Mud Fever

What is mud fever?


Mud fever, also known as scratches or pastern dermatitis, is a group of diseases of horses causing irritation and dermatitis in the lower limbs of horses. Horses with feathers are often more likely to get mud fever. Mud fever is often caused by a mixture of bacteria, typically Dermatophilus congolensis, and Staphylococcus spp, mud fever can also be caused by fungal organisms (dermatophytes).

Mud fever affects most horses and ponies during winter and early spring. Resulting in painful sores and scabs, which in severe cases can make a horse lame. Mud fever most commonly affects the pastern and heel area but can also affect the upper leg, the belly, and in some cases the neck area (also known as Rain Scald). Non-pigmented skin tends to be more severely affected.



How do you treat it:


It is almost an entire religion, how to deal with mud fever.
Many horses react differently to products so it is pretty much random what works from horse to horse.

However, here are some general advice and resources you can use.

First of all you should always contact your vet and take their advice, of course.

1) Daily wash with disinfecting shampoo. The shampoo I use can be purchased at the pharmacy and is called "Medi scrub". It often takes the worst and treats a little of everything.










 

2) Then there is "Sebacil", you have to get it by a prescription. It is a sure winner for me, however it is very toxic and I recommend it only used as a last resort.

3) Something that is very popular among Irish Cob/Gypsy Vanner owners are Pigoil, which can be bought in England at http://www.sussexcobs.co.uk/pigoilandsulphur.htm. Pigoil, I have really good experience with. However, it is just a little expensive and inconvenient if you stand in DK and need it right here and now.

4) I have heard ordinary oil can also be used as protection.

5) Organic honey, I have also heard can be used. Honey contains some things that kills a lot of bacteria.









Eliminate predisposing factors

One of the most important factors in successfully treating scratches is moving the horse to a clean and dry environment.

Use paddock and pasture rotation and fences to keep horses from standing in wet and muddy ground for long periods of time.

Keep the horse stall in the barn clean and dry.
Avoid using leg wraps, tack items or devices that could increase moisture retention.

Spring is finally on its way

Finally, we had two lovely sunny and warm days here in Denmark. It has been a wet, cold and very long winter, so I hope this weather continues for a while. I have struggled a lot with mud fever.
I've been struggling a lot with both Victor and Giga, mustly Victor, the wet weather makes it almost impossible to keep all germs away.

Fortunately, they come in every night, so their hair on the legs can dry overnight. So we really need a little break from the wet and deep mud.

I can really see that they both enjoy the warmer weather. I see the energy flows in them. I can see Victor has been very active in the paddock and doing everything possible to get some fun started :-)

Horse Vision

Good memories from Horse Vision. I was 1.5 weeks internship at Christofer Dahlgren and his wife Rebecca Dahlgren. It was some extremely educational days and I got many revelations. I dream of being able to take Giga there to be in a intense weekend or week training. But right now I ain't got the mony for that. 

It was a life great experience and I thank them from the bottom of my heart that they were so good to me. These are two extremely talented people, their team is absolutely fantastic. I have only praise for the entire HorseVison.

Their website is worth a look.

http://www.horse-vision.se/se

Morning Coffee?

Most of you probably know the feeling if you don't get your coffee in the morning the rest of your day is more or less destroyed.

A thought occurred to me, wondering if our horses have it likewise. Not exactly right with coffee, but concerning their morning hay?
I have noticed that if Victor and Giga are not allowed to go out in the morning and get their hay, they both show a tendency to be easily annoyed or mad.

I know horses are very habit bound. So when you switch a daily routine, you will most often get a negative outcome. Some horses are certainly more sensitive than others. Horses that don't have a very regular routine is probably not nearly as affected as mine are for example. They are used to every morning at 9:00 to come out. And if I only come a rare morning then their routine is kind of ruined and they both get confused and annoyed.


I've been experimented a little. No hay = very low performance through the entire riding session, it actually feels like I've ruined their day completely. So I tried another method, I let them come out, but I only give them 10-15 minutes eating time. Although they only get between 10-15 minutes eating time, it still changes their behavior completely. I can easily go get them from the field, the horses are much more relaxed and happy. Additionally, I have not noticed problems during training. So I have come to the conclusion that my horses just need their hay in the morning  like the majority of the population must have their coffee in the morning.

Rose hip for horses, did you know?

Did you know that Rose hip have a high natural content of natural, powerful antioxidants, vitamin C, beta-carotene and bioflavonoids. Recommended for stress (eks. Competition horses), breeding horses, old horses, or horses with low immune system. Vitamin C promotes the absorption of iron and is therefore relevant to blood ratio. Antioxidants are also able to neutralize free radicals and thereby counteract the negative effects of hard training, competition or race. Works also supportive of joint function.

So it benefits a lot for both people and horses.

After I began adding pure rose hip powder to Victors food (every morning and evening), I've seen major progress with Victor's health and his stiff hindleg.

You can feed them both raw, dried and powdered. My plan is for this summer to pick a lot of them and freeze a large portion so I can feed them relatively fresh for next winter. I think if you have a fussy horse is powder probably the best solution, but I know for sure both my horses eats everything, so I think I can easily feed them whole :-)

Not so picture perfekt

... We all got those days ...

Liberty Still Going Strong

I'm still going strong with the bitless riding. I've come quite far with both Giga and Victor.
Victor has always been easier to ride in a Cordeo due his temperament and gentle mind. His stop signal has always been quite fine, sometimes almost too well trained. While Gigas stop signal has always been hard to get completely trained. However, she has become extremely obedient without a bridle. There is actually a big difference whether I ride her in a Cordeo or with a regular bridle. However, we are not quite ready yet to ride in Caordeo outside a closed fence, but I hope that we this summer can achieve it.