket of water that has got got dust or bedding in it? If we are doing this everyday for a few horses, that adds up to a lot of water wasted. If you do need buckets, look at other ways of using the water. For example pour it into a big water butt which is then used to water the school, use the water to soak hay and scrub out feed buckets or washing legs and hooves. When you do pour the bucket away pour it onto the school, if you pour each bucket in a different place you will cover a fair area of the school.
4. Look at switching from soaking hay to steaming hay and then use any left over water on the school. If you do have to have to soak hay again use the left over water to water the school.
5. When bathing your horse do it using buckets rather than the hose. Although time consuming and a lot more effort, it will save a lot of water.
6. Washing muddy legs and hooves off, consider if you really need to do this. Could you leave the horses legs to dry naturally and then brush off the mud? If you do have to wash them off again use a bucket and a scrubbing brush, rather than the hose. If you have fitted water butts around the yard water from one of these is perfect for this job, or use water from stable buckets that needs changing.
7. Washing saddlecloths, boots and bandages. Do you need to wash them every time you use them, or can you leave them to dry and get another go before washing?
8. Rug washing – send all your rugs off together to a rug wash, They can put them through on one cycle, whereas if you do it at home you will only fit one rug in your machine at a time and that will mean a few cycles, to get all the rugs washed.
9. Cold hosing legs – if you have to do this regularly look into the possibility of using cold water therapy or ice boots instead. Switching over could save hundreds of litres of water. If you are cold hosing for medical reasons be sure to get your vets advice before using the boots.
10. scrubbing out feed buckets – use left over water from stable buckets that needed emptying, or if you have automatic drinkers and want to clean them, scoop the water out and use it to scrub feed buckets. When one bucket is done pour the water from it, in to the next feed bucket and so on, until the buckets are clean.

If you can think up more easy changes you can make to save water, please share them with us.

We have put together a list of a few essentials to keep on yout transport to help you out in emergency situations.

First aid kit human – good items to include are:

• plasters
• painkillers
• ice pack
• arnica cream
• sterile cleansing wipes
• scissors
• saline solution
• gauze
• bandages
• insect bite cream
• Gloves
• tweezers
• thermometer
• eye wash

First aid kit Equine

• Vet Wrap
• Salt
• bucket
• Scissors
• Poultice
• Gamgee
• Bandages
• Thermometer
• Wound Spray
• Hibi Scrub
• Cotton Wool
• Heavy Duty Tape
• Nappy
• Small Bowl
• Syringe
• Hoof Pick

You can buy prepacked first aid kits from chemists and supermarkets and your local tack shop as well as online retailers.

I like to keep these first aid kits in my lorry/trailer all the time, so i know they are there when i need them. There are a few other essentials that i like to keep in the transport too, these are things that i will probably need at the show, but are easy to forget to pack. They include:

shampoo – for stains acquired during travel

Spare head collar and lead rope – in case the current one gets broken or goes missing

bucket – for water or carrying tings is and using as a mounting block

torch – for stay away shows

Spare batteries – for the torch

treats – in case you need to bribe the horse

lunge line – a variety of uses, including lunging, loading and leading

Sun cream – for you and the horse on hot days

hair bands – they always go missing

baling twine – can be used in pretty much any situation for any purpose

I have a big bucket that i put everything in, including the first aid kits, and then i am fully prepared if i have any emergencies. If you have more room on your transport you could look at keeping things like spare girths, hats, boots etc in there too. However i do find that most shows do have one or two trade stands you can purchase forgotten items from (although it is an expensive way of doing it) or most other competitors are willing to lend you things – just make sure you give them back. 🙂