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  Discussion on Chemical burn or allergy?
Author Message
Member:
Dwinans

Posted on Monday, Apr 10, 2006 - 10:52 pm:

Hi all,

I have a puzzle that I have been trying to solve for months now. Let me try to give a summary of what has happened thus far.

In October my horse came back from being on pasture for the summer. I started riding him every day. Two weeks later another girl} started riding him in addition to myself. We both wear leather half-chaps and ride hunter/jumper.

By the end of October I noticed that he had what looked like dry patches on both sides behind the girth. The first thing that it looked like was wrinkly skin when he moved. Then it became really swollen and eventually got worse and worse until it looked like dermatophilus with scabs that came off and the hair with it. It was extremely inflamed and red (but no bleeding).

These patches were oblong - approximately 4 inches wide and 6 inches long, going lengthwise up his side. Right where your leg goes, behind the girth (not touching the girth).

It got to the point where it was so painful for him that we couldn't ride him.

I called the vet out and he said that it looked like a chemical burn from something on our chaps. He gave me some coal tar shampoo and an ointment to put on the raw spots and took a culture. He ruled out a fungal infection.

We stopped riding and with the treatment it cleared up pretty quickly.

We started riding again and its now coming back.

I have worn these half-chaps for 3 years, we both use saddle soap to clean our half-chaps, except that Melanie uses a leather condition on hers about once per week. We thought maybe that he might have an allergy to that so she stopped riding in her half-chaps completely. In fact, she has been out of town and hasn't ridden in him for the past 3 weeks. I thought it was clearing up with the shampoo and ointment (I'm still riding him) but today the spots are swollen again. It hasn't gotten to the point where its sensitive and affecting him when I ride but I have to figure out what's causing it.

I can't see how it can be an allergy to the saddle soap because I clean his leather girth with saddle soap. Wouldn't his whole girth area be affected if it were the soap? Can a horse develop an allergy to leather? If so, again wouldn't it be around the whole girth area?

I'm completely perplexed and don't even know where to start. I'm going to stop using my half-chaps and wear my tall boots starting tomorrow but I just can't see how it could be my half-chaps.

Another theory I just thought of is the stirrup leathers. They are fairly new and kind of stiff and thick (not like the buttery soft ones I had been using). The problem with that theory is that the symptoms started before I bought these leathers.

One other thing that touches his sides is his blanket. But of course the blanket touches his whole body and it's just his sides that are affected. I have cleaned his blankets and used different ones.

My vet is as stumped as I am. I'm sure he will do more tests if I ask him to but I don't even know where to start.

This horse has always been thin-skinned and sensitive but this takes the cake.

From what I can see it's one of three things:

1) Chemical burn from something on my half-chaps
2) Allergy to something on my half-chaps
3) Irritation from pinching stirrup leathers

I avoiding posting this before because I really don't have any other evidence to provide, but I am grasping at straws at this stage.

Does anybody have ANY ideas?

Thanks,
Dawn}
New Member:
Judynv

Posted on Tuesday, Apr 11, 2006 - 12:05 am:

Hi Dawn,
It sounds like your horse is being ridden too much, (every day by two people). You are probably rubbing his sides raw. I had a thin skinned Arab that I did the same thing to, and I only rode 3 to 4 times a week. Leather chaps and boots probably contribute to the problem, not because they contain some chemical but because they are harder on his skin. You might try riding him in paddock boots and maybe not so often until it clears up.
Good luck
Member:
Mrose

Posted on Tuesday, Apr 11, 2006 - 12:37 am:

I personally don't think you can ride a horse "too much" at least not too often.(Assuming the horse is properly feed and taken car of.) A lot of horses get ridden every day, some for hours a day. However, I do think riding so often in the chaps could well be the problem. Do both you and Melanie wear the same style of half chaps? Are there any buckles, seams, or stitching that could be rubbing? Are they smooth or roughout chaps? Are either set of chaps dyed or are they natural leather?

I would let the horse heal up again, then try riding without the chaps. I think the paddock boots are a good suggestion. I would also double check the girth; is there anyway it could be rubbing or could skin be getting caught between the girth and stirrup leathers?

Good luck solving this?
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Apr 11, 2006 - 8:14 am:

Really all seem possible and you should try experimenting with them. I would allow the horse to heal up before being ridden again.
DrO
Member:
Dwinans

Posted on Tuesday, Apr 11, 2006 - 11:02 pm:

Thanks for your input, everybody.

I think I may have figured it out. I took a good look with the saddle on today and it looks like the sore spots are not under my leg but under the saddle pad which is under the girth. I think the seams are rubbing him. I'm going to change everything: the saddle pad, the girth, and the half chaps. One of them is causing it so I'm changing them all. It wasn't swollen today so I think I may have caught it before it became a full-blown sore.

I think this horse spends his nights trying to come up with things to challenge me!

Thanks again for your responses!
Member:
Mrose

Posted on Wednesday, Apr 12, 2006 - 9:19 am:

Dawn - isn't that how they all spend their free time?

Sounds like you may have solved the problem. Hope so.
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