Horse skin problem ? rough and scabby / sebum deposits - any ideas?

My 13yr old bay thoroughbred has a skin problem which i noticed this evening - on the side of her neck is a very rough patch of skin about the size of my hand - i had a look under the light and the hairs become very very thin - the skin is not very dry looking but has a really rough texture where the sebum is on the surface and dried - i know its sebum because its yellow gold unless im mistaken - the whole area is like this - it is not in circular patterns or anything so its not ringworm - she is not itching either so i dont think its sweet itch...she is in large open stables on straw so she can come in and out of the weather as she pleases---- also I feed her Spillers Cool mix and Dodson and Horrel Fibre chaff...hay unlimited - and of course salt and water. Any advice welcome. :)Horse skin problem ? rough and scabby / sebum deposits - any ideas?
I'm in the UK and i have to Thoroughbred eventers i think it could be one of two problems the first one which i think is he most likely is she has caught her neck possibly on something in your field or do you have trees she could of rubbed her neck on or barbered wire that she possibly put her head through ,then maybe she sustained a cut to her neck small probably to start with and mud might of gotten in there and the cuts gets infected underneath and spreads then heals on its own but by that point your left with damaged skin which is healing but goes scabby and dry and you start loosing hair my advice to you would be to contact your vet and get some dermobion its a green antibiotic cream wear gloves because it stains your hands this promotes healing and hair growth use it on my horses if they get mud fever or skin complaints and its great for cuts as well promotes healing fast.the other thing it could be is your Shetland pony has been biting your horses neck Shetlands are mischievous and get bored quickly so that is a possibility he has been biting through play not intentionally.does your horses wear a preventive wind sucking collar as i read your question again i wondered if the collar was on your horses neck and that had possibly rubbed the hair away if it gets any worse i would contact your vetHorse skin problem ? rough and scabby / sebum deposits - any ideas?
At this time of year when horses are starting to lose their winter coat they do get itchier so the shelty could be nibbling. Try separating for a few days to see if her skin settles down. If the problem persists you might have to give the vet a ring for advice or a visit.
Other than taking her to a vet to check her out, which you should probably do anyway, there are a couple of things it could be, but not being a vet myself, it's kinda hard to say.


There was an article in Equus that described the same symptoms.


First possibility is one of several ';photosynthesization'; illnesses.


Second is a virus called Anagen Defluxion or a similar one called Telogen Defluxion.





Initially I would clean it with soap and water and then try some anti-biotic ointment on the air and keep it covered/ out of the elements


If that doesn't work or it gets worse, you should have the vet check her out.
except for the area it is in, I thought rain scald...I would definately have your vet out just in case though...better safe than sorry.


in the meantime some anti-fungal ointment shouldn't hurt??
have u changed the shampoo u use on her? did she scratch on trees or a fence? mabe shes alergic to something