Dealing with Scratches
Unfortunately, I have had so much experience with scratches over the years that I think I have it down to a science! I had a Paint with white legs who used to get very severe scratches (they used to spread manure in his pasture and I think that contributed) and the best solution was always to ride him down to the beach and let him splash in the salt water. Of course, that isn’t an option for most of us... Oh, how I miss those hacks to the beach… sigh. Not even global warming is going make our current farm waterfront property! So, we’ll have to do the best we can with what we have. This is what I’ve learned through a lot of trial and error over the years: The terms mud fever and scratches are more or less interchangeable. Older books will refer to it as dew poisoning , greasy heel, or cracked heels . You could compare them to rain rot or rain scald , as it is basically the same condition occurring on the legs. The skin is designed to have a healthy layer of natural o...