I hope so. He’s supposed to go in training in June. of course the trainer I was going to use just had a horrible injury so now I’m possibly looking for someone else. I just really hate to move him to just move him again. I might just have to bump it up to May though.
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I understand not wanting to have to move your horse multiple times.
Hope you find another trainer!
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Yeah–you are going to need soap and water for that. You might have to soak it a bit.
My old man got himself in a pickle a couple of years ago–basically slid down a hill and got himself cast against a fence in a mud pit, in the middle of winder, with a substantial winter coat. When all was said and done he was covered in cuts and abrasions and hardened liquid shit, not to put too fine a point on it. I used buckets of warm soapy water with betadine in it and a big sponge. He’s sensitive and kicky at the best of times, so it was an interesting dance getting it off him and mostly on to me, but I got him cleaned up in the end.
And you know, I’d be pretty pissed if I was paying someone board and they weren’t all over finding a way to keep those horses out of that mud. I’m not prissy about mud, and horses are horses, but that’s unacceptable. Stick a line of electric tape up so they stay out of it, at least.
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Yep that’s definitely the only way to get this off. Thankfully the weather is warming up.
I’m definitely not thrilled… But they are beginning to scrape out the paddocks with a tractor. There are at least 10 paddocks though so it’s not an easy/quick thing to do at this point.
Yikes… I so do not miss the mud! When I lived on the east coast where it was super muddy I would only ever use the hard plastic curry combs. The rubber ones and grooming mits wouldn’t do jack.
Ugh that’s pretty bad. I have a few muddy spots like that but only at gates, and while they might walk through it, they don’t stand in it.
I might clip that horse and blanket it. Obviously getting him clean enough to clip isn’t going to be easy or fun, but after that it might be better.
Yep I think that’s the plan. Only option I think I have.
I have started using a paddle brush for almost all my currying on my mare, muddy or not. It is easier and more comfortable for me to use and she absolutely loves a good curry with it - she makes the most ridiculous faces, especially during shedding season. It’s great for breaking up pre-ride mud, post-ride sweat marks, etc. My new favorite multi-tool.
Post-mud curry we also frequently use a vacuum.
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I have a mare who is prone to getting skin infections if she is left crusted muddy for too long. I have no idea what it is about her that makes this so, but it’s true. If I don’t knock the mud off her (she lives outside and gets the winter off post fox hunting season) a couple of times a week it gets really nasty really fast.
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Just curious…where are you in the world?
In my neck of the woods (central NY) the only way to keep horses out of the mud this time of year is to not turn them out. Even with drainage measures, the soil is mostly clay and when the snowpack melts, there is mud. Often DEEP mud. It would never occur to me to be mad at a barn owner for a muddy paddock–there is really nothing they can do about it here.
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This elicited a large gasp from me. I would so look into moving.
Well it definitely depends on how much of a paddock looks like that. I agree that if the horse had no other place to stand but knee deep mud - and this lasted more than a couple of days OR if it was a rare instance, it is bad.
But - if they have to walk through this once to get in/out of a gate, that’s very different. When you read all those posts about mud control around gates - it’s because they look like this. This is normal in NY during spring/fall. Small paddocks might look like this for a long time in NY without mud control though. That’s why a lot of places have limited turnout, too.
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It’s mostly dry not except a small part near the gate/water. Definitely nothing like before though! The back half of the paddock was always much more dry. It’s just that the horses like to hang out by the front of the paddock more… Of course.
I’m still trying to get his girth area clean. I scrubbed it with soap during a bath And it helped but it is not clean. I kind of think I’m just going to have to shave it. everywhere else he’s generally clean now since it’s not muddy anymore. it’s just certain parts of him that really got stuck with mud/manure/clay are so ridiculously stuck. And it hurts to try and get it off of him. Poor thing. But it is improving.
Your tolerance for mud will change depending on the region you live in.
I agree that photo isn’t ideal but that’s exactly what the heavily congregated areas of most NE paddocks look like in fall and spring, especially towards the gates and especially if it is a small dry lot that sees a lot of traffic. The ground dries out in a few weeks – until it rains for a full week again.
In NE, the top layer of soil will thaw out during warm spells, while inches below grade is still frozen – essentially leaving “standing water” that can’t percolate or go anywhere – hence mud.
The only way to avoid the mud is to not turn them out, or, completely remove the topsoil and lay down a grid + stonedust/gravel which is not cheap. Even then, water will pool in those areas too and high traffic areas will still get muddy.
They don’t say that New England’s only season is “mud season” for nothing! My paddocks aren’t fairing much better towards the lower elevation spots either.
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I live in sandy Florida. No mud season. Does the mud smell bad?
We get hellacious mud out here in western WA. Last summer, after living for 20 years with boot sucking, shoe removing mud paddocks 9 months out of the year, I installed 3 mud free paddocks. It was costly but worth every penny.
The horse I have boarded, it’s another story. The barn he’s at has numerous paddocks but only a few have been renovated for mud free. When I first came in they stuck him in this super muddy cattle pen that when it rained, he’d be standing in water. I insisted they move him, which they did to a slightly less muddy paddock.
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Not to my nose…at least not outside.
I feel like my horses that live out do tend to smell worse this time of year when they get sweated up than the one that lives in does and that might be a function of the manure mixed in with the mud, I suppose.
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I almost left in tears today. I just want to ride my horse but the matted crud on his girth area was rediculous. Never in my life could I imagine it being so impossible.
But I had a breakthrough. White vinegar. It helps soften/break it down. I was able to peel off most of it with my fingers. It was tedious but I think the saga is over. I still have a professional groom coming on Friday though (she offered.)
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The groom had to come out twice (partly because he was very sensitive.It was very stuck to his skin and pulled on his hair and hurt.) We finally got it all off.
Of course next week is predicting rain and snow. I’m going to try and blanket him as preemptively as I can. And I might go out and do some cleaning of the paddocks myself. It will be a huge task but it needs to get done somehow. I think that will help things not get so bad…
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@Lunabear1988, just writing to say I’m glad you made that progress, and kudos to you for giving your horse such great care.
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