Making It Through The Mud: The Hard Side of Spring

It’s Spring! The hills are becoming vibrant again. The birds are back as my wake-up call. And there’s even a hint of green on the branches of our forests. The gentle April showers and the powerful thunderstorms are frequent. This all equals mud, everywhere, almost all of the time. 

Horses and mud are, unfortunately, permanent companions. Each year, as I celebrate the warmer, longer days, I also dread the muddy paddocks, slippery trails, and dirt-coated horses. But it’s part of the job. So the best thing we can do is be prepared!

Care and Cleaning

With this abundance of mud, there comes a good amount of extra tasks that are needed. Most important is keeping the horses’ hooves as clean as possible, which is quite a feat since our horses aren’t stalled. They are tromping through their paddock and pasture during their daily turnout. And they generally come back with mud-coated feet. This will sometimes fall off on its own once it dries. But if it doesn’t, I need to remove it. Sometimes I can clean the mud off with a stiff brush. But for thicker, stubborn mud coatings, I will wash it off with a hose. Then I will towel them dry.

As the horses shed their winter fur coats, they feel more itchy and want to roll on the ground to help the shedding process. But it’s muddy, so that means they stand up wearing it all over them. Once it dries, I will give them a deep grooming to remove the mud and get them all soft and clean again. This can take a while, but Dolly and Cutter especially enjoy the extra attention!

Health Measures  

This muddy, moist environment is a playground for a host of problems. So we need to be fighting against it. So our first goal is to minimize mud in the first place, through good drainage and proper placement of barns, fences, and waterers. But since horses’ hooves are small in comparison to their weight, they tend to tear up the ground where they walk. And that brings more mud. Having rubber mats by their water troughs, absorbent bedding in their stalls, and dry places to stand are great ways to keep them healthy and happy. 

Let's take a closer look at two of the most common problems that horses deal with during this muddy season.

Thrush: a bacterial infection of the frog (the soft, V-shaped part on the bottom of the foot). It thrives in dark, moist conditions. If left untreated, thrush can lead to permanent hoof damage and lameness. But if caught early, it’s easily treatable.

Preventative: Keep hooves clean and free from packed mud by picking them often.

Treatment: Keep hooves clean and dry. Daily apply thrush ointments. The essential oil, tea tree, is also an effective treatment.

Pastern dermatitis: it’s also known as "scratches" or "mud fever”. This common skin condition in horses causes swelling and scabbing with infection underneath on the lower legs, especially around the hooves. It's often triggered by prolonged exposure to wet, muddy conditions. My Dolly is very susceptible to this one!

Preventative: Keep the fur around the fetlock (the bone above the hoof) clipped short so mud doesn’t accumulate around the foot. Keep hooves and legs dry as much as possible.

Treatment: Coat sores with coconut oil to soften the scabs. Once soft, carefully pick off the scabs. (Use caution doing this, as it can be painful for the horses and cause them to act out.) Then an apply ointments such as Banaxx or MTG daily. Keep dry.

 Riding Precautions

Spring is the time to start getting our horses and ourselves back into riding on a regular basis! But with all the rain, we end up facing mushy pastures, muddy arenas, and slippery trails. So we have to be careful where and when we ride. 

 Sometimes riding in the mud will be unavoidable. And if it’s just soggy, but not terribly slippery, we can safely ride. We'll have to keep it slow and stay alert. But should we find ourselves in an area with soupy or slick mud, we need to do one of three things: find another place to ride, minimize our time out, or just skip riding for the day. If you cannot safely traverse an area, then your horse shouldn't have to work there. It can be tempting to try it; I mean, we see them out in the pasture walking around and seeming fine. But we have to account for the fact that we are adding the weight of the tack and rider, which can affect their balance. Safety with our horses should always be the top priority. The best places to ride will always be somewhere with well-drained soil and good footing.

Yes, mud can make keeping and working with horses more difficult and complicated. But I can tell you after years of muddy Springs, it's all worth it! All we need to do is be armed with knowledge, common sense, and safety. And then we can enjoy this season with horses, despite the mud!