I've been wondering what causes these for ages....any ideas?

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MizElz

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Ever since I have had her (8 years!) Ellie has had a little hairless patch on her hock, with the skin slightly raised and sometimes flaky, although it is never sore. We thought to begin with that it was ringworm!
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She only has it on one hock, and there are some times it appears more prominent (i.e. at the moment.) A friend of mine said that it happens when the horse lies down/gets up in the stable, but I'm not sure that it's in the right place for that. Any ideas?

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I would have said it was because she is scrapping the floor when she is rolling and getting up or down. Try making your bed thicker or put rubber mats down to see if they stop.
 
Ooooh blimey her bed couldnt be any thicker; she'd be touching the roof if it was any deeper!
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She's on thick straw, banked up at the edges and probably at least 8 inches thick in the middle.....plus we have previously had her on rubber matting with deep shavings, and the marks were just as bad then. Hence why I dont think it can be the getting up/down thing.....
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could it be a scar?
my mare has a wire scar at the back of her front hoof, looks the same...
will try and get a pic for you
 
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does she have the bald patch even in summer when turned out 24/7?
try some cornucresine on it and see if that helps the hair to grow in?

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Yep, she does have it in the summer when she's out, although it doesnt appear as prominently. When we enter for showing classes, we rub boot polish into it!
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What is cornucresine? Dont think I've come across that before! Where can you get it?
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Could your horse be rubbing her hocks on the stable walls ? Some horses like to rub their bottoms on walls and will rub their hocks in the process.

The clue is, did she have them when you first got her, if so, they are probably scars from something she did a long time ago, rather than a problem with the way you are keeping her.
 
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could it be a scar?
my mare has a wire scar at the back of her front hoof, looks the same...
will try and get a pic for you

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It is a possibility; there's a chance she may have done something to it as a baby. The only thing that makes me think it isnt an old scar or blemish is the fact that the skin sometimes becomes flaky - it isnt what I would say is 'normal' scar tissue. It's almost like a little eczaema (sp?) patch!
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Some horses with back problems position themselves up against the stable wall and push back and forth, this is compressional manipulation to the spine, its releases muscle spasm along the back & eases trapped nerves. I have a gelding with kissing spines & sacrum damage that used to do it (he had to wear hock boots in the box) since training etc he has got pain relief sorted so has stopped doing it.
 
Henry has a scar like this on his shoulder. Due to winter fluff, it isn't visible then, but at this time of year it's always flaky/scurfy, then smooths off as summer arrives.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Some horses with back problems position themselves up against the stable wall and push back and forth, this is compressional manipulation to the spine, its releases muscle spasm along the back & eases trapped nerves. I have a gelding with kissing spines & sacrum damage that used to do it (he had to wear hock boots in the box) since training etc he has got pain relief sorted so has stopped doing it.

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Hmmmm.....she rubs her bum against the wall every now and again, but that is the classic side-to-side, must-wreck-my-newly-washed-tail type of thing. She certainly doesnt go forwards and back, although I have seen horses that do this! Her back is fine anyway; never had any problems. Also it is strange that whatever it is that has caused the mark, it is only on her left hock. Very weird!
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cornucresine is actually for horses hooves, but i've found it great for getting hair to grow in quicker, and for hair to grow in on places where it never usually does.
had a mare with a nasty scar on her hind leg, was a large bald area. rubbed this stuff in once a day and hair quickly started to sprout where for years there had been none.
here's a link to what i mean
http://www.thesaddlery.co.uk/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=33&products_id=198
 
My horse has exactly the same, in the same position and on the same leg. He's had it since I've had him also. I've also always wondered what it is
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He has a thick woodchip bed on rubber matting, and generally doesn't lie down any way. He also has it all year. He doesn't rub his bum on the wall.

Mystery!
 
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