Help with "itchy" steer

[Ohioteerchick]

One of our steers has just recently started taking his front legs, like in little cartoons and throwing dirt/mulch anything up under his belly. And its making a huge mess. We tried washing his belly, and it seems to work, but I don't want to end up with dry skin. Why is he doing this? And how can I stop it

 

[CAB]

You won't stop him from doing it. It's just what they do. It's how they dust themselves to help keep bugs off or maybe just to entertain themselves or aggravate you. The best thing that you can do is to put mats down for them up front and hopefully they'll keep it up under the front end so that they can't dig their holes.

 

[lil BIG pkg]

Yah It ticks me off when my steers do that. But it's not that there ithcy it's that the bugs and flies are on them.