Greasy heel in horses is a sticky, lumpy, often thick, scabby condition to be found in and around the hollow part at the back of the horse’s hoof. Do you like the use of all those technical words? That sound is me laughing!
Well they were simple words and there is a simple remedy for what can be a very nasty and very painful condition if untreated.
Your local chemist will have some sort of brand of nappy rash cream that is a plain mixture of zinc cream and castor oil – there’s a home brand version that costs around five dollars.
Later edit: There WAS a chemist who had the perfect mixture but now I have to make it. I buy the castor oil and zinc nappy rash cream and mix in some pure zinc cream to make it a bit more stiff – the nappy rash cream by itself is a little too soft to stay on the leg as the horse moves around. Just whip it up in a bowl with a kitchen spatula and put it back in the original container.
Slather the cream on – that’s an Australian expression for get a good big amount of cream on your fingers and smear lots of that cream on the affected parts of the leg and repeat daily until it’s gone. Don’t worry about washing the area unless it’s incredibly muddy. And if you do feel that you have to wash it, make sure you dry it well and walk your horse around until it’s really dry before you put the cream on.
You will probably start to see some improvement within a day or so. As I said – simple and effective…
I do these blogs as a way of introducing you to our FREE LESSONS that have got rave reviews from around the world for 8 years now – The 9 Keys to Happiness with Your Horse – the link is at the top of our Training Programs page here.
Thanks heaps Jenny, I was just about to go and buy some of that White Healer cream from the horse products shop, at $40 per 500g … but will go to my local chemist instead! Brilliant ?
The White Healer antiseptic cream contains
Active Constituents (PER kg) Zinc oxide 50g Melaleuca oil blend 20g (4%w/w)
which sounds like a glorified version of the nappy rash cream you describe.
Hey Jenny! Thanks for sharing! Just wondering if putting vet wrap on it with the cream would work better or help it? Because my mare has recently got greasy heel and our paddocks are a bit muddy so i though vet wrap might help it stay on???
🙂
A lot of cases of greasy heel happen in the mud Aria. 🙂 I’ve never used vetwrap in these circumstances (wonderful stuff Vetwrap!) so I wouldn’t be bothering locking them up to keep them safe with a wrap on. Of course if the mud was horrific it might be worth it. I would suggest try it without first. The ointment itself provides a barrier against the moisture, so hose the mud off the feet, and walk around somewhere without mud to get dry before you put the ointment on.
I had to buy some from a different chemist and it didn’t work as well – it had less zinc cream and wasn’t such a good barrier, so in Australia Amcal chemist home brand is the go!
Thanks Jenny! 🙂 Hopefully Amcal Chemist works! I’ll go there this weekend! 🙂
Well done Jenny for sharing, luckily I found out about the zinc component years ago, we were told to use sunscreen which also does a fabulous job
Sunscreen… That sounds like it was a zinc sunscreen? I guess we’re looking at making it soft enough to go on easy over the painfulness of the greasy heel sores and the zinc sunscreen will do that, as will the castor oil. I suspect the caster oil/zinc nappy cream at $3 is cheaper though…
wow! what a great tip. I have just spent $30 on cream for greasy heel. My mare is starting to get annoyed with me rubbing the affected area, so will definitely just place it on. Hopefully this will make her happier. Thanks for the info
You’re welcome Maggie! 🙂 Later on when it’s not so tender, you can rub it in gently so that you can get at the last little bits. Come back and tell us whether the $30 cream did the job as well as our $3.00 one! 🙂 🙂 Don’t you hate it when you find out LATER??
hi Jenny, when you put the cream on do you put them out in the paddock straight after without washing it off? or do you leave it for a few hours and then wash it off? thanks
I left it on. I rubbed it in gently where I could – it was too painful at the beginning to rub in, I just had to place it on carefully. Then that would soften and loosen it up and then I could gradually get it more rubbed in. I think if I had a horse in long grass that would rub it off, I would keep them closer to home in short grass for a few hours even to give it a chance to penetrate before I put them back out in the paddock. The zinc tend to leave a faint residue on the skin even when they’re in a grassy paddock.
I have a clydesdale ( heavily feathered) that has the worst case of this. He is 25 yrs old. I will be trying this caster oil and zinc cream tomorrow, but I will have to cut his feathers off first, which will not be fun as he’s in quite a bit of pain. If anyone has any ideas, please…..
It’s quite a soft cream, I would try just gently placing the cream on rather than wiping it or rubbing it in. Have a look at The Six Keys to Happiness – they are freebies. The first four keys should help you get that cream on with his co-operation as best he can…
I never cut back my Clydesdales feather– They are actually there for protection from the weather mud etc etc Griff
You don’t have to cut the horse’s feathers off for this remedy. 🙂 And I agree, the feathers are an important part of their legs. 🙂
Oh my Dog! I spent $41 on Sulphur based Greasy Heel cream today after my horseman told me my horse had Greasy Heel. Got there to treat her and someone else told me it’s only dermatitis. So $41 later, it’s not greasy heel and I read this. :(. Good to know anyway coz when I’ve run out of cream I will buy the z n c.
Yeah funny that hey Claire? So often the simple remedies are the best…
Hi Jenny,
I just wanted to tell you how much I am getting out of your 6 keys lessons. I am really enjoying putting them into practice every day, and I am seeing them working on my horses! My new boy came to me with nasty mud fever up his 3 white stockings, and an aversion to having it treated. He stood stock still for me today, while I applied a new product I am trying (Wonder Oil) using your second key to happiness and keeping him in his deep comfort zone. I was prepared for it to take ages (I gave myself 2 hours) and was prepared to get one drop on and leave it for the day. I never expected he would stand and allow me to apply it liberally everywhere I needed to. I allowed for plenty of licking and chewing between applications, but it still took less time that if I had tried the ‘traditional’ way. I reakon 10 minutes at the most. Probably less.
Great job Sam. Once you understand how to work the comfort zone model it makes such good sense, doesn’t it? And although it feels like you are going slower, because you are waiting on purpose – you are sooo… right, it actually turns out to be heaps faster.
Hello dear friends (horse lovers!) I have just been given the MOST beautiful rescue horse who has shocking mud fever all up his 3 white stockings 🙁 he is v cautious about having it treated. It is currently being treated with yellow lotion. I have ordered some ‘wonder oil’ (castor oil is one of the components) and it should arrive in a couple of days. Having witnesses mud fever horror before I am nervous about being able to ‘fix’ him, so I’m glad to receive any advise…
Cheap as cheaps and wonderful indeed is the Amcal home brand castor oil and zinc cream – a nappy rash cream which costs about $3.00 which works brilliantly on mud fever. Gently slather it on, let it soften and then gently rub in more and allow the softened scabby stuff to rub off. Repeat a couple of days later and again if necessary a cople of days after that. Oh… and make sure that the legs are dry when you start, because then the zinc keeps the moisture OUT whereas if you start with wet legs you keep the moisture IN (which you don’t want!)
Oh woe is me I have just spent$18.00 on cream for greasy heel. I wish I had read this before I did so.
Never mind – at least it wasn’t a vet visit at 100’s of dollars!