charlie + mud fever

Gosh, it's been a minute since we've featured our good friend Charlie here on ye olde blogge!! Which is criminal considering he's obvi the biggest star around <3 <3

the muddy swamp monster himself, looking adorable as ever <3 <3

The truth is, Charlie's out here living his best life. Getting his daily grooms and scritches and cookies.... Just being a downright pleasant horse to spend time with and be around. 

He's just... Not particularly sound. Still. I was legging him back up for a while, but then he got pretty sore again after a recent shoeing appt.... And I dunno. I kinda backed off completely. Probably not permanently, tho. I'll probably start riding hacking him around again, even if it's just to help him maintain a good enough baseline condition to support his massive frame. 

his group finally moved out to the lusciously grassy summer pastures!

In the meantime, his group finally started the transition to grass. Honestly not sure why it took so long this year, and honestly probably wouldn't have even happened yet if I hadn't gotten them started on the first day myself. But it's done, and everyone is much happier for it. Thoroughbreds + grass are a match made in heaven, imho!!

scrub-a-dub-dub

Well. Except, ya know, there are a few downsides!! Like all the bugs and gnats that are chewing up poor Charlie's belly!! That'll get partially resolved when they switch to overnight turnout instead of daytime... But for now, it's a real pain for him (literally lol). 

Also, all that dewy grass can wreak havoc on hooves and legs. Charlie is notably prone to mud fever, aka scratches, aka pastern dermatitis, on his one white sock. It's a nasty scabby persistent painful skin infection that is a pain in the you-know-what to clear up, but that you don't really want to leave brewing lest it explode into a larger systemic infection like cellulitis. 

i washed the leg with regular shampoo first to get it mostly clean, then did a proper scrub with the betadine cleanser

I've tried to be proactive over the years with keeping Charlie's legs clean and clear of all scurf, and routinely treating with MTG to get ahead of any scabbing or small abrasions... 

But honestly? I think 100% prevention is probably a losing battle. At least for horses with white legs. Maybe there's some sort of special secret sauce I'm missing (in which case, lmk!), but, eh, Charlie seems to get an infection about once a year, like clockwork. 

the infection kinda just looks like an innocuous scab. these things are stubborn and persistent, tho, and can take a bit of determination (and strong drugs) to clear up

So we focus on treatment. Skin funk in horses is one of those areas where opinions vary widely. I have seen and heard of folks using so many different topicals on this type of skin issue. 

MTG, That Blue Stuff, Coat Defense, Krudzapper, Furazone, Desitin (yes the diaper rash cream), Vitamin E, Silver Honey... 

Not to mention all the various cleansers and scrubs, like chlorhexidine, betadine, Listerine, apple cider vinegar, etc....

they're usually a bit painful too. this issue is the main reason why i don't put fly boots on Charlie's hind legs

The lists go on and on and on. Please definitely add in the comments if you swear by something I didn't mention! 

And while I've had better luck with some of these treatments vs others, in the end I've come to the conclusion that.... the most important distinction in which treatment works vs which doesn't is... Your time, attention, and dedication in actually doing the treating. 

a few more scabs on the other side --- and all those slightly deeper pink spots are potential eruption sites

At least in  my experience, this is not the type of skin funk that you can treat once or twice and then be on your merry way. For Charlie (and Isabel before him), it usually takes about two weeks of consistent near-daily attention to completely clear the infection. 

this has been my go-to treatment since the isabel days. always handle with gloves. will test positive on horse show drug tests too

The "standard of care" method that's been recommended to me by a vet involves first scrubbing carefully and continuously with a betadine solution (I like the surgical scrub product, personally). Then let the leg dry completely, before applying a steroidal antibiotic ointment Animax (also known as Dermalone or Panalog Ointment). 

I get the ointment directly from the vet. It contains steroids, so always handle with gloves and be thoughtful about using it if you have imminent recognized/rated competition plans.

unrelated -- found another lone star tick, this time on charlie. photo for future reference in case i need to know dates... ugh

A lot of folks consider this medical grade treatment to be the "nuclear option," tho, and prefer to start with using either natural or less medically intense remedies first. Again, I don't necessarily think there's a right or wrong way -- so long as you're attending to the treatment regularly.

