Re: [RC] help needed ASAP with girth grunge - Karen Sullivan
Okay, here is update. Day after woolback
cinch my mare had skin than felt like it had been scalded. ( hard and flakey)
..and next day some big, thin chunks came
off. I washed area well....and looked...did not look irritated or bother
her though, and
no hair loss.
She then had a day or two off.....the next thing
was to try the neoprene again, cinched loosely, and take advice from
one
person who said try desitin. So I slathered
the whole area with desitin....which made a goopy mess, Oh well.. Did a
long,
hot, steep ride, lots of down. Finished with
no problem.....area looked better this morning than the previous few
weeks.
I tried to scub out the desitin with baby shampoo,
but it is into the skin (which may be good)...in any case she was
not
especially sensitive to the scrubbing. The
desitin makes an awful mess, expecially since the hair is still all there and I
have
to work it throgh to the skin. I am wondering
what the heck they will think of this on the endurance ride.....
Best news is that I did the ride not cinched
tight....neoprene cinch and DM pad under skito with sport saddle. I am
hoping
this is just a seasonal skin grunge lile some folks
have mentioned...and that I can stay with the neoprene....
For the first time in 10 years I have having a
girth problem. Prior to the last mont, I have been happily
using
cheap Chicks catalog neoprene cinches, with a
Sport saddle, on probably at least 10 horses with never a rub
or girth sore.
Last spring my Chicks Neoprene cinch fell
apart, so I custom ordered some neoprene cinches with elastic
from
Montana Cincha. I noticed it was a
different type of neoprene, thinner. Used for 6 months with no
problems i saw.
Until a month or so ago...I noticed some hair
loss and scruffy skin on one side down low, on my
5 year old buckskin. Thinking it was a
fungus, I started using cleaning area with betadine, then applying
Clotrimazole
ointment twice a day (my vet reccomends
it for fungus), and
it did slowly start to clear up......then I
read this sounded like the beginnings of an allergy to neoprene. About
that time it showed up on the other side....Stopped using the neoprene cinch for a week...stopped the
clotrimazole ,(since soudned like NOT A fungus), and would wash area
really well and then apply Mictotek spray 3
times a day for a week (supposed to sooth and cure "girth
itch").
Didn't ride the mare, so no cinch on, meanwhile
ordered woolback Toklat cinch which a friend had been having very good luck
with. Mare had 5 days no cinch, hair came back, things looked
good.....
Okay, woolback cinch came, mare now looks
fine....rode last night, somewhat hard ride with up and down. First
thing I noticed was that the saddle slipped unless I cinched tighter than I
usually have to do with the neoprene....but I did get one elastic end, so
didn't worry too much. took saddle off and checked cinch area...looked
fine last night, no rubs, no flakey skin, etc.
Looked this morning.....and she is sore, itchy,
bigger areas,now both sides of crusty and flakey skin....skin almost has a
scalded feel.....
Any idea? I'm stumped!!!! Mayby she
wasn't allergic to neoprene after all. Have a biothane quick cinch on
order, that is my
next to try....
She is young and I am stepping up the
distances......does she just need to "toughen up skin area?"
Any help appreciated!!!!! Of course,
signed up for first enduance rideon this mare, next weekend. Not
really wanting to ride 5 year old on first ride bareback!!!
