I tried waterproof boots for an afternoon once to keep his legs dry - similar to wrapping - and interestingly the scratches got very warm and moist and some sloughed off when I removed the boot. It would be worth a try. You have to keep them both from getting overly moist and dried out 
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I haven’t had much issue getting the topicals onto the lesions, but horse has a very fine coat. I’m gonna run it by the vet.
It’s a balancing act lol! Wraps might help keep my topicals in place and keep bugs and debris off.
Gonna run this by the vet too.
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Part of the problem is that the term scratches is so general.
Dew Poisoning
Mud Fever
My grey gelding used to get it very badly the older he got.
One year he got something that caused the hair on his fetlocks and pasterns to fall out. I tried all kind s of topical ointments and treatments that would seem to work but only briefly and then it would come back.
So I got to thinking it may have been caused by some kind of mite or other parasite and gave him a dose of Ivermectin and it cleared up for good
However, it could have been coincidence.
I believe it was caused by photosensitivity to some grass or seasonal plant that had eventually died off and once he stopped eating it he was no longer photosensitive.
I did a little research on plants that cause photosensitive reactions and there are quite a few
If you own your own farm you might be able to contact your county extension or do some research for your region.
If you are a boarder it is going to be a lot more difficult to prevent your horse from eating those plants.
And there’s always the possibility that it could be in the hay .
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Current status. Any thoughts? I’ve had him home for a week. (De-wormed with Ivermectin. Turned out for half a day, kept in clean, dry stall, daily washing with antiseptic soap and application of proprietary ointment from vet - looks like desitin, steroid, antibiotic but she won’t tell me what is in it 
).
I think the big patch looks a bit smaller!
I got a sulfur heavy cream to try on my boy. I’ll try to get more pics today or tomorrow.
I also dewormed my horses with ivermectin (Equimaxx) this Spring.
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Your photos look to me to be photosensitivity reactions rather than scratches.
Disclaimer: I’m not a vet and I am not diagnosing anything.
My horse used to get dew Poisoning in the early spring when he was turned out early in the morning. That cleared up once I treated it.
The lesions are another story.
As JB and Ghazzu said, try removing alfalfa, and check the pastures for white clover, and alsike.
You should research your state and find out what plants and weeds that are toxic to livestock grow in your area .
I know it is easier said than done. Especially if you board. Getting a barn owner to remove weeds might be a lost cause.
Some plants that cause photosensitivity in horses,
Wild carrot, wild parsley, St. John’s Wart,
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Thanks for your input. I’m not boarding him right now, I have him at home, so I can check into toxic plants and weeds. He does not get alfalfa. This is the third place in about 6 weeks, I don’t know if we would all have the same toxic plant? The original boarding barn had very little pasture at all. Definitely a good thought though - thanks!! Edited to add we may all have white clover or alsike, will definitely be looking into it.
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That looks so similar to what I was dealing with - is it on both legs or just one? Are you able to get him to a vet who can take a biopsy? All the creams in the world were not going to clear mine up, but hopefully the new treatment for the vasulitis will do the trick. It seems to be getting better now that he’s been on the oral meds a week, and streroid spray for 2 weeks.
I’d also recommend putting him in fly wraps to protect from the sun if he has any outdoor access during daylight hours. I was using Shoofly wraps but I just switched to Cashel as I think they cover the coronary area and heel better.
Thank you for your input. It is only one leg. The vet I was using did not recommend doing a biopsy until the area was “active,” i.e., not healing. It does look healed now compared to how it looked. Wonder if I should try another vet?
The problem I had was that it always looked like it was “healing” and the vet wanted to just wait a bit longer…but it never got better than how yours looked. Mine looked like that for a good 2.5 months, and as soon as I would stop actively washing and putting ointment on every day then it would start getting crusty again. I did have to push my vet to get my referral to Davis - they wanted me to be satisfied with “this is just a chronic issue”.
Once I got the referral I also left it alone for the week leading up to the appointment so it would be active/crusty at the appointment when they took the biopsy.
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On the right side, the more vertical scabby area … there’s white scar tissue forming under the scab.
I hate he is scarred of course but that beats having an open wound!
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That looks really good!
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@Zevida I’m going to contact the vet this morning. What are the names of the oral medication and steroid sprays?
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Genesis topical spray and Pentoxifylline 400 mg tablets
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Slather Ivermectin paste on the area during fly season !!
I’m thrilled at how well my horse is responding to treatment. He’s been on the steroid spray for 2.5 weeks and the oral meds for 1.5 weeks and he is nearly completely healed. On the LH the red spot is where the biopsy was and that’s got a little scar and is still healing. On the RH still a tiny bit of scabbing on the left. But overall for the first time all year he has actually improved. Hopefully we can wean him off the meds soon and I’m also hoping moving to a new barn with better care will prevent future outbreaks. 
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Nice! Looking really good! I’m happy for you 
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That is amazing! Looks great!!
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I’m having pretty good results with a 5% Benzol Peroxide acne wash. My horses wasn’t nearly this bad though, just a few patches about the size of a quarter each.
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