Grooming Your Horse's Fetlocks and Feathers

The Benefits of Trimming Feathers

• Clipped legs are easier to clean and keep clean, and you can certainly feel and look for swelling, scabs, and ticks more easily.

• You can leave some hair in the winter or rainy season to guide the water away from the heels.

• However, during wet weather, you have an increased chance of developing scratches (read more about that condition here), and keeping fetlocks and feathers long can delay discovery and inhibit the healing process.

Feather mites

• Feather mites are a type of mange, like you might see in dogs, and primarily affect feathered breeds. These mites are microscopic invaders called Chorioptes equi.

• Mites live on the skin, using feathers as a shield, and when they are not on a horse, straw bedding and shavings make an excellent home. As the mites bite your horse, this irritates the skin, causing serum to leak. This yellowish drainage will form scabs and will often create itchiness.

• You may see stomping, biting of the legs, and other attempts for relief. Unfortunately, the damaged skin can also develop secondary skin infections, leading to swelling and lameness. You may also see swollen, wrinkled skin.

• Your vet can diagnose mites and prescribe your horse a targeted treatment plan, which may include topical medications. Clipping the feathers makes application and healing easier.

This article has more information about feather mites in horses.

Chronic Progressive Lymphedema (CPL)

• CPL in horses is more likely in feathered breeds, and is a degenerative disease where the lower legs swell and develop thicker skin and nodules. It’s related to elastin problems in the skin and includes issues with lymphatic drainage, which leads to chronic lymphedema.

• There is no cure, and with the changes to the lower legs, bacterial, fungal, and mite skin infections are more likely, especially within the wrinkles. Keeping the feathers clean, dry, and short helps you monitor and treat this condition.

This article has more information about CPL.

These sparse fetlock hairs can guide water away from the hoof, or they can be clipped for showing or during non-rainy seasons

Best Management Practices to Avoid Mud Fever

• So what do you do with your horse’s fetlocks and feathers? As with everything horses, you must balance your horse’s show schedule, breed, the tendency for scratches, living situation, etc.

• If you do decide to clip the lower legs of your horse, you also have a few options there. You can clip the entire lower leg so it’s nice and crisp and clean. This makes it super easy to keep clean, a bonus for grays and horses with lots of chrome.

• You can also trim the fetlock area with scissors and comb for the master barber with the infinitely still horse.

• Or use clippers, my choice for safety and convenience. If you go the clipper route, go lightly with the direction of hair growth to get the long shaggy bits off, but avoid putting a clipped path of destruction into an otherwise natural leg.

• You can also pull the longish hairs away from the leg with your fingers and clip or snip them off.

This article has some more info on mud fever and what to look for.

This article has info about treating scratches.

Clipping Tips for Fetlocks and Feathers

• You can clip to the skin, or take just a little bit off the top with clipper combs, or rake down the leg to thin the hair. 

• You can tidy the lower leg without clipping the entire leg. Don’t worry about any faint clipper marks. They disappear within days.

• Using a blade that leaves the hair a bit longer may hide a “mistake” with your clippers. The longer hairs also protect against the sun, but you can easily inspect and feel for swelling, ticks, and scratches.

• If you decide to keep your horse’s feathers long, spend some extra time with your fingers every day, making sure those legs are scab-free and not swollen.

• Keeping fetlock feathers long is appropriate for many breeds, especially if you show your horse. Some Baroque breeds and draft breeds are known for their feathers! Diligence in detangling, keeping the hair clean and white, and checking for scabs and ticks is a top priority.