MUD FEVER: you're not setting up camp here...
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| ...it's muddy and wet... |
Let's take a deep breath and make a plan to stop this horrible affliction once and for all for our horses. Mud fever, it's not nice. Anyone whose horse has had it will tell you, its a long drawn out process to get rid of. Painful. Awkward. Nasty and time-consuming. Often needing veterinary help to clear. and even the most patient and calm horse might hate you afterward, and that in itself is heartbreaking.
So, lets try and keep it away with some preventative measures...and I mean UDDER CREAM! Also good for your hands in this weather, mine are soft after use: key beauty message, just because it comes in a small tube with a £Million advertising budget, doesn't mean its better than udder cream....suspect the name (and colour), puts people off!
We all want our horses fit, sound and well, to see them charging about like this is a sure sign they feel good in themselves.
...so, when the boys were having their breakfasts yesterday morning, I took this as an opportunity, their dry feet was a sign. I brushed all around their pasterns, bulbs, fetlocks, clearing away all dirt and dust to the skin. Rubbing with my fingers to feel if there were any little cuts or scrapes, that could potentially let infection in, and satisfied there weren't, I continued my plan.
Tom & Henry have never had such clean feet!
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| ...you're not putting any of that pink stuff on me! |
Then I got my giant tub of Udder Cream out, it's bubblegum pink and not at all a shade that boys should be wearing! With my fingers, rubbed it all around the areas of their 'ankles': from coronet up to the fetlock, getting it right down to the skin, any areas that are likely to get wet.
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| ...me either! I'm watching you |
If you do this, you MUST be certain your horses skin is completely dry and clean, otherwise you'll just be trapping nasties next to their body.
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| ...what's she got there in that giant tub Henry? Don't know, but it's bloody pink! |
So with pink feet, out they went, and every time I capture them with dry feet, whilst the land is so muddy and wet, I'll repeat this process. Not only will it perform a barrier between horse and bacteria carrying mud, but will afford me the intimate knowledge of my horses 'ankles' so I'll know if there's a break in the skin which could let infection in, and deal with it!
Remember snow is how Henry got Mud fever last winter, the abrasive nature of what looks like innocuously soft snow to us, actually has a sandpaper effect. So rub udder cream on before turn out, because you have to let horses play in the snow!!
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| I'm trying to be cool Henz, but my bloody feet are pink! I feel you Tombiz, lets just eat hay and hope no girls see us! |
...good luck everyone xx
