Mud season & winter routine for horses

When autumn arrives and the paddocks turn to mud, the period that wears hardest on hooves and skin begins. With a well-planned mud routine — ten minutes a day — your horse comes out of winter as healthy as it went in. Here is the routine we follow ourselves.

Why is mud a problem?

Prolonged moisture softens both skin and hoof horn, and the constant cycling between wet and dry makes the structures brittle. At the same time, everything that breaks down horn and irritates skin thrives best in damp, oxygen-poor environments. Dry, clean and airy are therefore winter’s three most important words.

The daily ten-minute routine

1. Pick the hooves — every day, remove all packed mud, extra carefully in the frog grooves.
2. Feel along the pasterns — run your hand over them checking for bumps, crusts or heat while you are already bent down.
3. Dry wet legs — pat dry with a towel after washing or truly wet days; avoid rubbing.
4. Drying hoof routine — in wet periods: a drying hoof and frog paste in the grooves and a pH-lowering spray for a healthy hoof environment.
5. Barrier support for the skin — a caring, moisturising salve on exposed pasterns helps the skin withstand wet and dirt.

The environment tricks that halve the problem

Drain or gravel the zones where horses stand most — around gates, feeding areas and shelters. Move feeding spots regularly so the ground can recover, and make sure there is always a dry resting area. Every hour on dry ground is an hour of recovery for hooves and skin.

Watch for the warning signs

A sharp smell from the frog, black smeary material in the grooves, bumps or crusts on the pastern and small skin cracks are all early signals that the routine needs stepping up. Read more in our guides on thrush and mud fever and scratches — and for open sores, lameness or rapid worsening: contact your farrier or veterinarian.