This seems to work for us, tho, so hopefully Charlie's socks will be all nice and bright white again in short order! 

at least Icee's cute <3 <3

And hopefully I'll be better about grabbing more pics of the handsome guy (maybe from actually taking him out for rides???) in the near future. Can't keep going so long without updates on him, right?? Doozy is cool, and all, but Charlie is still my favorite haha <3

Anyway. Anybody else dealing with skin funk or other seasonal ailments? Discover any new tools or techniques in helping the horses adjust to summer??

again with the scratches

Not gonna lie, I hate writing this post every couple of years. But. Eh, the urge to document is strong. So: Here we go again with the scratches / mud fever / fungus amongus / ugh / bleh / fml.

this will be a post of decidedly Not Cute pictures. so..... please take a brief moment to appreciate charlie and royal napping together fully tacked and fully loose in the jump arena while we set our courses lol <3
(also, dear lord, charles.... suck it in, buddy!)

Long story short... Skin funk is just like, one of those things that happens. All over a horse's body, different species and varietals. Ya know. It's like, botanical or some shit. 

True story, I knew one aspiring horse woman who thought that if she was just good enough at grooming, the skin funk would never happen!! And... Eh. Mebbe that's true. But I legitimately doubt it. 

ok. onto the gnar. May 28, step 1 is admitting we have a problem

Charlie's sensitivities and vulnerabilities to skin funk happen on a very predictable basis. Specifically: 

- He's most susceptible to rain rot during his coat transitions, where he's shedding out etc and there's a lot of loose hair and growth all at once. 

- And he's at greatest risk for mud fever / scratches on his one white leg in late spring / early summer, immediately following the turnout rotation to overnight out / days in. 

step 2 is stealing borrowing drugs from the barn supply (don't tell anyone). except damn this is like a dog- or cat-sized treatment tube... not nearly sufficient volume for our needs, esp since it isn't even mine....

It's kinda an old wives tale that chromey chestnut horses are the hardest to treat and manage when it comes to skin conditions, and that was definitely my experience with Isabel vs Charlie. With Isabel, we endured a months and months-long battle with scratches that went all up and down her cannon.

hmmmmmm. 

The only treatment that eventually resolved her issues was vet-prescribed Animax, also known as Dermalone and Panalog (among other names, I think). We went through 1.5 big tubes (pictured here) of the stuff, and I held onto that other half-a-tube for legit years even well past expiry for Charlie's various minor outbreaks. Bc damn, it works. 

May 30. it's healing AND spreading at the same time. this is how fungus fools ya! 

That tube eventually ran dry tho... And what I need to do is just order more. Bc.... Being real with you all, I'm kind of set in my ways with how I treat these sort of skin ailments in horses. At the first sign of any sort of scabby grungy crud, I immediately break out the MTG.  

we interrupt this broadcast to show charlie's hooves at 5wks+ in May, looking quite good! Yay!

Because the MTG is just... my favorite. I just love it. True story, especially in the summer, I'll occasionally just rub down Charlie's entire legs (esp the hinds and hind cannons) with this stuff. Mostly to keep the skin happy but also maybe to ward off flies. 

back to regularly scheduled programming: i'd prefer a prescription tbh but have been too lazy to call one in. MTG is otherwise my go-to, tho. i know a lot of people hate this stuff... but.... WHY? it's so good!

I know there are a lot of haters out there, tho. A lot of folks don't like the smell. Or say it doesn't work. Idk. I love it. And in my experience, especially for stuff like rain rot or mild skin funks, this stuff clears it up usually in just one or two applications. 

The second it doesn't work, tho, I don't even mess around with anything else over the counter. If MTG doesn't cut it, that's when I want the prescription grade stuff. 

June 12 -- second eruption not as big as the first, and overall sensitivity far diminished. whew! still there, tho...

We haven't quite gotten there this time around, tho. Mostly bc.... Eh, while Charlie was *extremely* unhappy and sensitive at the initial outbreak (like, trying to kick my face in type unhappy), since we've been trying to manage it, he's been pretty nonchalant. And it *does* seem to be clearing up. 

June 14 --- looks so much better..... but for fucks sake, it's also still spreading. this is why this stuff is so gross guys. and why it's so easy to let the infections slide....

