Spots on my 23 year old gelding... what are they??

My horse is 23 years old. On each of his legs he has an area about the size of a half dollar that is like dry, layers of skin, like lots of dry grey moles. He is in a pasture, we use him as one our ranch horses, and we feed him grass hay and occasionally alfafa... do you have any idea what it could be??

Oh... and it's not chestnuts.... one is about an inch from the chestnut, and others are in varing places but only on his legs



Additional Details



6 minutes ago

I've had him for 8 years, we don't bath him with shampoo hardly ever, only if we need to... we use mane and tail... he is a bay gelding.

Spots on my 23 year old gelding... what are they??
Could be a lot of things, it would be best to have the vet check it out in person.

If it is circular, the size of a half dollar, and flakey - could be ring worm or some other type of fungal infection.

Horses can get something called "scratches" on their lower legs from dampness - usually just around the fetlocks, and usually bleed a little.

Could be some type of bug bite that the horse is agitating and rubbing raw.

Could be - at his age, small tumors but those usually look like bumps.

It could be a lot of things, and without seeing it first hand it is hard to say with any certainty. Regardless of what it is, a good cleaning would be a great start. I might also use some betadine on the areas. If it is a fungal infection that may help. But your best bet is to ask the vet to take a look at it.



Good Luck!

Michael Hockemeyer

Kicking Bear Mustangs
Reply:Your horse might have Ringworm also known a Fungal Dermitis skin infection developed by a fungus which is just an organism that destroys live tissue. Some of the common symptoms we see with Ringworm is crusty, flat, dry round spots that don't seem swollen or painful to the touch and that are obviously not scabs or itchy which usually appear on one area or certain contained areas of the body. Also, a dull coat but a healthy overall disposition could definitely mean Ringworm.



Call your vet and explain the symptoms and he can advise you on proper treatment. If a vet is not available, you can read my suggestion below.



Horses are constantly surrounded by fungus, and your horse may have just had a compromise in his immune system which caused him to develop the problem. If a home remedy does not work and fairly quickly, have your vet come out immediately since it may be a deeper problem like disease or major infection.



Fungus primarily feeds off of keratin or your horses hair so it is important to clip all of the hair around the irritations away in order to stop the production of the fungus.



Now to treat the actual Ringworm, you need to wash the area. Then apply an acidic formula such as vinegar to the wounds. Fungus are susceptible to acid so this will aid in the control of the infection. The next thing you need to do is apply an anti-fungal solution such as Betadine or Iodine at least once a day for a week. Then cut back on the solution to every other day until the spots start to recede.



Make sure that the horse stays in the sunshine and dry since fungi are susceptible to sunlight and tend to thrive off of moisture.



Since Ringworm is VERY contagious and can spread to humans, and other animals you need to disinfect yourself and any areas or tools that your horse may have come into contact with since it can live off of surfaces for up to 7 years in severe cases if left untreated. You can use a 1 to 3 Bleach to Water solution on your facilities and tools and Lysol on your own clothing, shoes and hands followed by bathing.



Best of luck!
Reply:You know how old people have spots on their skin? It happens to animals too.



If the spot is raised like a chestnut, you can use vaseline to get rid of it.



Good Luck and Take Care.
Reply:Age spots dont worry my gelding is 28 and he looks probably the same. its just age spots
Reply:I can't 100% answer yor question but I got my Equus magezine yesterday and it had a chart on everything your horse gets. Like warts and all that and how to treat it. I would buy Equus and take a look.
Reply:maybe they're just sores
Reply:Call your vet. As Kicking Bear said, without seeing it first hand it really is impossible to say what it is. All we could really do is guess and your horse's health is much more important than a guess. I hope it is nothing serious. Good luck.
Reply:one of our horses has that too!



we took him to the vet and they said not to worry about it.

some horses will be born with or will grow out more than one chestnut on his/her legs and pasterns.



but if you really think it looks differently, i would have him checked out by your local vet.



hope I helped!

Tori
Reply:How fast did they come on, and are there a lot of them? It could be ringworm or some other fungus that should easily clear up with treatment described in some of the answers. The other thing it might be is skin cancer lesions. a vet would need to take a look.