Advice - possible sarcoid?

[Surbie]

Cobbus has a black, unevenly-shaped flattish thing halfway down the back of his shoulder blade. It's grown slightly and is now a bit bobbly. It's about 5mm each way, so not at all big but it is in a place where it might get rubbed by the saddle. It's not a scab.

Physio (today) thought it might well be one. Vet is coming this week to check for me. Horse is 15, has no record of sarcoid treatment ever and this is the only strange lump I can find on him. I have crawled all over him today to check, which he rather enjoyed.

I have zero experience of sarcoids. Any advice? Do horses just start getting them?

 

[ihatework]

Horses do just get them but they do tend to be younger in my experience. You are right to get the vet to check it out.
But don’t panic just yet. I’ve had a number of horses with little sarcoids that have never caused a problem

 

[vhf]

My older mare has one on her inner thigh, I call it her 'age spot'. It showed up when she was about 14, at 19 it's now about the size of a 5p piece. No history of them, no others. Not problematic, 'clean and dry' and not a fly magnet, so I am just watching it carefully. (My 8yo, well. Hers are a different type and aggressive. We can get growth in 24 hours that the other mare's attains in a year.)

 

[Green Bean]

Sarcoids can be removed surgically, but vets prefer to do this in the winter as there are no flies then to get into the fresh wound. The only part that worries me is the fact that the lump can be affected by the saddle. I would think any procedure, no matter what the lump is, will need no riding until the wound is completely healed, I certainly wouldn't be riding now