What to put on a cut mouth?

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Seahorse

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I don't know why, I'm not heavy handed at all but Axel keeps getting a cut on the left side of his mouth. He does have a tendancy to lean on the left but even so this is getting ridiculous.
Its got to the point where I ride him once, his mouth splits open and then I have to give him 4 or 5 days off for it to heal, then I ride him once and again it splits (you get the picture)
I have been putting anusol on it twice a day, camrosa before I ride and recently have been putting surgical spirit on to harden the skin. I think what I have been putting on there has made the skin softer and more likely to split.
Shall I continue with the surgical spirit once its healed?

Any ideas or suggestions would be very much appreciated, thanks
 
I was always advised to use Allum on our mares mouth, one side would always split, we bandaged round a bit and soaked in Allum and put the bit in for an hour a day. I would think you need to leave it for longer than 5 days before riding in a bit agin to give the skin more of a chance to heal and harden, could you ride in a hackamore for a couple of weeks while you try hardening the skin?
 
I had forgotten about Allum, I used to use that years ago, can you still get it from the chemist?
I tried him in a hackamore the other day and it was so awful I had to get off after 5 mins as he just refused to go forward
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The thing is I can't just keep giving him a week off after riding him once...
I suppose I could try the hackamore again, maybe try a different one, I'm not 100% sure but its possible that one I used last time was too small and too tight
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cant understand why you would put anusol on your horses mouth its a treatment for piles!!!!!!!!!!!! best thing i have found is vaseline before and after riding
 
My mare kept on getting rubs/cuts to both corners of her mouth, even after hacking steadily.
I have discovered that the bit was slightly wide and have been using rubber bit guards. This has totally stopped the problem even when she takes a good hold across country.
 
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cant understand why you would put anusol on your horses mouth its a treatment for piles!!!!!!!!!!!! best thing i have found is vaseline before and after riding

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Suprisingly it actually helps the cut to heal very very quickly.

Don't know what the answer is SH maybe a different bit for a while - a rubber type bit thats a little softer!!!
Or if the hackamore was too strong for him then how about something like a Dr Cooks (Bev has one I think!!!)
 
Anusol or preparation H work wonders, the vasaline can make it worse. My mare has a permanently split mouth and i have to put preparation H on it twice a day and put her into the hackamore if it gets bad.
 
Vaseline before and after you ride. Also have you tried wrapping the bit in latex bit wrap. Sealtex I think its called. Its very soft and thickens the bit too so less chance of his mouth splitting. Worked really well for my horse.
 
Probably stating the obvious but have you checked the bit is absolutely clean, has no cracks (eg happymouth) and fits correctly? I have made good experience with rubber guards but would advise against rubber bits - I find they often rub even more ...
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mine does the same and it has been suggested that it is the shape of the bit that is causing the problem and I have been recommended to try something different - might be worth a try..
 
I have exactly the same problem with my horse (damn ginger skin!)

I put lanolin (wool fat) on the corners of his mouth before I put the bit and I put preparation H on his mouth (even if it has split slightly) to help heal and harden the skin.

I also found a rubber bit didn't split his skin as much.

Vaseline can make the mouth softer (if you think about it we use it as a lip balm/moisturiser to soften our skin)
 
Our dentist used to say that rubbing some glycerine on their tongue would help soften the mouth. Never really tried it for a prolonged period, but glycerine is nice and sweet so they generally don't mind the treatment
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Sam I have a Dr Cooks bitless bridle you could try? if you want to give it more time to heal. I can't get it to you this weekend but probably could by end of next week.
 
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mine does the same and it has been suggested that it is the shape of the bit that is causing the problem and I have been recommended to try something different - might be worth a try..

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Is that why you want to buy a verbindend? I have been recommended to use one of those on him by Heather from Neue Schule and I ordered one last night.
He is ridden in a KK ultra at the moment but I have been trying various different bits on him and they all seem to split his mouth.
 
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I have exactly the same problem with my horse (damn ginger skin!)

I put lanolin (wool fat) on the corners of his mouth before I put the bit and I put preparation H on his mouth (even if it has split slightly) to help heal and harden the skin.

I also found a rubber bit didn't split his skin as much.