The worst thing about these types of infections tho is that they're sneaky and nefarious and always spreading and evolving and breaking out again right when you think you've got the thing licked. So idk. I might just call in for the good stuff anyway, since I don't really wanna steal from the barn's supply lol. 

manager mikey, supervising as always

Persistence is the name of the game with this kind of thing. Even if you're only treating every 2 to 3 days, that's still WAY better than like... not treating. Tho, yea, obvi I see the best results when I treat daily. Verdict's out on whether "daily with OTC meds" beats out "every few days with Rx meds" tho. Who knows, we'll see! 

How do you deal with this sort of thing? Do you let it run its course? Do you have favorite treatments? Does your horse just not have white legs, thus releasing you from this heinous seasonal ailment?? Or, maybe you're like my starry eyed barn mate above and manage to avoid the situation entirely bc of your perfect grooming protocols???? Do tell!

thoroughbred hoof + skin care

Let's be crystal clear here: I own a horse bc I enjoy riding horses. And not just circles inside the safety of four walls -- I want to ride everywhere. By myself and with friends. Occasionally at speed, and over obstacles. Ooh, and also at horse shows.

These are my priorities. Everything in my horse habit exists to support the pursuit of riding. That isn't necessarily true for every horse person at all times, but it's where I'm at today. So I own a horse suited to that pursuit, and put in whatever work or planning it takes to make it my reality.

bebe shetland picture!!! soak it in, guys, bc it's the only cute thing you'll see this entire post haha

Horses are funny, sensitive, fragile creatures, tho. Each and every one of them has so so so much to teach us. Including that, no matter our priorities (like mine above), none of it really matters if the horse isn't healthy happy and thriving.

Charlie is my first horse, and has, in his kind, generous, benevolent way, made it his friggin business to teach me much much MUCH more about the finer points of what it means to really truly and completely manage the care of a riding horse. The "prerequisites," let's call them haha.

hooves. apparently a prerequisite to riding! in charlieland, generally we prefer our hooves with shoes.... at least this was the day before his farrier appt, ugh

Before Charlie, leasing Isabel let me peek behind the curtain of "ownership," and at least get a start on that education. She had a few relatively tame wounds, an epic battle with skin funk, was patient zero in an infectious flu outbreak, had some gastric needs, and -- most relevant to today's post -- my lease role included managing her farrier schedule.

So ya know. In some ways, she was the perfect introduction to that degree of care, bc overall Izzy was a very sturdy little mare haha.

freshly trimmed and shod hoof. with the wall literally crumbling, ugh

Charlie is allllll Thoroughbred tho. And has thus expanded my education substantially. Particularly, in regards to hooves.

And it was clear from the very beginning with Charlie that his hooves would be ground zero for basically any and all progress we could make.

farrier left some extra surface area exposed on the shoe to help support and protect the wall

We therefore got into an early and aggressive treatment plan with the farrier at Charlie's first barn, and I jumped all aboard the supplement train -- including feed-through Farrier's Formula and Platinum Performance; and topical applications like Keratex.

Still tho, at times I feel like my knowledge about some stuff is more academic or bookish than real-world practical, if that makes sense. And especially with hoof issues, I sometimes feel caught off guard by subtle developments - like I don't notice the problem until it's almost too late.

sorry for the blur. not too much chipping here anyway tho

With Charlie (and probably many TBs in the Mid Atlantic region), hooves change really really fast in the spring, after the relative dormancy of winter.

Charlie's winter shoeing cycles can easily go 6 weeks, and in one amazing stretch this year he even went 8 (eight!!!) weeks. Each week his farrier looked at the feet like, "Yea I think we should wait tho!" Crazy haha.

ugh if i had to bet which hoof would have lost the shoe tho, this one would have been it -- not the right hind!

But it's like the cycle immediately after Charlie's most dormant phase ends up being completely and totally whip-lash-inducing different.

The ground thaws, tree sap starts flowing, the air becomes perfumed with blossoms and grass starts growing.... As do Charlie's feet haha, and fast.

go figure, his white hoof is usually the sturdiest. still pretty chipped up tho

But they grow out really weak, flaky and crumbly. I usually try to start slathering on the keratex around late February.... And at least these past two years have remembered to make his May shoeing appointment be at the 5 week mark (which, Charlie will typically stick on that 5wk cycle until Nov-Dec).

bleh. again tho - you can really see the shoe's extra surface area here for extra protection

But idk, both this year and last year I've still ended up in a bad hoof place come May / June.

