Fungus Among Us

Equine dermatitis, skin irritation, eczema, sweet itch, scratches, and fungus although are all slightly different are all lumped in together as an irritant that we are all working on with our horses on an almost daily basis. Getting rained on by itself is not an issue, but when our horses immune system can’t combat the bacteria and fungus that comes with it, their skin becomes affected, many times to the extent that they get what we collectively call “fungus”

The first thing we can do is to rinse our horse with white or apple vinegar which is a great natural cleanser when you suspect they were rained on while out. Sometimes even through they aren’t rained on, simply rolling in the wet mud creates the same condition.

When your  horse initially gets “hives” , the skin’s response to being exposed to something its allergic to, you see small, but sometimes large enlarged lumps and circles that typically are hot. Depending on the severity, your horse should be treated with a vinegar rinse, an antihistamine (Naquadex) and antibiotics (SMZ Tablets) New bedding/ shavings at horse shows are sometimes the culprit. Other times it is the rain.

Oily scabby crud on your horses legs need to be removed before healing can begin but removing before the scabs are ready creates even more irritation. Apply baby oil on the scabs before you ride. Baby oil doesn’t get rid of fungus but it does a great job of softening the skin  to remove the scabs. Applying Polos on them heat it up and soften the scabs even more. After your ride use a gentle anti-fungal soap and gently clean the scabs. It might take a few times/days  to get the oily scabs off – don’t scrub too hard and further damage the skin. Apply an anti fungal lotion on the clean skin.