Eek! So you know its winter in New England when all kinds of rubs are happening! My horse has sensitive winter hair, resulting in all kinds of rubs. She is completely fine all summer with the same equipment. I guess the first thing to mention would be her spur rub(s). She is a right-sided horse, and she is getting a generously sized rub right where my right foot rests. Yes, I have experimented with not using my spurs, but the result of that is worse than with the spur. She is so lazy that it rubs even more! She has small girth rubs that I’m currently covering with bag balm (vaseline-type ointment), and I’ve been using a fluffy fleece-lined girth. Her saddle rubs are another thing that are only a problem in the winter. She gets them right where the panels sit on her back, and only towards the back of them. They aren’t too bad, but I am worried that they’ll get worse. The saddle fits her properly, and all of that. Should I be experimenting with half pads? Right now I use an Ogilvy and a regular saddle pad. The last rubs that she’s been getting are blanket rubs. She only gets them by her hips. So I guess what I’m asking is if anyone has experienced these rubs and found a way to get rid of them or prevent them! It was a battle last winter, too, and I’m hoping that this winter I can stop them before they get that bad! Thank you in advance.
Mine gets the saddle rubs during the winter, too. I’ve found that riding her in a sheepskin half pad (sheepskin directly on the back, no saddle pad) helps keep them away.
Try Sleazy sleepwear for the blanket rubs, and get an Equifit belly band for the spur rubs.
No reason to clip the back under the saddle, so that should take care of the saddle rubs. For the rest of it I guess it depends on if you are showing. If you are then sleezies, a belly band and a nylon lined blanket are the ticket. If not then I would avoid clipping those spots. It might look a bit funny, but better than dealing with raw skin.
Yes, I have to do this with my horse too. I don’t clip his back where the saddle goes, but there is just something about his winter hair.
A bossy bib or spandex style shoulder guard should help with the blanket rubs. There are tons to choose from now in varying styles. I did have a horse that had big/pronounced hip bones, even in good weight, and he’d get rubs there by the end of the winter. :rolleyes: I just used some moisturizer on this skin/hair in that area so it wasn’t so dry.
They do make belly guards for riding too if your horse gets a rub from your spur and/or leg.
Ah, wonderful time of year!
Edit: the answer to a lot of this is sheepskin. Real good quality sheepskin. My guy has a sheepskin half pad under his square bad, a sheepskin girth, sheepskin on his bell boots, sheepskin lined brushing boots and a sheepskin lined halter. He might as well be a sheep.
I’d get a belly band for the spurs rubs. Bit of a pain but works like a harm. You’ll need bigger spurs with it.
My general rule of thumb is to not bodyclip after Thanksgiving - that timing seems to help. Second, if your horse gets dry fuzzy looking hair, or ‘goat hair’, those long hairs on the body that arent really normal horse hair looking, your horse needs more blankets and ideally a neck cover. He’s not warm enough. Finally, feed fat supplements to combat dry skin - just like us, the air is dry and they get dry skin and hair which rubs out easier.
However, once you have rubs, sheepskin, bellybands, and a topical mositurizer are lifesavers.
Healthy Hair Care Coat Moisturizer. I spray religiously before and after riding and have not had a spur, leg, or blanket rub on my thin-skinned TB, who is body-clipped regularly, since starting to use this.
Saddle rubs: don’t clip the hair under your saddle.
Spur rubs: leave a square patch of unclipped hair at spur level
Girth rubs: get a fleece lined girth or sheepskin cover for your girth. An anatomical girth might help too.
Shoulder rubs: make sure your blanket fits correctly. Don’t use anything but nylon lined blankets, or buy a full body sleezy. Make sure the blankets are clean too. I use blanket liners because they’re easy to wash.
Add flaxseed and biotin to your horse’s grain. Spray them with a leave in conditioner before you ride and Showsheen on the areas that rub after you ride.
I agree with Nevada10 on everything except the Show Sheen which IMO dries the coat. An Omega 3 supplement and daily grooming will pump up the natural oils in your horse’s coat. Also, something along the lines of Vitamin E oil (some people use coconut oil) on existing rubs is probably better than bag balm which is lanolin-based. Good luck! My horse is already shedding a little, so better days are already on the horizon!
Thank you, everyone, for your suggestions! I talked with my trainer, too, and we’re going to start adding canola oil to her feed and I’ve been using the myst dry shampoo religiously. Things are looking better! Thank you!!
