Caring for heavy horses

Which breeds this covers

This guide is for the heavy draught breeds, such as the Shire, Clydesdale and Suffolk, and for other horses with heavily feathered legs. Everything in the daily care guide applies too. This page covers what is different for these breeds.

Feathered legs: the daily check

Feather, the long hair on the lower legs, is a defining feature of most heavy breeds. The Clydesdale breed standard, for example, asks for feather that is "plentiful and silky to touch". But thick feather can hide problems. World Horse Welfare notes that dense feather traps dirt and dead skin and shelters parasites. Each day:

• part the feather and look at the skin of the lower legs and heels for scabs, sores and scurf
• watch for stamping, rubbing one leg against the other or on stable fittings, and biting or chewing at the legs. These are typical signs of itchy legs.
• note any heat, swelling or lameness, and keep the legs as clean and dry as you can

The Clydesdale Horse Society advises regular grooming to keep the skin healthy, and feeding at regular times. The society notes that Clydesdales are creatures of habit and expect their food at set times.

Feather mites (chorioptic mange)

Chorioptic mange is caused by tiny mites that live on the surface of the skin and feed on skin debris. Guidance from the University of Liverpool's equine practice explains:

• Who gets them: heavily feathered horses seem most often affected, but any horse can be. The mites mostly live on the lower legs but can spread over the body.
• Signs: the mites make the horse itchy, causing stamping, rubbing and biting at the legs, and scabby areas and small bleeding wounds on the lower leg where the horse has hurt itself. Some horses are very itchy even with few mites, and may be allergic to them. Signs are often worse in winter, when horses are stabled more.
• Life cycle: about three weeks on the horse, but the mites can survive around 70 days off the horse, in the environment.
• Why they come back: mites in the stable and on other horses often reinfect a treated horse. Getting rid of them completely may mean treating every horse on the yard at the same time, and disinfecting stables and leaving them empty for at least 70 days.
• Clipping feather can help treatments reach the skin, but on its own it is unlikely to cure the problem.

World Horse Welfare adds that other horses may carry mites without showing signs, so every horse in contact may need treating. Washes usually need repeating about 10–14 days later to catch newly hatched mites.

Mallanders and sallanders. Long-term mite infestation often leaves scurfy, dandruff-like skin. Sometimes this forms crusty patches behind the knee (mallanders) or at the front of the hock (sallanders). Once formed they are unlikely to go away, and trying to remove them may do more harm than good. Keeping them soft with an aqueous cream may help if they tend to crack.

Mud fever

Mud fever is a bacterial skin infection of the lower legs. It is most common in winter, when wet conditions soften the skin and mud damages it, letting bacteria in. The British Horse Society notes that horses with thick feather are more at risk of leg mites, and itching can break the skin and let infection in. Washing the legs often, especially without drying them, also damages the skin.

If a feathered horse gets mud fever, you may need to clip the hair carefully from the lower leg so the skin can be cleaned, dried and treated. Untreated mud fever can lead to cellulitis or lymphangitis, infections that cause swelling of the leg. Speak to your vet if you notice swelling.

Space and stabling

A big horse needs a big stable. The code of practice says every horse must be able to lie down, get up and turn around in comfort, and quotes the British Horse Society's minimum stable sizes:

Clydesdales normally stand 16–18 hh and Suffolks 15¾–17 hh, so many heavy horses need a large-horse stable. Doors should be at least 1.25 m (4 ft) wide, and the door and roof high enough for the horse to look out comfortably with its head over the door.

Feet and the farrier

Heavy horses have large feet, and need the same regular farriery as any horse: a qualified, registered farrier on average every 6–8 weeks, according to World Horse Welfare. Pick out and check the feet every day, as described in the daily care guide.

Breeding

The Clydesdale Horse Society notes that, like many rare breeds, the Clydesdale has problems with conception, abortion and the early death of newborn foals, and that research is under way. If you plan to breed from a heavy mare, involve your vet and the breed society from the start.