A common horse skin condition, scratches is fairly easy to identify. It appears
as cracked, inflamed skin and crusted scabs on a horse's pastern. It occurs when natural skin oils are lost to harsh environmental factors: mud; cold, windy
weather; low humidity; frequent bathing. Scratches is painful and subject to bacterial infection. The majority of cases respond to the treatment outlined here. Some severe cases require a systemic antibiotic. If your ministrations yield no
improvement in two days or you have concerns, call your veterinarian.
(The article is in PDF format. If you have trouble viewing it, download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader program.)
This article originally appeared in EQUUS 341, March 2006.
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I’m looking for an article from 2011 on scratches. When searching your website, a 2006 article comes up with fundamentaly different advice, e.g. remove scabs. You have a poor website and serach capability.