Mud fever and scratches are among the most common skin challenges on horse legs \u2014 especially during wet, muddy periods in autumn, winter and spring. In this guide we cover what they are, why they occur, how to spot them early and, most importantly, how to build a daily routine that gives the skin the best possible conditions.<\/p>
Mud fever is a skin irritation in the pastern area and lower leg, where the skin becomes red, tender and flaky, often forming crusts. Scratches is a more widespread variant that can creep up the cannon bone. Both occur when the natural skin barrier has been weakened \u2014 often by prolonged wet, mud and dirt \u2014 leaving the skin struggling to withstand everyday strain.<\/p>
The most common culprit is the environment: wet paddocks, muddy winter months and legs that rarely get to dry out. Horses with heavy feathering are extra exposed since moisture stays against the skin longer. Small abrasions, itching insect bites or a period of generally reduced condition can also make the skin more susceptible. Some horses, especially those with white legs and unpigmented skin, are more sensitive than others.<\/p>
Run your hand along the pastern every day when picking hooves \u2014 you will often feel small bumps or crusts before you see anything. Early signs are increased warmth, swelling, flaking, small sores or the horse reacting when you touch the area. The earlier you notice a change, the easier it is to manage.<\/p>
The key words are dry, clean and airy<\/strong>:<\/p> 1. Dry the legs<\/strong> after washing or wet paddock days \u2014 pat dry with a towel rather than rubbing. Let crusts sit until they release by themselves \u2014 picking them off hurts and opens the skin. Keep the area clean and dry, avoid wrapping damp skin, and give the skin rest. Monitor daily.<\/p> Contact your veterinarian<\/strong> if you see open or weeping sores, marked swelling, lameness, fever, or if the spread increases despite good care. Mud fever can sometimes require medical treatment, and that is always a matter for your vet.<\/p> In our skin care<\/a> range you will find mild, caring products for the daily routine \u2014 such as our gentle Propolis Shampoo bar for sensitive skin and salves that support the natural skin barrier in wet conditions. For a healthy environment around hoof and pastern, many horse owners also use pH Minus<\/a> as part of the everyday routine.<\/p> This guide is general knowledge and does not replace your veterinarian’s assessment of your horse.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Learn to spot mud fever and scratches early \u2014 and build a daily routine of dry, clean and barrier support that gives your horse’s skin the best conditions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2759,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[197],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4170","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hudvard-blogg"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/equnique.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4170","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/equnique.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/equnique.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/equnique.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/equnique.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4170"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/equnique.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4170\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/equnique.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2759"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/equnique.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/equnique.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/equnique.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
2. Wash only when needed<\/strong>, with a mild shampoo and lukewarm water. Over-washing dries out and weakens the skin barrier.
3. Trim feathering carefully<\/strong> on exposed horses so the skin dries more easily \u2014 but leave a protective layer.
4. Give the skin barrier support<\/strong> during muddy season: a caring, moisturising salve that supports the natural protective barrier helps the skin withstand wet and dirt.
5. Muck out and drain<\/strong> \u2014 the drier the ground around gates, feeding areas and shelters, the less mud against the legs.<\/p>If the skin still gets irritated<\/h2>
Caring products for the daily routine<\/h2>