Help!! Bumps on my horses back?

M

mhorses

Well-Known Member
Joined
28 December 2010
Messages
508
Location
UK
Visit site
I have been for 3 long hacks over the weekend each about two or three hours. Tonight I have found lots of large bumps on his back his saddle pad was clean on last week and he has been thoroughly groomed each day esp around the saddle. Any idea what it could be? Help!
 
erm you say your saddle pad was clean on last week? you should really use a clean one everytime you ride especially for long rides,and altho i know a lot of people dont if you think about all the sweat and muck being ground into your horses back it wouldnt be a surprise if they got a sweat rash or a rub really.
 
My horse used to get a heat lump (s) on his back occasionally after work - could it be similar? Although this was in Aus, using a fairly thick pad, after a lot of work!

It's hard to describe, but it used to go down fairly quickly after riding.
 
heat lumps? my horse had them, vet recommended that we pick heads/squeeze gunk out then hibi scrub them. we also had antibiotics to take swelling down :) another horse at the yard had them, she left them and they got very infected and made the horse have a massive lump on the side of it and small ones all over the body :( but i would recommend giving the vet a call! :)

also mine got them this time last year, vet said sometimes they stay but do eventually go down! mine went about summer time this year! but do sometimes pop up when sweaty! :D
 
My mare had these last year, hard lumps that weren't bothering her in the slightest! Vet came out for another issue and I asked him about them and he said they were just simply big bites that had a slight reaction and are very common! Probably the wrong time of the year but I have seen a few about still (in Kent)
He just said to leave them which I did as they disappeared after a while!
 
They are probably heat lumps then. Realistically who changes their saddle cloths everytime they ride? I don't know a soul who does that! My washing machine would never be off!!! Are you barking mad archiepoo?
 
mhorses said:
They are probably heat lumps then. Realistically who changes their saddle cloths everytime they ride? I don't know a soul who does that! My washing machine would never be off!!! Are you barking mad archiepoo?
Click to expand...

haha my saddle cloth gets hosed down every now and again but hardly ever washed! mum goes mad about the horse hair getting on the rest of the washing haha
 
One of mine had a lump on each side under the saddle area last year, when the vet look at them (was out doing his jabs) he said they were ingrown hairs and not too worry as they weren't painful they would go down on their own, they did take 6 months to go down and although they were where his saddle sat neer caused an issue....maybe they are the same?
 
They do sound like heat bumps. My old Welshie used to get them if I over-rugged her. They went like dry flaky skin and I could tease them off. Then I left her stable rug off and they never came back.
 
mhorses said:
They are probably heat lumps then. Realistically who changes their saddle cloths everytime they ride? I don't know a soul who does that! My washing machine would never be off!!! Are you barking mad archiepoo?
Click to expand...

I always change my numnah every day. Yes it means putting it in the washing machine every day for a 35 minute wash, but that's no problem. I have 4 numnahs so there are always one or two available. I started changing the numnah every day after my horse developed a lump on her back and we thought maybe a grubby saddlecloth wasn't helping it heal up.
 
My hunting cob got these the first winter I had him - I clipped him out but left a saddle patch, and where he sweated under his saddle came up in several bumps/cysts.

I stopped using sheepsking numnahs, clipped his saddle patch, and only used clean thin cotton numnahs, and havent had a problem since.
 
well i do use a clean saddlecloth every time i ride! i have 6 so can have a couple clean and a couple drying and a couple in the wash, always wash my horse properly after exercise too,its a pet hate of mine to see filthy saddlecloths being ground into a poor horses back , infected saddle rash is preventable by good housekeeping:rolleyes:
 
archiepoo said:
well i do use a clean saddlecloth every time i ride! i have 6 so can have a couple clean and a couple drying and a couple in the wash, always wash my horse properly after exercise too,its a pet hate of mine to see filthy saddlecloths being ground into a poor horses back , infected saddle rash is preventable by good housekeeping:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

My goodness, do award yourself a hefty halo - and yes your approach is possibly right - clearly you are not trying to share your wash with a family of 6 people - including one who is milking cows on a daily basis (stinking overalls.....)
Bumps on backs are always worrying - but a pad used over a week should not really cause that - is OP using a synthetic saddle? Does that make a difference to the heat retention under the saddle? The one time my nags got bumps was when they were galloped (as racehorses under racehorse exercise saddles (usually leather, thought from time to time plastic) - no pressure on their backs, as rider out of saddle, but they got V hot.....) but a nylon saddle might cause a greater heat build up???
 
ditto what several have said above, a sensitive skinned horse and a need for good hygiene - or just live with an uncomfortable horse and a guilty consience.:confused:

My lad has suffered with them and I use a saddle cloth a maximum of twice but if it has in any way got wet with sweat then it gets used once - we no longer have a problem. If I'd been to the gym and got sweaty in a top no way would I wear it the next day, ewww :(

why spends hundreds on a horse each month and not be prepared to have a handful of numnahs and wash them?!
 
HTML: 
[/My goodness, do award yourself a hefty halo - and yes your approach is possibly right - clearly you are not trying to share your wash with a family of 6 people - including one who is milking cows on a daily basis (stinking overalls.....) HTML]
i actually do all the washing for my family of 5 its just a question of being organised! so ok now you can shoot me down for doing my washing everyday and not letting it build up! i have 2 teenage boys so there is plenty of rugby kit and filthy towels too. also i wash my lightweights,sheepskin girth covers  and fleece rugs regularly. in my opinion there is just no excuse for using dirty saddlecloths!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top