Mud and Manure Balls in coat

Barnmother · Mar 23, 2013

So I just got a new horse, he is a little guy at 28" he is a silver buckskin colt. Problem is he was in an unusual sitation and his former Mummy was not in a situation to get him groomed etc. I have a feeling that he was kept in a mud and manure filled pen with no where to get dry as he also has some rain rot on his back. Therefore he laid in this muck and mire.

He has manure and mud balls (for lack of a better word) in his long winter coat at the stifles, belly and elbows. They can't be comfortable to him and they aren't in an area that can be groomed out with a shedding blade or curry. It is 25 degrees outside so washing isn't an option right now and I think it would take a lot of soaking to remove them.

Clipping isn't an option I don't think as they go pretty much to the skin. He is pretty skitterish so I hate to be weilding scissors around him for fear of cutting him. He is pretty timid and I don't to "hurt" him by ripping and pulling them out.

There has to be an easier way and someone out there must of already found it so there is no sense reinventing the wheel.

If i told his former owner she would be mortified as this is not how she takes care of her horses. This was a situation that was beyond her conrol until recently.

chandab · Mar 23, 2013

You might just have to try clipping and see how it goes, you'll probably have to start a little ways away from the mud clumps, so you then see what you are looking at when you get to the mud clumps. I've seen some pretty tangled/matted dogs shaved with hair knots right to the skin, it just takes a lot of time and patience to get it done safely. If these are dried mud clumps, you might be able to break them up with a pair of pliers, as long as its just hair wrapped in the mud and no skin. Good luck. Hopefully this lousy "spring" weather we are having in MT will break and you'll be able to do more for him. Do you have any friends with an indoor, heated washrack that you could use? Just an idea, then he could stay in til dry after washing up the icky areas (I wouldn't bathe all over, just hte bad spots, so there wouldn't be as much to dry).

Lewella · Mar 23, 2013

I've had a few piggies over the years who prefer to sleep in the warm poo piles or pee spots in the winter instead of the dry bedding. If he doesn't seem to be rubbing them or itching the area I would leave them alone until the hair starts to shed and they start to loosen up on their own. If you try to break them up, soak them, brush them, clip them, etc. you run the risk of irritate the skin and causing a skin infection. Unsightly poo balls are just that - unsightly, a skin infection is a whole lot more than unsightly!

shorthorsemom · Mar 23, 2013

When we bring in new first calf heifers (talking about bovine here) they often come in the first time with manure and mud balls stuck on them.
Doesnt take long with dry conditions and their hair shedding in spring for those balls to loosen and you can knock them off using a shedding blade and then in no time they are slick and gorgeous. We dont try to do anything at first as they are not trained yet and are a bit skittish, much easier to wait until they dry and loosen and then they are easily picked off. I would imagine it would work the same for horses. best wishes. PS, our heifers love to have the manure balls groomed off and it feels good if you wait and don't try it when they are tight and stuck.

Marty · Mar 23, 2013

Get some battery powered mustache clippers at the Dollar Store. They are tiny and quiet and he won't even know you are doing anything. They are only like 1/2" wide so you can take those mudballs out of there without doing him any damage. I use them for inside the ears.

Barnmother · Mar 24, 2013

Thanks for the ideas! They are pretty entwined in the hair, they are certainly dry and hard. It was 17 degrees this morning and now at noon has just made 33 so guess they will be staying there for a while. He is starting to shed so hopefully they will come out with the shedding process at this point. I have never had a horse with this problem before so a new experience for me. Will be glad when they are gone, they have to pull when he moves on his elbows anyway.

@ Lewella I can totally see a skin infection from something like this so we will be extra careful and for now just leave well enough alone.

@Marty, I have a set that I use for exactly the same thing. They make great ear and muzzle touchup clippers at shows! Trust me they would never get through this mess however. It is really a sad state of affairs.

Even in winter I have always inspected and taken care of minimal grooming on the horses to prevent problems like this. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure as my mother would always say.

He is settling in still, but will come in and out of his stall now without being bribed and is getting much better about being petted and haltered.