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Every season presents challenges for keeping your horse’s skin in good condition. In the winter months, lice can find a home in the warm, damp conditions under heavy blankets. Spring brings frequent rainy days that encourage rain rot; in fall, it seems that flying insects make a last attempt to pester your horses before cold weather approaches. Summers are usually dry, but dewy morning grass encourages scratches and other fetlock irritations.

Sunburned skin. A dark-colored coat will usually have few problems with sunburn, but light-skinned horses and those with white faces can develop painful blistering and sloughing skin on the muzzle and nostrils from too much sun exposure. For sensitive or thin-coated horses, use sunscreen or a protective fly mask while the horse is turned out. Some horses may need to be kept in the barn during the hours when sunlight is strongest.

Infections and irritations of the skin. Ringworm and other fungal skin infections are a danger in any season, especially if you share grooming tools, saddle blankets, or other equipment. Biting flies can cause excruciating itching accompanied by weeping sores on the horse’s lower midline. Ticks hide at the base of mane and tail hairs, sometimes leaving an oozing, crusted spot after they are removed. Use fly spray, and give every horse at least a light grooming every day. Regularly examine your horse’s skin for problems and treat skin infections promptly before they spread. Using a nutritional supplement like Bio-Bloom PS from Kentucky Equine Research (in Australia, look for Bio-Bloom HF) will help to promote and maintain equine skin, hair, and hooves in healthy condition.

Skinny. The third “skin” condition is really a whole-horse situation. A strenuous training schedule, heat stress, bullying by other horses, and low-grade chronic pain are all factors that can lead to weight loss, which may be subtle and difficult to notice if you see your horse every day. Horses that lose weight in the summer, when grazing is at its peak, could have dental problems or some type of metabolic disease. Check the horse’s rib area frequently; it’s all right to be able to feel ribs with firm pressure, but if the ribs are at all prominent, the horse probably needs more groceries to maintain condition. Be sure he always has access to good-quality forage, and watch to see that he is not being chased away by a more dominant horse if you provide grain in fence feeders. You may need to bring the horse into a stall for part of the day to guarantee an undisturbed time to eat. If there is any question about the horse’s dental condition, ask an equine dentist to be sure that there is no problem when the horse chews.

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