My horses seem much happier with the warmer weather too. If anything they are too warm since they haven't even begun to lose their winter coats. When I returned from our quick weekend getaway and checked on the boys I found the dreaded skin disease "Rain Rot" beginning on both of them! Aaack!
I confess - I had no idea how to treat it. I've never had to deal with it! Thankfully, my pony-clubber friend and guardian to my boys when I go away, educated me on how to treat it. I was so disappointed that they both ended up with it. I kept a diligent watch out for it. Everyday while they ate their meals I would "fluff" up their coats to get air down to the skin with a hair brush. They hated being fluffed but I kept at it. Oh well. I tried. Now I'm all about treating it. Just wish they would start shedding. They have the thickest coats which isn't doing their skin any favors when it comes to treating the rain rot.
This warm weather has me anxious for all outdoor activities and seeing the race horses in Tampa gave me a case of Derby Fever. I have no idea who I like yet but it'd be a bonus if Brethren got there and raced well!
My husband is into following the possible Derby horses. He used to do an email report each week during the preps for the Derby and send it out to his buddies. With some encouragement from his wife (that'd be me) and friends, he turned his email report into a blog. If you want to follow along and catch some of the name horses before Derby Day (and hopefully catch the Derby Fever) then you can follow along on Matt's blog: Turf and Dirt - On Horse Racing. You're guaranteed good photos too!
Finally, my last plug for today will be for Old Friends and their "Old Friends Along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail." It's a fun fundraiser at the MOST BEAUTIFUL HOTEL in Louisville, KY. The historic Seelbach Hotel. There is bourbon tasting in the most beautiful room along with a silent auction. We went last year and found ourselves amongst many big name thoroughbred people. I got a kick out of meeting Jean Cruguet. He was Seattle Slew's jockey when he won the Triple Crown. All I can say is that the $100 ticket is worth every penny and you'll be helping some great retired thoroughbreds along the way.
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| Michael Blowen and Wicked North are discussing all the cool people who will be attending the Bourbon Trail. |
You know, Matt and I will be posting photos from the event. :)
Hi Wendy, Martha here, couldn't get this to work other than "anonymous"? Living in Florida you'd think the rain rot would be rampant~ not so here~ at least not since several years ago I read an article about flaxmeal and its' advantages for healthy skin and avoiding and helping with skin problems! So far at 26 and 19 years of age neither of my guys have ever had any rainrot or any other skin stuffs and I've had them both since they were 2 yrs old~ I give them each a small scoop once a day, and I think that equals about a teaspoon maybe 1 1/2 teaspoons. Might be worth a try~ seems to work sooo well around here. PS I tried the whole seeds because the meal goes bad fairly quickly in summer weather unless you refrig it or keep it in the house, but found the seeds were passing through whole, or a lot of them were. You know about checking the poops L O L Give the flax a try! Loved your blog since Jag days, and love your two new guys and their stories.
ReplyDeleteHey Martha! Thanks for your comment and suggestion!
ReplyDeleteI'm a huge fan of flax seed. I've always given it to my horses because of the shine it gives them. I never thought about it for prevention of rain rot! However, I think the biggest culprit for rain rot is their very thick winter coats which prevents air from getting down to their skin as well as preventing water to dry up next to their skin. I've never dealt with it before because my guys didn't get thick coats like this at our old place. They were living in a heated barn with an indoor arena.
Oh well! Learning something new! Also, as a tip for you with the flax seed. We bought the whole seed then ground it up in a small coffee grinder when we were ready to use it. Those small grinders are very useful!
Thanks for reading and for commenting!
Diluting Listerine mouthwash and applying it to the rot also works. My horse gets "something"--the hairs come out with little scabs near the root--but it's not due to rain because he's not out in it and doesn't have a soppy blanket, which is the cause of most rain rot, from what I've been told. At any rate, it's a pain but not life-threatening and just what we "horse parents" have to deal with. (I too love the grinders. I also have a 42-cup coffeemaker in the tack shed to heat up water for warm mash when it's really cold out--like today. Chilly wind and horse spending his time in the stall, just his head peeking out ;o)
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing photo of the two of them in conversation, both weathered from life, but having so much to say!
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