Both years, at that May appt at the 5wk mark, my farrier has taken a look and said, "Hm I think we should actually go another week here." I generally like my farrier a lot and pay him for his judgement, so I go with his advice.

Last year it was nearly a disaster, tho, since we ended up at our annual Memorial Day horse trial at Loch Moy with a shoe that was jussssssst barely hanging on. So, in retrospect, knowing there was a show on the calendar last year I wish I had asked the farrier to do it at 5 anyway.

he didn't lose a ton ton of wall with the shoe.... but still lost enough

This year.... Well. Honestly it really didn't matter. And Charlie's feet didn't even look quite that bad. Tho he lost a shoe the day before the appointment anyway, and not even the one I would have guessed. Go figure.

So again, I think the lesson is..... that May appointment really should happen at 5 weeks even if the hoof looks like it could wait. Bc the hoof will not wait, it turns out. And that last week ends up doing a lot of damage to the walls with chipping and crumbling.

ugh. thoroughbred feet, why you so soft?

Obvi we were at a disadvantage this year too bc I could only visit every 2 weeks from mid March to mid May. And sure, I did what I could with the keratex but that's just not enough.

I asked my farrier what I could do differently, but he said to just keep going with the keratex. He said it works best when used often, daily if at all possible. Apparently there are polymers in the formula that accumulate and bond on the surface of the wall --- and this is part of what gives the hoof more strength and elasticity?

Idk, chemistry ain't my thing haha. But if that's what the farrier says, that's what I'll do.....

this freakin horse haha

It's frustrating, tho, going into the worst hoof months of the year -- July and August -- with hooves already cracked and compromised. The bugs are already out, the horses are stomping like crazy, and the ground itself is becoming increasingly more dry and hard between rains.

Last year we struggled badly with hoof soreness starting in June. Again, mostly bc I was too slow in realizing it. So by the time I figured it out, it was An Issue. This year... Esp considering the state of the equestrian sporting calendar, there's really no point in even pushing it.

My hope is to keep his feet from getting any worse through this cycle, so that he actually ends up with a good solid wall during his next trim -- and we'll get him back into those leather pads. Then just go from there. Hopefully haha.

the white hoof might be the healthiest, but that white sock certainly didn't want to be left out of the fun!! also -- bonus abscess?!?!? charlie -- why you keepin secrets, bro??

In a way, it's kinda convenient that Charlie has also chosen this moment to cultivate an impressively disgusting blooming bed of scratches on his lone white leg. Oh, and also blow an abscess without ever telling a SOUL about it. Normally even Stevie Wonder can see when this horse has a sore foot, go figure.

And I SWEAR, these came out of fricken nowhere. The whole red puffy scabby nasty catastrophe erupted basically overnight after I was allowed to start visiting again. Which ya know. At least that was convenient haha.

ugh gross :( these sores always seem so painful, poor guy

And actually, I think I do know how the infection was introduced. Charlie had a very small graze on his pastern from interfering (clumsy oaf) and that's probably how the bacteria or fungus or whatever the fuck it is got in. Then BOOM, gross disgusting scabby outbreak.

i've learned my lesson about celebrating prematurely with skin fungus.... but we are sooooo close now!

My treatment method is based on what finally cleared up Izzy's months-long epic scratches battle. First I clean the area carefully -- for Izzy I had a betadine scrub but right now I only have chlorhex in my locker. Not sure it makes a difference, just gotta get it clean.

Then I pat it dry, and apply a layer of animax/dermalone/panalog ointment. And actually, my bottle of this stuff is legit left over from treating Isabel haha -- it's that old.

animax / dermalone / panalog ointment is worth its weight in literal gold. my bottle is ancient but i will use every single last drop from it

With Isabel, we would keep her in her stall for up to an hour after applying the ointment to ensure it really dried and absorbed, but obviously that's not always feasible during tightly scheduled quarantine visits with Charlie.

