my standardbred

Question
Hi there,
I have a 13 yr old gelding who has started loosing his hair. It seems to be in patches around his neck, wither and sholder areas. There are no sores and we have had quite nice weather lately so Im not convinced it is rain rot. I keep my horses in a paddock with hog fuel as a base and Im wondering if he could have an allergy to it. He has only been with me since mid-March and this is the first time he has NOT been blanketed. I have 2 mares (an arab and a morgan) that have been with me for some time and do not exhibit any similar signs of hair loss. As I have been using the same grooming items on all three I dont think that it is something contagious either.
Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Elizabeth

Answer
Elizabeth,

I think you are right.  He may well be sensitive to something in the paddock that the other horses are not.  I would suggest getting him tested for allergies, that among them.  In the meantime I would get a bottle of witch hazel and some tea tree oil.  Get a small sprayer bottle to use.  Dump the witch hazel into it and for every ounce of witch hazel add 12 drops of tea tree oil.  Spray this on the areas twice a day, everyday.  If it's a fungus-related problem this will take care of it.  If you don't see improvement in a week then I would definately have the allergy testing done.  If you do see improvement then it's a fungal problem. Again, this may be from the paddock and the other horses either aren't sensitive or have developed a resistance to it.  It could possibly be a bacteria that the others have grown immune to in which case the witch hazel/tea tree oil might help some but this is again a problem your vet may have help with.  

Hope this helps.
Lyn