Skin conditions found in horses

Owning a horse can be incredible rewarding as these emotionally intelligent creatures give back as much love and attention as they receive. It is important to be aware of how best to take care of your horse and to be aware of possible equine ailments and conditions. There are various skin conditions that can affect a horse and these vary both in severity and in terms of treatability.

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• Sweet Itch – A nasty condition where parasite have lad eggs in a wound. The poor horse rubs itself raw trying to remove them but this just makes it worse.   For help with easing the symptoms take a look at https://www.stinky-stuff.co.uk/sweet-itch/
• -A skin condition that is created by moisture and made worse by rain. Whilst not fatal it can annoy the horse and make scabs and lead to hair loss.
• A fungal infection. Not as harmful as the others but the horse will feel some discomfort and the area will need to be treated/
• Aural Plaques. This is a very hard one to protect against. Biting files generally course problems around the ear area, while it may not cause as much issues as others it will still make some discomfort around the ears
• Exactly the same as humans but this time in the mane of the horse. Not an issue as such and it can be brushed out with a stiff comb.
• A harmless condition unless they are stopping your horse form comfortably wearing its tack. In that case a simple surgical procedure is used to remove them.
• This is an old classic but is still with us today. Its an unpleasant thickening of the skin which is painful without treatment. It’s just a case of rubbing in a topical cream.
• These little terrors need to be got rid of straight away. The horse will be very uncomfortable and there is also the risk of anaemia which can be very serious indeed.

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Whilst it is nature to panic most if mot all of these conditions are treatable. Before that happens though its good idea to acquaint yourself with the types of skim condition that you will come across. Make sure you know what you are dealing with. Read up on more expansive works so that you can get a better idea of what to do. While there is no harm in calling the vet there is no need to go to all that expense and to put your poor horse in a possible journey again.