It's worked out tho. The fungus is healing, and knowing I want to wait to let that stuff dry as much as possible really gives me no excuse for not also taking care of his hooves at the same time.

anything for this elegant majestical beastie!

So ya know. Never a dull moment in Charlie land.

One of my goals for the year was to stop needing to learn things the hard way, so it's obnoxious to be repeating the same hoof pattern we had last year when maybe I should have been more prepared. At least the whole "global pandemic" situation is a pretty forgivable excuse... (lol? too soon? ugh...)

That's just how it goes with horses tho haha. We do our best and make all our plans and goals and what have you.... And then the horse is always there to humble us and keep things in perspective lol.

Does your horse have similar hoof growth patterns throughout the year? Have you had to deal with playing catching up on some issue or another like that? Or maybe you've figured out the secret formula for getting in front of these sort of things before they ever even crop up??? If so, do tell LOL.

an end (?) to the scratches

While our treatment phase will remain ongoing for a while longer, I'm starting to believe Isabel is actually already cleared of the nasty fungus (or whatever it was, we never got a formal diagnosis) that has ruled her RH leg since August.

lens flare can make anything look better, right?

The leg would improve, then blow up with a fresh outbreak, like clockwork, for weeks on end. I initially treated with BM's homemade Desitin mixture, then switched to MTG when things looked under control and we were in the scab softening and removal phase. When it blew back up again I switched to Derm-X, a product that successfully treated a similar outbreak on Kaitlyn's mare Tillie.

surprisingly hard to photograph, but you get the idea

Things got serious after I broke my leg, when Isabel suddenly went untreated for over a week and the leg blew up to cellulitis-size (thankfully she didn't actually have cellulitis) and she was painful and sensitive up to the stifle (tho never lame on it).

horse may appear darker than she is

At that point, BM took over treatment, starting with a homemade tea tree oil and honey mixture. I would have preferred to stick with the medical grade Derm-X... but was satisfied knowing Isabel was getting daily attention in my absence. And figured they'd learn quickly whether tea tree oil was sufficient for scratches that had been established for over two months.

Because naturally (lol puns), it wasn't sufficient. So we opted to call the vet, who pulled out the big guns and put Izzy on 2wks of Doxy and provided a prescription-strength topical nystatin-neomycin sulfate-thiostrepton-triamcinolone acetonide ointment (try saying that 5 times fast).

our weapon of choice

This has proved effective, and the vet dropped off a second bottle after the first was finished, recommending that we go through the entire second bottle too just to be sure. So our current daily treatment plan is: 1) scrub with a betadine dilution, 2) dry leg, 3) apply prescription topical ointment, and 4) leave mare in for 45min to an hour for it to fully dry.

sunshine nap attack

And now that I'm back on my feet again I've resumed responsibility for treating the leg. Which is obviously much easier now that it isn't painful for the horse any more, so she stands quietly. The leg itself looks fantastic - hasn't blown up in a couple weeks and the hair is filling in quickly. Fingers crossed that's the last of it!

leg update

So Isabel's leg is still visually a mess. But we are really seriously hoping that medically, it's on the mend. She finished her two week course of Doxy and will continue to get treated with the prescribed topical treatment until we finish it.

still lots of green grass for grazing

The other three legs have been getting treated liberally with a Desitin mixture since there was some evidence of scabbing. The treatment is nasty and gunky and ugly, but the scabs went away without turning into anything more, so we will take it.

not the best light but you get the picture

The bad leg is still losing big chunks of hair, but the pink skin is looking less irritated and is regrowing some hair too. It gets washed daily with a betadine solution before we apply the topical stuff. Then poor thing has to stay in for an hour for it to dry before she can go back out again.

moar grass!

I'm super grateful that barn staff has been so on top of the treatment - the leg really IS looking better. And she's not always the easiest horse to treat... tho I was able to help Brita out with it this weekend and we involved lots of grazing in the process - much appreciated by the princess!

grass and boot

So we'll see. I'm cautiously optimistic about finally getting rid of the funk. Ugh.

