Horse owners often ask their veterinarians about skin issues, lumps, and bumps that crop up on their horses’ legs. You might notice, for instance, flaking and scaling on the front of the hind limb. This common, yet minor, condition is what we call “stud crud,” and it’s caused by splash back when a horse urinates.
“Every horse has a sebaceous gland in this area that produces sebum, which is sort of the oily coating on your horse’s hair,” explained Anna Bracken, DVM, clinical instructor in equine field service at Colorado State University. “It’s normal, it’s natural, it’s sort of a scent gland. But because of that, there’s usually a little bit of extra oil production in this area, and it tends to accumulate extra dirt. So this isn’t necessarily a fungus, this isn’t a skin disorder, this is pretty normal. And the easiest way to keep this under control is to just take a soft curry comb or your hands and get rid of some of that excess skin and dirt.”
If you see significant dirt accumulation, open skin, or bleeding, then you’ll want to take steps to make sure it doesn’t develop into a bigger problem. In this case, your veterinarian might recommend a medicated shampoo to clean the area and dry it up.
“But if you’re just seeing a little bit of this dry skin here, then that’s not anything to freak out about,” said Bracken.
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