On cross country horses, what is the white on their legs and neck?

Question

is it sweat or a cream to keep the horse's legs cool/ prevent scrapes?

thanks

Answer 1

its eventing grease

Answer 2

thats what i was wondering also.. it looks alot like sweat tho. let me know if u find out the answer

Answer 3

on the legs is a grease, they used to use crisco, but there is now something designed just for horses.

On the neck it would be sweat the foamed up due to the extreme heat in Hong Kong and the fact that they all have martingales on, so when the martingale moves and rubs it foams up.

Answer 4

its said that its grease so that if the horses catch their legs on the jumps, they don't get stuck!

Answer 5

Thats sweat, its just what happens when the horses sweat a LOT in certain spaces..

my horse gets it in between her but cheeks! which is where it is most common.

Answer 6

It is white lithium grease. It is a lubricant put on the horses' legs so that if they get in trouble over a jump or land on it, they can try and slide over it or off of it.

Answer 7

usually the white on the legs is grease so that they don't cut up their legs on the jumps and on the neck, it's most likely a lather where the martingales they wear are "stirring" up the sweat.

Answer 8

If its sweat, why does it start off with alot, and is almost gone when they finish?

No, its grease to help the horses get over the jumps. It can also be used by the judges to tell if the fence has been touched or not on a close call.

Answer 9

That's sweat.

They also wear a cream, normally on their legs and bellies, so that if they do hit the jump to help them slide over it. It's not much, but it's all they can do to protect the horse and riding from crashing on the big solid fences.

Answer 10

I've actually heard both. In person, I've only known it to be the foam produced by the sweat, with all the salt and other minerals causing the white color. However, I've also heard that they often use cream for the reasons you described.