• Horse market
  • Stallions at stud
  • Real estate
  • Classified ads
ehorses Magazine
  • Magazine
  • Equestrianism
    Ride, ride, ride — or take a breather sometimes?
    Ride, ride, ride — or take a breather sometimes?
    Branding in Horses
    Branding in Horses
    Is Barebacking Harmful?
    Is Barebacking Harmful?
    How To DIY Your Own Hoof Dressing
    How To DIY Your Own Hoof Dressing
    7 Reasons Why You Should Ride
    7 Reasons Why You Should Ride
    The Steps of Importing a Horse from Europe
    The Steps of Importing a Horse from Europe
    “You Ride Like A German” – The Difference Between The German And American Riding Style
    “You Ride Like A German” – The Difference Between The German And American Riding Style
    riding-young-horses: Woman riding a horse
    Backing and Riding Away Your Young Horse
    horse-lunge
    Starting your horse on the lunge

    Trending Tags

    • Horse knowledge
      • All
      • All about horses
      • Feeding and keeping
      • Health
      • Horse purchase
      • Horse sales
      Rose hips for horses

      Rose Hips: Superfood for Horses

      Linseed - Superfood for horses

      Linseed: Superfood for Horses

      How much does a horse cost per month? - competition horse jumping a fence

      How much does a horse cost per month?

      Fungal-skin-infections-header

      Fungal Skin Infections: what they are and how to treat them

      Horses corona: Girl on a horse

      Tips for selling horses during Covid-19

      How Does A Horse Auction Actually Work?

      How Does A Horse Auction Actually Work?

      Branding in Horses

      Branding in Horses

      Is Barebacking Harmful?

      Is Barebacking Harmful?

      How To DIY Your Own Hoof Dressing

      How To DIY Your Own Hoof Dressing

      • Feeding and keeping
      • Health
      • Horse purchase
      • Horse sales
      • All about horses
    • Product testing
    No Result
    View All Result
    ehorses Magazine
    • Magazine
    • Equestrianism
      Ride, ride, ride — or take a breather sometimes?
      Ride, ride, ride — or take a breather sometimes?
      Branding in Horses
      Branding in Horses
      Is Barebacking Harmful?
      Is Barebacking Harmful?
      How To DIY Your Own Hoof Dressing
      How To DIY Your Own Hoof Dressing
      7 Reasons Why You Should Ride
      7 Reasons Why You Should Ride
      The Steps of Importing a Horse from Europe
      The Steps of Importing a Horse from Europe
      “You Ride Like A German” – The Difference Between The German And American Riding Style
      “You Ride Like A German” – The Difference Between The German And American Riding Style
      riding-young-horses: Woman riding a horse
      Backing and Riding Away Your Young Horse
      horse-lunge
      Starting your horse on the lunge

      Trending Tags

      • Horse knowledge
        • All
        • All about horses
        • Feeding and keeping
        • Health
        • Horse purchase
        • Horse sales
        Rose hips for horses

        Rose Hips: Superfood for Horses

        Linseed - Superfood for horses

        Linseed: Superfood for Horses

        How much does a horse cost per month? - competition horse jumping a fence

        How much does a horse cost per month?

        Fungal-skin-infections-header

        Fungal Skin Infections: what they are and how to treat them

        Horses corona: Girl on a horse

        Tips for selling horses during Covid-19

        How Does A Horse Auction Actually Work?

        How Does A Horse Auction Actually Work?

        Branding in Horses

        Branding in Horses

        Is Barebacking Harmful?

        Is Barebacking Harmful?

        How To DIY Your Own Hoof Dressing

        How To DIY Your Own Hoof Dressing

        • Feeding and keeping
        • Health
        • Horse purchase
        • Horse sales
        • All about horses
      • Product testing
      No Result
      View All Result
      ehorses Magazine
      No Result
      View All Result
      Fungal Skin Infections: what they are and how to treat them
      Home Horse knowledge Health

      Fungal Skin Infections: what they are and how to treat them

      Sarah Weiher by Sarah Weiher
      27. January 2021
      in Health, Horse knowledge

      Fungal conditions in the horse are distressing and sometimes hard to eradicate. Horses with weakened immune systems are more likely to suffer from fungal skin conditions, the best-known of which is ringworm, also known as fungal dermatitis or tinea. Ringworm is nothing to do with worms! It’s so-called because of the nasty ring-shaped callouses the fungal spores produce on the horse’s skin.

      So in order to protect your horse from the fungal threat, focus on keeping his or her immune system functioning well. Sickness, vitamin deficiency, the wrong nutrition and even washing your horse too much can all contribute to weakening the immune system. Other well-known contributory factors are stress, damp dirty stables and poor hygiene. Long periods of wet weather without the healthy UV of the sun are when problems can start, so cases increase in winter.

      Time to don the gloves and start scrubbing then? Certainly, stables always benefit from regular cleaning and disinfecting. However, washing your horse too often and with the wrong shampoo can also result in fungal conditions. The horse produces natural oils to keep its skin and coat healthy and over-washing can disrupt them.

