Re: scratches - bad stuff!

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• Next message: tetervin@bms.com: "Rails-to-Trails"
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> Ok, I did the baby oil and vinegar thing... didn't seem to work
> for my horse. By day 5, he had scratches on both back (white) pasterns.
> Didn't affect the black front legs too much. I have him wrapped
> now with a mix of Furazone, DMSO, Dexamethazone and
> betadyne solution. Will leave him wrapped for a day at least.
> He was really sore - one pastern was pink, hot and swollen,
> very tender. I know of one horse that had to pull on day 5 because
> he was so sore.
>
> I'd love to hear your ideas on preventions and cures...

Can't speak to cures, and I don't know if I can speakk to prevention or if
I have just been lucky.

But...

On many rides where many other people have been plagued by scratches, I
have managed to avoid them entirely with not much more than water, a curry
comb and a dandy brush.

This is not, however, something that can be left to the day/week of the
ride. Regular coat care (brushing and currying all the way to the ground)
to keep the natural oils in the coat. My experience is that horses with a
healthy, "well oiled" (natural oils not any of those commercial
preparations that are designed to "add back" what you wash away with
shampoo) coat are virtually self-cleaning. Dirt, mud, clay, etc. just
brush away lightly.

There are several other requirements:

Never, ever, EVER shampoo your horse. Never, ever, EVER clip your horse.

Both of these actions ruin the natural coat of the horse.

These two requirements may not be feasible for your horse in the
environment that you live in.

Also, it has been my experience that it takes a horse's coat 6-12 months
to recover from having been shampooed; and it takes 2-4 years for the coat
to recover from being clipped.

As I said, I don't know if this makes a difference or if I have been
lucky.

During the ride where scratches are a threat...

get down there with a brush an a curry comb (and your fingers) and clean
your horse's fetlocks at every stop. If you have done your homework, this
should take less than a minute.

kat
Orange County, Calif.

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