Testing out a theory, anyone come across this before?

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Annagain

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Every winter/spring, as he starts moulting, my share horse gets a mild mud fever like rash on the inside of his back legs. He's had it every winter for years and we've treated is as you would mud fever. It's not mud fever however, as it's only higher up on his legs and he had it last year despite being on box rest for another problem for most of the winter.

The vet has seen it and says he thinks it is because he has such a thick winter coat, it traps dirt and grease and then, as he moults, the pores are opened up and the dirt and grease get in.

However, a week or so ago I had a eureka moment. (It's only taken 10 years for me to have it!) I think it's his tail causing it. He has a very thick tail and a slightly strange action behind, so as he moves his tail swishes between his back legs and flicks around.

I came to this discovery as I was washing his tail. His legs are smothered in Sudocreme, which ends up all over his tail so I wash his legs and his tail regularly. I suddenly realised that if the Sudocreme is transferring to his tail from his legs, not only must his tail be rubbing quite hard against his legs for the transfer to happen, but the dirt must also be going the other way.

This would also explain why it's only higher up his legs, (I checked and where his tail stops, the rash stops) and why it's only the insides of his back legs.

Has anybody had a similar thing happen? Am I onto something or is it all just circumstantial evidence?
 
Maybe try a tail bag, the ones you can fold up and test the theory? If you can keep the tail out of the way you could see if this alleviates the prob?
 
If its high up his legs and on the inside and ehs a paticularly hairy beastie could he be some kind of heat rash or friction rash from flesh rubbing together?
i suffer terrible with heat rash or clothes related friction rash when wearing jeans in warm weather on the inside of my thighs and they do become raw and scabby in extreme circumstances i use to have an exceptionally hair retired cob and i still had to give him a blanket clip in winter as he was uncofortable just stood in the field because his hair was making him sweat and itch and his skin was awaful under the hair when you forst clipped but soon improved once it got air to it and cooled down.
 
Thanks Hawks - should have included that following the vet's thoughts last year we clipped out his legs this year to see if that prevented it happening but it's there again this year so don't think it's a sweat / heat thing.

His dam was an IDxSEC D and his sire a TB but his coat definitely comes from the Sec D in him so he's got a full clip (mainly because he's grey and I hate the white hairs getting everywhere when he moults!)
 
maybe your right in your suspicions about his rough tail then, try the tail bag or plait and bandage the tail and see what happens and hoepfullyit will resolve.
other things could be localised dermatitus of sum sort like excema clipping and a soothing cream to relieve the itching are all i can thing of sometimes nothing can be done to cure just soothe when flares up.
also try feeding for healhty skin i've herd many good things about micronized linssed for gloosy coats and healthy skin mught be able to cure from inside out
 
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