      Symptoms – what to look for

      Early treatment is key to stopping fungal infections in their tracks, so here are some classic signs. Watch for scaly, rough or even bald patches on the horse’s skin. They may be crusty and bloody as well. Sometimes the skin looks raised, ridged or swollen. As a fungal infection develops, it can often spread to cover large areas of the horse’s body with lesions.

      Your horse will often let you know there’s something wrong through its behaviour. They may bite themselves, or rub or scratch against doors, fenceposts or you! They will be stressed and restless. The parts most readily affected are the head, neck, saddle and girth areas.

      Treatment of ringworm in the horse

      There are several different ways to treat ringworm and other fungal infections. Don’t expect instant results though, because once established, these conditions can take a while to shift.

      Several anti-fungal washes are available. If using one of these, you need to ensure that the entire body is washed. These are usually available in packs to be added to water. It may take more than one treatment – the standard is every three days at the start. In the case of a bad fungal infection, it’s best to refer to the vet regularly

      There are also vaccines available which can help not only to prevent infection but also to treat horses that are already infected. These are usually administered in a programme of two-week intervals at the start, then via annual or nine-monthly booster doses. It’s important to ensure your horse is not stressed before and after it has received its treatment.

      What about alternative treatment options?

      If you’re looking for a natural alternative to fungicides, try a wash made up of 100ml of cider vinegar in 1 litre of water. This can assist in balancing the pH of the horse’s skin. Never apply cider vinegar neat though!

      Tea tree oil is another natural remedy that’s proven to fight infections of all kinds. A ratio of 10ml of tea tree oil to 1 litre of water is good. Again, make sure all affected parts are washed.

      You can help your horse by supporting it internally, too. Ensuring your horse has the right balance of vitamins and minerals is important. If your horse is lacking in any essentials, provide a high-quality supplement that will help to maintain a healthy immune system.

      Some herbs are also believed to be especially good for the health of the skin. These include nettle, horsetail, burdock roots and rose hips.

      Are fungal infection contagious?

      Quite simply, yes: very contagious! Fungal infections can spread very quickly through the herd. Don’t share brushes, rugs or tack as spores can be passed on in this way. Take precautions yourself as well, such as wearing disposable gloves, since humans can get ringworm too.

      • tweet 
      • share 
      • share 
      • save 
      • email 

      Give these horses a new home

      Sarah Weiher

      Sarah Weiher

      Sarah-Laurien Weiher works as SEO Manager at ehorses. If she is not pursuing her favorite activity, page optimization, she writes magazine articles with exciting topics related to horses and dogs. You can reach Sarah at s.weiher@ehorses.de.

      Related Posts

      Ride, ride, ride — or take a breather sometimes?
      Equestrianism
      Ride, ride, ride — or take a breather sometimes?
      24. February 2021
      Rose hips for horses
      Feeding and keeping
      Rose Hips: Superfood for Horses
      18. February 2021
      Linseed - Superfood for horses
      Feeding and keeping
      Linseed: Superfood for Horses
      18. February 2021
      How much does a horse cost per month? - competition horse jumping a fence
      Horse knowledge
      How much does a horse cost per month?
      15. February 2021
      Horses corona: Girl on a horse
      Horse knowledge
      Tips for selling horses during Covid-19
      27. January 2021
      How Does A Horse Auction Actually Work?
      Horse knowledge
      How Does A Horse Auction Actually Work?
      15. September 2020
      Next Post
      How much does a horse cost per month? - competition horse jumping a fence

      How much does a horse cost per month?

      New horses in the horsemarket

      Facebook Instagram Youtube

      Popular horse breeds

      » Gypsy horse

      » Andalusian

      » Quarter horse

      » German riding pony

      » Appaloosa

      Popular types of horses

      » Showjumpers

      » Dressagehorses

      » Warmblood

      » Stallion

      ehorses horse market

      » Horses

      » Stallions at stud

      » Real estate

      » Classified ads

      » Try premium

      Imprint | Data privacy | Advertising

      © Copyright 1999-2021 • ehorses GmbH & Co. KG • All rights reserved. Designated trademarks belong to their respective owners. By using this page you accept the terms and conditions and data protection regulations. Ehorses GmbH & Co. KG assumes no liability for the content of linked external websites.

      No Result
      View All Result
      • Magazine
      • Equestrianism
      • Horse knowledge
        • Feeding and keeping
        • Health
        • Horse purchase
        • Horse sales
        • All about horses
      • Product testing
        • Current product tests
        • Product test results

      Imprint | Data privacy | Advertising

      © Copyright 1999-2021 • ehorses GmbH & Co. KG • All rights reserved. Designated trademarks belong to their respective owners. By using this page you accept the terms and conditions and data protection regulations. Ehorses GmbH & Co. KG assumes no liability for the content of linked external websites.