In other news - Brita also agreed to hop on the mare and work her out a little bit. We traded horses once last winter to see if I would have any better luck with Wick's left lead (spoiler alert: I didn't), but Brita mostly just zipped around for a few minutes with Isabel. This time she got to actually *ride.* And I think they had fun!

grass and cat

Isabel is super different from Wick in almost every dimension - and not just bc she's so much smaller. Her whole way of going is very different - especially her tendency to get really short in the neck and btv. So Brita got a first hand feel for what I mean when I say the horse is behind my leg lol. But she did a really nice job sorting it out and pushing the horse forward.

adorable mare is adorable

They even got to play with Isabel's first ground poles and jumps in nearly two months! I wish I had gotten more footage - all I got was their first run through this little ground pole - cavaletti trotting exercise... that Isabel clearly thought was a perfect opportunity to show off her cute little knees haha. Most horses would just trot the damn thing (it was seriously 12"), but Isabel is not most horses and will crack that little back of hers over the merest of speed bumps. Goofy mare.

Brita had fun tho - and actually did a really nice job figuring out how to ride Isabel forward to the other jump (our wooden coops). And I think the mare was seriously enjoying herself too, even if she was huffing and puffing after only a couple minutes.

Oh well... we both have our work cut out for us in getting back into shape...

what's in my grooming tote?

A couple weeks ago I wrote about my top 5 horse show essentials, and hinted that there would be another blog hop post forthcoming shortly in a similar vein. Well. Here ya go!

See, a little while ago, I  saw a post on Breeches and Boat Shoes about "What's in my grooming bag?" and wanted to play along.

the kit in its entirety

So, without further ado - ladies and gentlemen, may I present the contents of my grooming tote:

grooming tools

1. Liniment, detangler, and shine spray. I have a full-size shine spray too... tho that usually stays home. Also, depending on the season, add fly spray.
2. Rubber and plastic curry combs. I also have a jelly version as well (thanks Erin!) but that hasn't yet made it to the barn. Isabel personally prefers the hard plastic, but sometimes I think the rubber and jelly varieties can speed along shedding a bit better.
3. So many body brushes omg. They are sorted from stiffest to softest bristles, top to bottom. The top brush is exclusively for mane/tail, and the bottom red brush is for her face. The two in between are my general go-tos for the body, with the red/green (medium stiffness) getting the most use.
4. Mane / tail brush (typically only used in conjunction with detangler or conditioner).
5. Hoof picks. #canneverhavetoomany

odds and ends in constant rotation

1. Vet wrap, small sponge, and triple antibiotic ointment. Not exactly a full first aid kit, but these things come in handy pretttttty often.
2. Baby wipes. Never knew I needed them until I got them. Super convenient to have on hand!
3. Hole punch. It's unlikely you'll ever find me with a grooming kit unequipped with one of these bad boys. 
4. Random stuff - Herbal Horse Be Calm Lavender Balm, and a random velcro-on sheepskin cover that typically covers the curb chain on my mechanical hackamore. 
5. More random stuff - rubber bands (needs no explanation) and hand sanitizer.
6. Leather balm and a dedicated sponge. An embarrassing amount of my tack and gear gets it's last little face lift on the actual show grounds haha.

tools and gadgets etc

1. Extra leadline and double-sided clip. Both are highly HIGHLY convenient. 
2. Medical armband lives in my grooming kit and is therefore never forgotten. Plus a pen and a sharpie are nice to have on hand. 
3. Scissors (tagged with my initials - and note in the very top pic there are velcro straps - snipped from an old saddle pad - connecting the scissors to my tote. I clearly have trust issues when it comes to scissors at a barn!) and a mutli tool - this one specifically for use with horses!
4. Stock tie. Same idea as the armband - it'll never be forgotten if it lives here!
5. Liniment concentrate to be mixed into water buckets for sponging off.
6. Spurs, hair net, and nose shaver. These are very specifically useful on show days. 

outtake cattake

Obviously we also stay well stocked with cats.

tidily tucked away and covered up!

I found this heavy-duty tote and cover for sale at the consignment shop. Best $8 I've ever spent! Maryland Saddlery ftw!!

unwanted recent additions for the scratches... ugh....

These are not permanent residents of my grooming kit.... but given Isabel's ongoing scratches situation I'm stocked up. Ugh fml.

the ever-essential barn rats

And obviously no kit is fully complete without a couple young riders around to help out!!

So.... yea... that's my standard kit that goes most places with us. What's in your grooming tote?