Curry the legs regularly .
If you’ve got this type of stuff on the cannons, dollars to donuts you’ve got it behind the tips of their ears, too 
I really like Dr. Bronner’s liquid castile soap Peppermint. It and Head and Shoulders are my go-to’s for my dogs when they have skin issues (shar peis ALWAYS have skin issues…) Have tried the Listerine and it left a sticky residue…?
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I found this a while back when I was shopping for natural stuff online. I haven’t bought it yet, but planning to.
https://www.luckybraids.com/collecti…oo-conditioner
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Our quality ingredients include: Coconut-based surfactants, pharmaceutical- grade tea tree oil (from Australia not China), aloe vera, natural moisturizer, peppermint oil & vitamin E.
I would hope not, since a big contributor to crud on the cannon bones is dirt flicked back from the front feet while riding. In this thread, OP feels it’s due to muddy paddocks/fields, but I see it in competition horses when it’s not muddy or they don’t get turned out.
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I use the Lucky Braids shampoo for pretty much everything—regular baths, itchy stuff, scabby things…
Dawn is an excellent degreaser so will help anything to penetrate better. It does seem somewhat harsh on hands, but horse hide may be tougher.
I alternate between chlorhexidine shampoo and Castile soap. Has been working fine in my neck of the woods.
I’ve never seen that in all the times/horses I’ve dealt with cannon keratosis. Which is to say the excess production of skin cells and oils. Simple currying followed by brushing removes the excess allowing the skin to remain healthy. I like a finger type curry with a specific degree of flexibility. The blue Unigroom was perfect but I haven’t been able to find them in years. 
Cannon keratosis has nothing to do with dirt kicked up or fungus or mites. Fungus and mites can create similar conditions that might need more than just currying.
Cannon keratosis has a sort of greasiness about the crud that fungus doesn’t.
I’m not one to want to go to the bother and fuss of frequent leg washing with products - but then I also live where washing anything on the horse is a major, miserable, production for six months of the year (it’s going to snow again tonight ). Currying works very well for me! :lol:
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Are you talking about keratosis, aka cannon bone-crud? I battled this on my gelding for years. About 6 months ago, I started him on a new supplement and it has completely disappeared. It has been a wet and muddy spring and he does not have a touch of it it all! I truly believe now that it is linked to a nutritional deficiency of some sort. In the past, it seemed to clear up a bit when I fed him additional vitamin E.
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Chlorhexadine mixed with CVS brand baby shampoo while it’s active. Aloe and Oatmeal shampoo or plain baby shampoo for angry skin with no active crud.
THANK YOU.
My point was, less goop and potions and quick fixes. More curry every square inch, at least every other day.
Every so often a thread like this comes up where people want to put some goop on top of a “condition” that is brought on by lack of good grooming. People with show horses will complain how it accumulates on their precious show ponies’ legs. Show horses apparently are not exempt from receiving good grooming, either.
My point was, oftentimes if you (or your groom) are neglecting the cannons to the point of thick crud where the hair is falling off in crusty chunks, then you’re also very likely neglecting the backs of their ears, elbows, and high on the dock, and will see similar hair loss-in-chunks or crumbly skin.
Now, here come the protestors…
I really like castille soap for strong, but gentle cleaning. It suds up really well to get off crud, but also rinses easily. I usually use the liquid kind and dilute with some water to make a soapy mixture. Though it doesn’t need to be diluted.
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I have to say, when I put my mare out for her pasture holidays in the fall with sunny weather, she comes home basically very shiny and with no crud anywhere. She is often very dusty from the clay soil, and she is usually missing patches of hair because she pushes the other horses around and gets bitten in return. And her mane will have a couple of dreadlocks. But 6 weeks of no grooming causes no skin problems at all. And her feet are wonderful from the claypack. Now in winter it might be different.
How has coal tar shampoo not come up on this thread yet? My super sensitive horse has had a contact dermatitis reaction to MicroTek (among other products), so I’ve developed a policy of staying away from expensive equine therapeutic shampoos that have nice-smelling (possibly allergenic) added fragrances and instead use an arsenal of basic products.
For cannon keratitis (greasy/waxy buildup that sometimes forms little lumps; not tender; sometimes take tufts of hair with them if you remove them): Scrub with el cheapo coal tar shampoo (e.g. drugstore generic knock-off of Neutrogena T-Gel does a great job). Then extra elbow grease in the daily currying and coal tar shampoo every couple weeks to keep it away.
For scratches or scabbing on the backs of the legs (scabby, raw, tender): Gentle scrub with diluted clorhexadine, followed by topical antiobiotic ointment to create a barrier when dry. This seems to be an important one to nip in the bud for a cellulitis-prone horse. Daily washing/ointment until it’s cleared up, and clip once the scabs are under control.
For rain rot-like crusties (dry and flaky scabs/crusts over more surface area): mineral oil to soften the scurf, then a non-scrubbing, gentle cleansing with dilute clorhex, allowing whatever will slough off on its own to do so, repeating every few days until it’s gone. Sanitize brushes to be safe.
For actual urine scald (general inflammation and sometime scabbing under heavily urine stained hair): Basic shampooing followed by diaper rash cream. And deeper bedding in the pee spots.
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If there’s a lot of scabs and the legs are sensitive -which they tend to be …one of my vets suggests Hydro Surge…it’s got exfoliating properties that really help loosen the scabs/scurf : https://www.osterpro.com/products/shampoo-and-sprays/hydrosurge--exfoliating-skin-treatment-plus/078499-471-001.html#start=3 I’ve ordered off of amazon …works great ! Then I follow up with prescription ‘scratches’ ointment
once scabs are under control I like to use Kirks Castile soap
Pyoben shampoo is the best.
