Removing the scab is the key to starting the healing process. Follow the veterinarian's instructions.

he allows me to handle his legs, part his feathers, and rub in the horse oil I am using. This is by no means the norm and indicates that he trusts me and that he finds the treatment helpful. He wouldn't let the vet touch his legs below the knee. If temperatures are low or for any reason you cannot shampoo your horses’ legs, the Equiderma Skin Lotion will do an excellent job on its own. I felt alone for 4 years, nobody knew what he had nor did they know what to do except for oiling. Now it’s all past history cause of you.” Often, attempts to remove the mallanders and sallanders in horses can do more harm than good. Usually, they are just unsightly but in some more extreme cases, they can become infected. Trying to keep them soft by using aqueous based creams can be beneficial if they are prone to becoming chapped. Link to nutrition Itching, stamping and rubbing are all common symptoms which are caused by the irritation of the mites feeding and crawling on the horse’s skin.

Scrabble Tools

Pro Equine Groom: Chestnuts and Ergots https://www.proequinegrooms.com/tips/grooming/chestnuts-and-ergots

What about topical treatments? If your horse has these conditions, what treatment do you use? Do you worry about photosensitivity when using oils and greases? Gracie gets mallenders a little from time to time and in her case I'm convinced it is exacerbated by what she consumes. I don't feed her anything that contains biotin (which is why I went for the FP balancer) and it's definitely worse when she eats lots of sugary grass. She's been muzzled this spring/summer so far and all I've seen is a bit of greasy dandruff in her feather, she doesn't seem to have any sores this time And she's not stamping her feet at all either.

You’ll soon notice the crusts have softened and are crumbling. Now is the time to comb them out. Just use a wide toothed comb and gently remove the buildup. You’ll notice the skin is healthy now. The only proven and effective treatments are either a moxidectin or ivermectin leg wash, prescribed by your vet, however, many horse owners believe that diet plays a significant role in the severity of the scabbing and by carefully adapting the diet, the condition can improve. It’s commonly reported that prone horses can get a flare up in early spring time, believed to be related to the sudden grass growth in the UK. Similarly, a high sugar and starch diet is believed to attribute to further irritation and some horse owners even suggest alfalfa is best avoided also. This is very expensive, and since mallenders is not a life threatening or (except in very serious cases) performance threatening condition, vets don't usually suggest it. As a result 99% of owners treat it as a chronic condition which can only be managed, and find the solution that works best for them by trial and error. Mallenders & Sallenders, what? Most horse people have never heard of these funny sounding and antiquated names, and unless you have a Gypsy, Shire, Drum, Friesian or horse with heavy feather, you're likely to never see it. Is this condition food related? I've seen a lot of people saying that mallenders is worsened by sugar in the grass or in forage. Does this match your experience?

It is therefore an infection that can lie dormant in the horse's skin and only becomes active when the surface of the skin is damaged, which usually happens through prolonged exposure to damp conditions.

Important points for the successful treatment of Mallenders

M&S Formula is a complete balancer that has been specifically developed for horses and ponies that suffer from Mallenders or Sallenders, it provides all the essential nutrients without fillers, bulking agents, cereals, alfalfa or sugars. M&S formula is biotin free and simply fed with a handful of chaff or grass nuts for those not necessarily on a hard food ration. Fortunately, this little-known condition doesn’t affect a large number of horses. While there is no way to effectively prevent mallenders and sallenders, it can be treated and managed. Always consult your veterinarian to confirm diagnosis and put together an effective treatment plan that will work for you and your horse. I use Cetreban cream on them and I can usually keep on top of them with this, I rub it in well so that the scabs are loosened and then comb them out. He normally lets me do this as long as he has a haynet. I injured my knee and didn’t put any cream on his legs for 6 weeks. They became a mess and when a friend tried to put cream on them, he wouldn’t let her get anywhere near. He was due a sedation to get his teeth done, so I asked the vet to clean them for me, which he did using warm water and hibiscrub once the scabs were off, there was only a bit of pink skin, no bleeding, so the vet thought that he was sore simply because the scabs were pulling on his hairs. the vet was happy for me to continue with the Cetreban cream and as I am now a bit more mobile, I am managing to keep on top of them. This for me was confirmation that the routine I have is working well for us. Yesterday I smothered sudocream over most of his bottom and last night there was a white bottom shaped print in the field where he had sat down to scratch. Feel awful.

Brush or leave alone? Some swear by brushing the feathers out and lifting the scabs, others feel they're better left alone. What's your view? I will try the brewers yeast too. I had wondered about feeding her oil, although she is difficult to keep the weight off so this might be a problem. During the course of research for this article, another source incorrectly confused mallenders and sallenders with ‘chestnuts.’ Understanding basic equine anatomy can help you diagnose problems, communicate with your vet, and weed out misinformation. Chorioptic Mange is caused by the feather mites Chorioptes equi that live on the surface layer of the horse’s skin. They are only about 0.3mm in size so can’t be easily seen by the naked eye. The mites feed on the skin debris and can live for around 70 days after hatching from eggs laid on the surface of the horse’s skin. The lower legs are the most common place for the mites to live and although feathered horse breeds seem to be most affected, they can be found in any breed of horse or pony.Washing and drying - Horse was stabled at night. If I left his legs muddy they would still be soaked the next morning. If they were hosed off, his legs would be dry within the hour. I know the jury is still out about hosing but it was definitely the best thing for my lad. I had a visit from my vet yesterday to discuss Sid's mallenders, which have flared up and dropped off during the summer. She was helpful. Her view was: Head and shoulders shampoo - yes this is really good on scurfy skin. Do a patch test first though as it’s quite a harsh shampoo. Brewers yeast is very good for digestion with the added bonus that it's very good for skin and hooves too, you should see a difference within a month. The skin should be supple and shiny at al times even with a winter coat if she is healthy and that will show in the state of her mallenders too. You could add oil to her feed but being what she is that might not be good for her waistline. Also, being what she is she might be finding your grass to rich for her which will all have an effect on the skin; gypsy cobs are bred to be hardy and do well on the cheapest ground, by bringing them out of their comfort zone to richer grazing and diets let alone being molly coddled (not saying you do, just generalizing!) with rugs and all sorts it's not surprising that their bodies and systems sometimes react differently. There is no benefit to removing biotin containing feeds or supplements from horses with this condition and long term this may actually make it worse. The only effective treatment is either with off licence moxidectin or ivermectin leg wash from your vet.