A correction is as simple as a puppy training “no”, however, we never want to go to the extent where a new problem starts.

Sure there’s many things that can be done but to stay on top of your own horse, ..perhaps timing?

Al: This post isn’t about bucking, but it is in response to Patricia’s post about her horse’s skin and Lyme Disease. Perhaps her post could be the start of a new/separate blog???
Patricia (and everyone else out there with so much horse knowledge!) I would be very interested in hearing more about your horse’s Lyme Disease Diagnosis. I didn’t realize that hypersensitivity and itching were symptoms of Lyme Disease.
One of my Canadian mares (23 yrs old) is constantly itching and I am trying to determine what the cause might be.(more on that later!)

A few years ago when I was boarding one of my horses, I was trying to help a horse who had the most severe itching & sores on her belly that I have ever seen (& the owner refused to take her to a vet…long story….). I did a lot of “trial & error” to see if I could get anything to work. Here are some of the things I tried: Gold Bond powder, Gold Bond cream, zinc (for baby’s bottoms), Antibiotic cream (ie polysporin), Calamine Lotion, Aveeno itch cream. All of the things I tried seemed to help to “some degree”, but the thing that seemed to work the best for this particular horse was an ointment I bought from an Amish friend. It is called BICKMORE GALL SALVE FOR HORSES. It’s a bluish-green ointment in a brown tin. (www.bickmore.com 1-800-356-8804 on tin). I was only putting in on her belly though- not all over her entire body, so I don’t know if this will be of help to you or not! However, I use it on my horses for any cuts, abrasions, sores etc they get and it is amazing!!! It speeds up healing- incredibly fast!- and stops the hair from coming in white.
For the Lyme Disease, do you have to give your horse antibiotics? If so, is it ongoing? Or, if not antibiotics, what kind of treatment was prescribed?

What is your horses’ coat like? Is there a lot of dander? Any waxiness? Hard to shed out?

Is your horse itching all over or only in certain places? What do you use for the itching right now? For ‘all-over grooming’ that seems to help my girls’ skin and coats I use a few different things and alternate them…
1)pure Coconut oil (that seems to help somewhat with the dryness/flaking/dander and general health and shine of their coats and manes
2) Cowboy Magic
3)MTG- yucky smelling for sure…. but I think the sulphur in it helps with the itching/flaking etc. I have noticed that when I use it regularly on my horses’ manes and tails,it seems to last longer than any kind of grooming spray (Mane and Tail, Cowboy Magic, ShowSheen etc.), and keeps them tangle-free, promotes noticeable growth, and their manes & tails seem to be stronger, healthier and shinier. (Just my opinion! I don’t sell any of the products I mention!)That may help your horse’s coat Patricia. You might have to do some Trial & Error!

If you use any kind of bug repellant on your horse do certain kinds irritate the skin and increase scratching? How often do you bath him/her and do you find that certain kinds of shampoos irritate the skin? If so, what do you use? I think I am going to try Aveeno Oatmeal soap this year and see if that helps my girl.

I am assuming your vet determined it was Lyme Disease with blood work? How/why did they test for that? Did you find a tic or were there other symptoms presenting? May I ask what general geographic region you live in? (In Ontario, we have been warned that Deer tics- the ones that carry Lyme Disease- are VERY bad this year, so I would be interested to hear if you live in this area).

The best way I can describe my horse’s coat is like the pile in a very expensive, plush, Persian carpet- very thick and tightly packed. Despite grooming her all winter, in the spring she has an unbelievable amount of hair. I started grooming her for about 1-2 hours DAILY the 1st of March and I am STILL doing so(end of May) and I’m still getting TONS of hair. I must have 3 or 4 garbage bags STUFFED full- just with her hair. My other Canadian sheds about 1/3 of a garbage bag in total. It is just like she really has 2 (or maybe 3 or 4!) FULL coats of hair on her and the poor thing really sweats in the summer. I don’t know if it is Cushing’s related, aging hormones or what, but I have never seen such a long, thick coat on a horse and it takes forever for her to shed out- despite the fact that I cut most of it off with scissors (which takes me weeks!)and I use clipper blades (just manually, haven’t got her to accept electric yet!) and have about 12 different grooming tools I use to ensure that I get right down to her skin. She always has an incredible amount of waxy dander (even after I bath her) and she is constantly scratching all of her body (belly, bum, neck, back) on anything she can, year round, so I have pretty much ruled out bug allergies or reaction to repellants. A rep from Masterfeeds told me that her grandfather and father had draft horses (this mare tends toward the draft lines of Canadians while my other doesn’t) and occasionally they would have a horse with what is called a “double-coat”.(Anybody else heard of it? I hadn’t). They would give the horse black oil sunflower seeds and it would help them shed out, so I just started giving her those. My girl’s coat is healthy and shiny and she has an incredibly long, thick, shiny, healthy mane and tail as well…(I can just barely get two hands around the top of her tail!). I’d like to determine the underlying cause of the slow shedding,dander and the itching though, so I can deal with it as effectively as possible. Sorry for such a long post! Forgive all the questions I have, but I am trying to gather as much information as I can, and this blog is a great place to do it! If anyone has any comments/suggestions, I’d appreciate hearing them! Thanks for sharing! Patti

Good advice.

Well, some horses can just be wired wrong, but I don’t think this is the case here.

Thank you , I do all that. Have to or else it goes completely pear shaped at the get go.

What a lovely story. My girl seems to love me and loves as much attention as she can get. Will bang the gate, whinny, nicker and toss her head to get my attention any time that she sees me. However, once on the same side of the fence as her I need to be ready to respond to any dominant behaviour from her which she takes in her stride and seems comfortable once her place in the herd pecking order is established.

Good advice. Have had her back done twice. Teeth are up to date. Have had her spine checked for hot spots and continue to do this myself before every ride. I do use a western with a heavy saddle pad, and try very hard to ensure that the pad is pulled right up in the gullet to avoid any drag on her skin or mane.