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| His coat looks like crap, but that topline is coming along nicely! |
Spring always fills me with happiness and excitement, and also a little bit of dread and worry.
With Dino, you never quite know what shedding season is going to look like, and in the spring of 2014 he surprised me by shedding out COMPLETELY BALD on his chest and shoulders. We're talking down to his black hide, totally hairless, not even kidding you BALD. This happened around mid-April, and while he did grow in some new peach fuzz by the end of the month, he looked positively diseased for a few weeks there.
Last year we had a pretty "normal" shedding season (if shedding season for a Cushingoid pony can ever be considered normal) and didn't experience any unusual baldness.
This year it's not looking good.
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| Hi there, Baldy McBalderson. Long time no see! |
For the second time ever since I've owned him, Dino has developed spur rubs on his clipped sides (disclaimer - NOT actually from me over-using my spurs!), rubs on his neck from the reins, as well as some sort of weird fungus/scrape/Lord knows what on his left side that looks like he got clawed by a mountain lion. Or that I use spurs sharpened to deadly points. He's also looking a bit patchy in his shoulders, in addition to a pretty normal-looking blanket rub on one shoulder that always forms because of the way he grazes.
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| What on God's green earth EVEN IS THIS!? |
The spur and rein rubs, I'm hoping, will go away once he starts growing in his slick summer coat. Right now his clipped hair is so rough, dry, and brittle since it's getting ready to fall out, and rubs happen to a lot of horses at this time of year. The weird scratchy bits I'm going to just scrub with anti-everything shampoo and continue coating in Gall Salve and pray over them until they heal.
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| Delightful. Just delightful. |
Even though he is starting to shed his winter fluffies all over, I am not liking what I am seeing in his clipped body parts. His chest seems, somehow, to have already begun work on that summer coat, which is bizarre, but I'll take it.
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| This looks weirdly okay? |
And we're going to that Lainey Ashker clinic in a little less than 3 weeks.
Heh.
I hope he grows some new hair by then, because I really would rather not explain to a 4* clinician that my pony doesn't have a skin disease, he just has to shed out in his Own Special Way.
Ponies. It's always something.
UGH. I love a clipped horse, but man, Miles has weird rubs too. And I'm nervous for how he will shed out!
ReplyDeleteTry Heal Quick on those bare spots, that stuff helps hair grow like no other!
ReplyDeleteBobby is starting to sprout red goat hairs in random batches all over his body. Since he is a dark bay, I'm not really sure what's going on, but whatever... Hopefully Dino starts evening out soon!
ReplyDeleteHAHAHA so glad I've found someone else who gets neck rubs from reins. Wtf. Courage is not this bad, but yeah, he's best viewed through blurry photos at this juncture.
ReplyDeleteidk this time of year is definitely NOT very cute for a lot of horses... mine included. those marks are definitely bizarre tho. i think you're gonna have to come up with some badass mountain lion story for Lainey...
ReplyDeleteWell I didn't clip this year, so Val doesn't have rubs. But we're definitely in an ugly phase regardless. Maybe other horses at the clinic will look similar?
ReplyDeleteMoe is currently going through a VERY ugly shedding phase where parts of his neck look pretty normal and other parts look like he's half yak. Shedding season is the worst! Hopefully Dino will look better soon!
ReplyDeleteI need to get some glamour shots of Riley this week to make you feel better! For what it's worth, anytime I see the winter training sessions with big name riders, many of the horses have rub marks etc:)
ReplyDeleteBridget has rub marks too! Also, Ginger is missing hair on her shoulders and chest. My trainer thinks it's from her blanket - the rain/moisture runs along the edge of the blanket along the neck and then down the front of her chest...so, essentially rain scald? Sensitive ponies!
ReplyDeleteShedding season is oh so fun. Those lines down his side are super weird!
ReplyDeleteThat is so weird :(
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed he works on that summer coat some more before the clinic.
Oh ponies, always something!
ReplyDeleteMonty has matching rubs! But the way he sheds out is bizarre!
ReplyDeleteYou could say he got attacked by rabid mini equids? Dang Dino!
ReplyDeleteHaha- weird! Those bald lines to do look like claw marks!
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