On some of our older horses (i.e. over thirty and sometimes over forty) we have seen a breakdown in skin which presents as crusty scabs, this might be rug rubs and where a surcingle is used giving the opinion of sores. Another presentation is of a horse’s coat that feels “sticky” to the touch. Crusty scabs have occurred on some older animals starting on their face initially and down the next. Blood tests have ruled out any sorts of infection or parasites.
Other skin problems such as “Weather Beat” which we see a lot of are treated with cleansing disinfecting agent (supplied by our vet) and only when the site is absolutely clean and healed up – not an open sore, should you then use any greasy substance to help stop reoccurrence. Far too often we have seen horses treated with lard etc. on open sores – if you do this you are stopping the open sore from healing and sealing the infection inside. Best conditions for weather-beat are open air, fresh grass and dry weather. (Not much of that in the country, this year!) It helps to give Linseed oil in the feed (get the oil from the inside into the coat)
On all cases of puzzling ski eruptions we have stopped using Sugar Beet in feed first and seen an improvement. Then cut down on the sugar (read the ingredients on your feed bags). it is surprising to see how much sugar there is in some feeds. There is of course a lot of natural sugar in some foods (eg. flaked maize) but it is worth reading the feed bags to see just what you’re putting into your horse.
One horse whose coat was “sticky” to the touch was a little rescued Dartmoor who was found (after blood tests) to be have diabetes and which my vet assures me is nothing to do with too much sugar in the feed. Always check with your vet to ensure the horse is not suffering from a serious illness.
Obviously check for mires/parasites of any kind and take blood tests for other problems. But checking out your feeding routine together with fresh air, exercise and weather conditions can sometimes help if the problem is not recovering through the usual means. Sadly, this Winter many horses have had to wear rugs a lot, so make sure they too are free from lice and keep them as clean as you can. On rare sunny days, lay the rugs out in the sun, but watch out for showers!
