Always Something

It seems like horses are always ill or injured in some way. It's one of those "horse things." Of course, that is an exaggeration - there are plenty of days when horses are healthy and happy. We are just more prone to notice the strange injuries that show up out of the blue.

A few weeks ago I noticed a large patch of hair missing from Avalon's coat near her hip. It looked like a bite, but a bit larger. I figured it was just a bite or a scrape and it would grow back so I left it alone and checked it every so often. After spending five days visiting family for the holidays, I returned to the barn to find one extremely muddy filly. 

So much mud! I don't know what kind of weather we've had in this area while I've been gone, but my guess is warm and wet. I brought Ava out to the "hitching post" and armed myself with a shedding blade. After attempting to clear the mud, I discovered that not only was the mysterious bald spot still there, it has been joined by a few smaller bald spots. 

The large bald spot is right above her flank area. 

Close up

The hair in the area is stiff and doesn't feel quite right.

Another, smaller, bald spot.

A third small spot.

Has anyone ever heard of horses getting rain rot in the winter? If whatever it is spreading, it's spreading slowly and she seems comfortable and a good weight so far. Still, I've never seen anything like this before!