balding horse- tell me there are others in the same boat as me!

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Missmac

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Hi,
Last week my yeti x tb decided to start moulting and boy is she going for it! So much so she is developing full on bald patches on her shoulders, back and bum, there are hints of a slightly coppery fuzz coming on her bum cheeks but her shoulders are practically naked!

My friend is convinced its just normal moulting and im sure it is but has anyone else got decidedy mangy looking horses at the moment?! Im used to the motheaten look they get this time of year but this is silly!
 
A couple of ponies on our yard are getting small bald patches on moulting think cause doing it so quick and they don't no what they re doing moulting wise. But these aren't mangey looking just small patches with fluff growing through under- only happening on hairy types tho.
 
Shes moulting heavily all over but where her rug sits its just pulling it out quicker i think.
The skin looks very healthy and shes no more itchy than usuall (shes always loved a good scratch) im just shocked shes loosing her winter coat without having grown her summer one yet!
 
That's not usual I'm afraid... You may get bald rubbed patches but I've never seen a horse go bald between moults!
 
My sisters horse and another young horse at the yard started moulting early as was mild I'm talking about January time , they have bald patches all over them and its just starting to come back in now , had a battery if blood tests and cultures sent to the lab all came back negative , vets came back with nothing ! After research by my sister and the vet they have concluded its seasonal alopecia basically casts out early then doesn't grow back until spring , hasn't done him any harm just looks a bit illy but he did have a full clip , if you google seasonal alopecia in horses the first image that comes up is a bay and it looks the exact same looking as my sisters horse.
Good luck but we spent over £250 on vet tests all to come back negative but better safe than sorry.
 
My tb has a couple of bald patches atm. Jury's out on whether it's a bit of rain scald or seasonal alopecia.
Rain scald because the patches are on exposed bits, but the skin is not inflamed or irritated in any way which suggests seasonal alopecia. I've treated as for rain scald.

It happened when we had the warmer weather and started moulting like mad, then it went cold and wet again and he stopped.
 
We are getting quite a few on the yard who's coats are really thinning without sign of a new summer coat yet and you can see the skin through far more than usual for this time of year. Mine is now looking like a chestnut dapple as the spotty bits on his skin can be seen through the coat! However on all of them the totally bald patches are only in areas that rugs rub. Probably worth getting checked to rule out any bacterial infection or underlying cause.
 
Flamey used to get bald spots between moulting and growing a new coat, mainly on her head and legs. it was just her, she had thin hair.
 
Thanks for your replies.
She does have quite a fine coat but this is my 3rd spring with her and she has never done this before.
Vet is coming out to do injections soon so if it hasn't improved by then or skin starts to look sore/flakey or she gets itchy will get them to have a peak.
I took some photos tonight and will try and post them.
 
It will be worth having the Vet look at it when he is there to rule out anything unpleasant, but, going entirely from what I can see in the photos I wouldn't say a skin infection or infestation, purely because it is so symmetrical both sides.

Looks to me almost as if the blanket has had an effect on the way she is moulting, almost as if she overheated, or had pressure, in those spots.

Did she ever get sweaty in those places under the blanket?

Do you feed alfalfa in any form? That can cause hair loss.
 
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We used to have a pony at the school that did this - vet diagnosed it as early stage Cushings - the Pituitary gland going haywire, he did this for several years and then went to the hairy monster stage with a year round coat.

If your horse is getting on in years or had a history of laminitis it may well be worth having some tests done.

Her summer coat is beautiful- wish my Clydesdale would get a coat like that each year but it only looks that good when she's in foal.
 
I have seen lots if horses go bald when they moult. The Argentine polo ponies were esp prone to it, they would have their skin on show in various patches. Like yours the skin was healthy. They did it every year, the coat grew back normally
 
I did have a Tb for a while who moulted like that. Even a vet who was visiting commented it was odd- he said if the summer coat didn't come through quick he'd best come back out and check him over. I spoke to the owner and she said he'd always moulted that way! Winter fluff out then a pause til a summer coat came through.
 
Enfys - currently she is not on alfalfa but she has been in the past with no adverse affects. The only reason i didnt feed her it this winter is that simple systems are a nightmare to get hold of where i am. She hasnt been particularly hot althought the weather has been so tempremental the last few weeks there have been day when she got a bit warm in the afternoons - never sweated up tho. I also found a large patch of baldness under her belly last night so cant blame rugs for that one!

Tnavas- she is only 7 and has never even even hinted at lami. I do love her colour. Its almost metalic in the flesh! Sadly she is all too aware of just how gorgeous she is!

Thinking about it she has had very tough winter-the last couple of weeks especially.
She is out 24/7 normaly and has come out of winter poorer than i would like. Added to that she lost her (and my) best friend 2 weeks ago so i had to move her to a friends yard so she is in overnight now.

Although she has settled in very well, could the sudden changes plus the stress of Charlie being pts have triggered this??
 
My 13 yo TB always moults in a weird way - at the moment he has a few bald bits on his head.

He has been doing this for the 8 years we've had him so I am not worried.

He gets very fluffy over the winter as we don't clip him, but it's a fine fluff not hairy monster. He's very thin skinned and has an incredibly fine coat. He will look stunning in a few weeks times!

Yours doesn't look like anything to worry about, but always worth getting it checked if a) unusual for your horse and b) you are worried (which I think you are hence you posting!)
 
I had a share horse who got a bit patchy when moulting last year, because she was a grey it was a bit more obvious, but it wasn't a problem at all and sorted itself out. It probably is rubbed out more in those areas where to rug is touching the skin more.
 
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