Mud Fever

The thick, glutinous Cornish mud… I’m sure we could write patriotic songs about it but at the moment, it’s a nightmare!

It makes it doubly important to check your horses’ feet - shoes get sucked off and the wet can easy set up thrush, which in this damp weather often needs aggressive treatment.

Mud fever can be really difficult to manage. Unfortunately, the only cure is to remove the horse from the mud (or vice versa).

However, you can minimise the risk by applying a barrier cream to the pasterns (zinc and castor oil baby cream is quite good, but any aqueous cream should do) and by allowing them some dry standing for at least 8 hours a day, so their skin can completely dry out.