Vaseline can make the mouth softer (if you think about it we use it as a lip balm/moisturiser to soften our skin)

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yes I think I have probably made it even softer by putting vaseline etc on it, and I want something that will harden it up.
Is preparation H a piles cream? So Anusol would be the same sort of thing then?
Does lanolin harden the skin and where do I get it from?
 
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yes I think I have probably made it even softer by putting vaseline etc on it, and I want something that will harden it up.
Is preparation H a piles cream? So Anusol would be the same sort of thing then?
Does lanolin harden the skin and where do I get it from?

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Preparation H is a haemarroid (sp?) cream so I guess Anusol would have the same effect.
Lanolin is quite thick (similar to vaseline type texture) so acts as a barrier in the corners of the mouth to stop the bit splitting the mouth. I get it from my local chemist - he orders a big pot in for me, it lasts ages.
From wikipedia : "lanolin is used as a cream to soothe skin, as it is hypoallergenic and bacteriostatic. In this form it is used by some breastfeeding mothers on sore and cracked nipples. This grade of lanolin can also be used to treat chapped lips, diaper rash, dry skin, itchy skin, rough feet, minor cuts, minor burns and skin abrasions"
 
After Diva had her sarcoid removed from her mouth my vet adivsed Cordysol dabbed on - it healed really quickly.
 
once it has split a few times it is weaker so takes very little pressure to split. i use Eliz Arden 8 hour cream on my mare, it is excellent stuff. perhaps salt water would toughen it up though, that's the best thing for hardening skin afaik.
i disagree about rubber bits being softer, the skin will snag on them rather than sliding as it does on metal.
 
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once it has split a few times it is weaker so takes very little pressure to split. i use Eliz Arden 8 hour cream on my mare, it is excellent stuff. perhaps salt water would toughen it up though, that's the best thing for hardening skin afaik.
i disagree about rubber bits being softer, the skin will snag on them rather than sliding as it does on metal.

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I love it, K - there's everyone else using piles cream and nappy rash ointment and your mare gets Elizabeth Arden
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Can I come and be one of your horses please - Jimmy Choos and designer skin cream all the way
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Sorry, mild tease btw not major p*ss-take, honest
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i disagree about rubber bits being softer, the skin will snag on them rather than sliding as it does on metal.

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I don't necessarily think they are softer I just know when I used a rubber snaffle it didn't split my horses mouth as much as a normal metal version - unfortunately he leant more on it so I had to switch back to metal. I use a rubber pelham for XC/hunting and his mouth hardly marks at all
 
Re - seahorse and NS bit..

Yes... I was recommended to the NS (by Jo Graham)... have placed an order for one.. Interetsing you were recommended to it to. The surrey equestrian site was actually cheaper than anyone else if you are thinking of buying
 
[ QUOTE ]
I love it, K - there's everyone else using piles cream and nappy rash ointment and your mare gets Elizabeth Arden
grin.gif
grin.gif
Can I come and be one of your horses please - Jimmy Choos and designer skin cream all the way
smile.gif
Sorry, mild tease btw not major p*ss-take, honest
wink.gif


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haha tell me about it, spoilt flipping rotten and still not sane enough to take to a PN, i despair!
Lizzie Arden originally developed 8 hour cream for her horses! it really is brilliant stuff, it's the only thing that stops me getting chapped lips in winter. total desperation made me try it on Katy's mouth!
 
Did a bit on wound management in uni the other day...

Sudocrem will slow down the rate of healing because od its antiseptic properties so only used if needed

Vaseline - increases the rate of healing as it maintains a moist environment unlike the old way which was to allow wounds to dry out.

Also, putting vaseline on before you ride will reduce friction allowing rthe bit to slide more and it's less likely to rub/damage the skin. When we bring the team chasers back into work after their summer off we always put copious amounts of vaseline on their chops before riding until they've been in work for a couple of weeks.

Surgical spirit - is used on the bed ridden to prevent bed sores forming so yep, will toughen the skin. Used it on my horses sides recently as my spurs were marking her whilst she went though the coat change.
 
if it is still sore buy some 'Preparation H' hemroid cream (trust me!!!) - it works wonders! - my horse had a cut mouth and it healed up within 2 days. Once it's healed just smear some vaseline over it to stop it happening again.
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