Am I losing my mind? Help me solve a horsepit (horse armpit) mystery

[vxf111]

Help me solve this mystery.

I have owned this mare for four years. She was purchased in July 2020 and had a very thorough PPE with one of my two vets, who is incredible well regarded and thorough. He laid hands all over her, though I don’t think he or I made a point to specifically LOOK determinedly in the area in question. He didn’t note anything on the PPE, and I know if he noticed something he would have said something.

She has been in regular work/training for the entire time I have owned her. I have ridden her, two trainers have ridden her, various other people have ridden her. We groom before each ride though, again, we don’t make a point to look specifically at the area in question. If someone noticed something, again, they would have said something.

Also she’s had numerous professional photo shoots and, again, while this area was not the focus—I swear I don’t see a hint of anything in photos?! And I would have groomed her to the nines in advance of the photo shoot. The photographer is a dear friend of mine. She asks before photoshopping out scabs or scars. If she noticed something, I think she would have said something.

The horse has not been body clipped since I purchased her. She doesn’t grow much coat.

A few weeks ago a friend who is riding her asked “what is the deal with those scars in her armpits (horsepits?)?” Which was news to me because I swear I’ve never seen them before. They’re in an odd spot and they seem old. She’s not sensitive at all. You can pick at them and a little dry skin will come off, but they’re also raised and 3D underneath. No blood. No swelling. No obvious signs that anything happened.

Are these scars? If so, how on earth did so many people miss them? Could they just be becoming more visible now for some reason? If so, what could they be from? It’s an odd location and I don’t see any scars anywhere else on her. If they’re not scars, what are they? Some kind of dry skin thing from loose skin? Why? And how are they appearing now but also seemingly to be kind of old? Am I losing my mind? What’s happening here?

[vxf111]

Photo the day after she came home (maybe one of them is lightly visible here but what about the others?!)

Professional photo shoot a year after ownership

[vxf111]

Horsepit condition as of yesterday

[Marla_100]

You’re not losing your mind. lol
I had this same discovery on a young Horse and didn’t see the scars for 2 years. Similar location, up in armpit.
My guess was it was a collision into a barb wire fence when he was younger.

[endlessclimb]

My Old Man gets these, and he’s never had an accident. I think it’s some kind of skin gunk accumulation, not a scar. Why there, I don’t know.

[NaturallyHappy]

Nothing to add…I agree w the above. As a sidebar, I love that bridle! What kind is it??? Thx!

[QuestionMark]

Plus one for that being a skin gunk location for one of mine too. She doesn’t have anything that looks like scarring but I bet she could if the skin gunk progressed more than usual under her winter coat some year.

[vxf111]

Skin gunk would be plausible (she can be sort of gross) and a relief (because then I wouldn’t feel like me and everyone else on earth missed this). I am going to give the area a good scrub with betadine and see if that changes anything about the appearance. Ok, I feel much less crazy.

[vxf111]

It’s from The In Gate

The In Gate Hunter Bridle with Laced Reins

[TatteredDaydreamer]

@vxf111

The In Gate Hunter Bridle with Laced Reins

Looks like skin gunk and not actually scars to me too! She is stunning and I also love that bridle!

[NaturallyHappy]

Thank you!

[vxf111]

Gunk makes sense because…

1. She’s a piglet
2. My friend tends to use product when she grooms and possibly that’s causing some buildup or maybe a slight allergic reaction
3. Did I mention she’s a pig

[vxf111]

That’s what my initial guess was but my trainer didn’t think so and we’ve been out of blanket season for a while now.

But that also is validating that I’m not a lunatic

[ThreeWishes]

I also vote gunk. I loved Marigold spray from Eqyss? Anyway … it started making both my horses coats develop a weird peeling kind of scurf especially in their creases. I chalked it up to some sensitivity and stopped using it. Scurf abated.
Oil based sprays just don’t work well with mine

[endlessclimb]

Marigold spray makes the Old Man break out in hives. It must be a thing.

[NaturallyHappy]

Eqyss products in general make my horse’s skin scurf and peel.

[ThreeWishes]

Right ? I remember almost 20 years ago they marketed it as natural fly spray. Then it became a coat conditioner. I think somewhere Along the way, the company was sold or maybe they reformulated because after that I started having skin problems. Notably, about two years ago before a giant show I had sprayed my gray horse from head to tail after a body shave, and he got scurf on his entire body. Eek! I literally had to pick the peely skin off. It would not hose away.

[skydy]

Put me in the “I think it’s gunk” group.

[sascha]

It’s giving me bandage funk (crinkly leg hair) vibes. So I’m another “gunk” vote. Gunk may have been silently present long enough that it has messed with follicles causing weird growth, or the hair/skin may come back to 100% normal on the next coat change if it’s not too far along and gets fixed soon.

[Texarkana]

Yup, my chestnuts in particular would get that gunk line in the summer, although usually a little higher up towards the chest. I think it’s probably sweat + bugs + fly spray buildup.