Maybe I’m a worrier, but this time of year, when the temps are still dropping overnight, I do try to pull most of the mud off before putting them to bed, so they can fluff up their coat. Coated with mud = no loft = no warmth.
Well, I guess if you have horses that might suffer by being a bit cold, it can’t hurt to groom caked mud to some extent. Although it might make a decent layer of insulation!
My two muddiest horses are also my fat ones that don’t ever wear blankets and could stand to lose a couple of pounds. I think a lot of the rolling this time of year is related to shedding, so I do try to groom to help them lose the shedding hair because they do seem to try to itch some of it off.
Not riding yet but will be next week.
His hair is a little bit curly and it just seems like the mud is really clinging to it!
That caked on mud seems to most fall off on it’s own in a few days, or become somewhat easier to brush off after a while, unless the horse keeps rolling in mud.
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He’s living in a dry lot with originally over 2 feet of wet heavy snow. And more snow and rain later that week. And more moisture in the forecast. I think muddy is the new look for awhile. Lol
I got a whole crew that lives out 24/7, on a large dry lot that is a mixture of loam and clay, with some stone-dust up by the gate areas… That clay/stone-dust mix really makes a dirtcake that is impossible to remove no matter how much you dry curry – so I feel you there! I found that hot toweling once a week, following up with this tool to break up the mud – really helps.
It’s expensive but worth it. I love mine and use it daily, even in the summer. It has some thoughtful design features that make it perfect for scrubbing those hard to get areas – including the back of the pastern, the heel bulb, and the hocks!
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Yes! I’ve never encountered mud that was so stubborn before!
I’ll was eyeballing the Strip hair at the feed store the other day. Glad to hear a good real life review!
You can use a pair of pliers to break up the dried clumps of mud sticking to tails. Nowadays I bang shorter in the winter.
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Thank you, sounds great, will try one. 
It’s good to know the mud isn’t harmful. I recently moved to TN from Florida and the mud has been driving me nuts. My gelding’s new nickname is Pigpen, because he loves to roll in the mud. Especially after I have groomed him. I was worried about it causing coat/skin issues but it appears that is not the case? I’ve been driving myself crazy trying to groom the mud off. The last time I rode though I just gave up and did the saddle/girth area and his head/behind his ears (yes, he gets mud even on and behind his ears when he rolls). His favorite thing to do is to take a FRESH roll in the mud right when I am thinking of taking him out for a ride, when there is no chance of getting the wet/sticky mud off. I do curry his legs everyday however to try and keep the clumps off. Mud has definitely been a learning curve for this previous Floridian…
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Tiger’s Tongue. $7 miracle. The little round mane brushes work well, too.
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I bought one a few days ago and it does everything as advertised. It definitely cleans down to the skin. I couldn’t believe the dirt and debris that came up after using it on my guy. Stuff the curry doesn’t get.
@Lunabear1988 there’s nothing that completely removes wet mud except a lot of water and a scraper. If I’ve got to deal with wet mud, I either just get the saddle and bridle areas or get the hose or a really wet sponge.
For dried mud that’s thick, a metal shedding blade/curry with teeth and a very stiff rubber curry with large teeth are all that work for me. I laugh at suggestions of a Tiger’s Tongue, StripHair, or even the Grooming Gloves (unless brand new with very pointy nubs). I’ve had to crush huge chunks of mud with my hands to get them out of a 4" mane (similar to the pliers suggestion for the tail). Grooming gloves and softer curries are good for legs and heads where the hair is shorter. But the mud really clumps up on the body of a horse with a full winter coat.
Good luck - my least favorite horse chore is grooming a muddy horse.
Once you get him cleanish you can consider an unlined rain sheet. Helps amazingly for mud. They will roll in it and get it filthy of course!
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This! My two wear rainsheets in mud seasons as long as it’s not too hot for blankets. I don’t have time to de-mud two horses if I’m going to ride both that day.
I also gave up on the mud coated, mud-sicle decorated, ice ball filled tails. I braid them up in the fall once the blankets go on and, apart from redoing the braid every three weeks, they stay up until the mud dries or the flies. appear.
Totally - my older horse wears a rainsheet even when he could go without and not be cold because I don’t want to be scraping off mud every day.
My younger horse is unclipped and mostly unblanketd, so I have to suffer through cleaning him to ride. Next winter I might start blanketing him and possibly a small clip so he can be clothed during mud season.
Another “once you get him clean-ish” tip: Spray him all over every day with Healthy Hair Care conditioner. It seems to help the horse resist sticky mud/stains a bit. Also, feeding a quality high-fat feed or flaxseed REALLY helps - the dirt slides out of the coat much more easily.
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Epona Flexible Glossy Groomer. I dealt with this for 19 years of pasture board at our prior barn. If he’s not dry don’t bother.
We moved several months ago and he has been luxuriating in a comfy stall with large attached run which is always open. He spends almost all of his time outside with a mountain of hay. The stall has heated waterer and a mountain of hay. Barn staff tracks the weather for appropriate blanket changes. He is 26 and recovering from significant lameness in his arthritic knee. We hand walk. One day he was working on the inside hay mountain when I started to open the stall latch. His head popped up and he was out the back door before I slid the latch far enough to open the door.
The biggest problem I have now is figuring out what to do with all that extra time on my hands. I used to contemplate taking him to the no-touch car wash but the line is usually too long.
Lol it’s funny. I’m from PA but I’m in Colorado now and it’s SO muddy now when it usually never is here. All my colorado friends and losing their marbles over the mud when this is the Pennsylvania equivalent of nothing! 
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Seriously. I just bought one and I love this thing.
