hard lulmps on belly

Question
I have a 21 month old gelding who is in the pasture most of the time but brought in twice a day to eat and for handling.  About a month ago I noticed a hard lump under his belly on the right. It's about the size of a quarter and very hard.  The last couple weeks, I've noticed a second hard lump under his belly a little farther away from the first.  Someone told me it could be a bug bite and that it takes a long time for them to go away.  Should I have a vet come look at it or how long should I wait to see if it goes away before I call a vet out?  Thank you for your time
sue

Answer
Sue:

I cant tell you what it is without seeing it. i would get a vet to look at them. they could be bug bites that induced an inflammatory reaction at the site. They could also be skin masses or benign tumors. Your vet may not know, but the bumps then can be biopsied and evaluated under a microscope to identify what they are. The biopsy can be taken very easily with a biopsy punch or your vet may opt to surgically remove the masses completely and send them in to be evaluated by a pathologist to tell you what they are. I dont think they are likely to be anything serious, but if they are sarcoids, skin tumors, you need to know in order to treat them appropriately and help prevent others from growing on your horse. good luck to you. let me know if i can be of any further assistance.