Horse skin problem ? rough and scabby / sebum deposits - any ideas?

Question

My 13yr old bay thoroughbred has a skin problem which i noticed this evening - on the side of her neck is a very rough patch of skin about the size of my hand - i had a look under the light and the hairs become very very thin - the skin is not very dry looking but has a really rough texture where the sebum is on the surface and dried - i know its sebum because its yellow gold unless im mistaken - the whole area is like this - it is not in circular patterns or anything so its not ringworm - she is not itching either so i dont think its sweet itch...she is in large open stables on straw so she can come in and out of the weather as she pleases---- also I feed her Spillers Cool mix and Dodson and Horrel Fibre chaff...hay unlimited - and of course salt and water. Any advice welcome. :)

Answer 1

It could be one of 2 things:

A bite or an allergy/skin irritation/fungi


I don't know what the weather is like where you are, but if you are having a combination of rain and humidity, then i would go for the fungi/skin irritation.

Check the other horses in the stable and if none of them have the same thing then you know it may be a viral fungi.

If the hairs are thin, then probably it is irritating your horse, and she will eventuality scratch, so Rather call the vet for a suggestion of what to put on, as once she begins scratching, she will enjoy this habit and it will become a pattern.

I would call the vet and ask what you should put on the infected area.

Answer 2

Ringworm does not always follow a circular pattern, so I'm afraid you cannot rule that out as a possibility.

Does she wear a rug which extends up her neck, that has been recently washed? When one of my own horses came to me, with similar symptoms to those you describe, we discovered that he was allergic to the washing powder his previous owner had used (just a thought).

The answerer above has covered most of the other things I would say. But I would add that there is also a possibility of it being Sarcoptic Mange. This is very contagious, to all mammals (including humans), so I would advise you to discuss the symptoms with your vet...

Answer 3

If the area is at all scaly, you may be looking at a case of rain rot. Rain rot is caused by a fungus in the soil- horses pick it up when they roll in the dirt to clean themselves. If you live in an area that gets a lot of precipitation in the winter, your horse may be vulnerable to it. I would have your vet look at your horse, and then follow his/her advice on how to treat this.