dandruff

Question
My horse seems to have some sort of dandruff? its like she has white flecks in her coat, it gets worse in summer than winter and is worse around the base of the tail and mane. Could you please tell me what it is,if its a bad problem and how can i deal with it. thankyou.

Answer
Hey there.  I am guessing that you are in the US...and spring has just arrived.  I'm thinking that this flaky stuff that you are seeing is from the loosing of the hair from winter.  Like you said, it's more prominent in the summer or warmer months.  I would recommend you to brush your horse down really good with the shedding blade, to get all of the grit and grime loosened up.  Then take your horse out to the wash stall and give him a CONDITIONER bath.

Some more information for me: Do you bathe your horse often?  If you do...how often?
Another possibility...does your horse ever stay out in the rain?  If you horse is out in the rain a lot and has bump like things on his back or at the base of the tail...Rain rot, a common fungal infection of the skin in horses, is possible.  Now this is something that can be treated with a simple antifungal rinse from the feed store.  Don't do it until you respond back to me with a little bit more information.  E-mail me if you like justinj@brinet.com