Scratches!

(NOT MARGO IN PIC)
Crap! Margo has mild case of Scratches! Poor girl!

(Stolen from Stokely Farm's Blog...)

SCRATCHES – A fungal infection as well, scratches are scabs found on the back of the horses pastern above the bulb of his heels. At first glance they can look like a laceration forming a scabby horizontal line. Scratches occur when the horse stands in a wet, and/or muddy environment. Similar to occurrence of rain rot, the long hair on the back of the fetlock and pastern (called “feathers”) trap the moisture creating an environment for fungus to develop

Treatment: It is recommended to clip the hair off preferably using clippers which gets closer to the skin. If clippers are unavailable, scissors will do. Once the hair is clipped, scrub with an antifungal shampoo, towel drying the area after the rinse. Once dry an antibiotic cream can be applied to the area.

Prevention: This area is often overlooked when grooming the horse but can be just as important as the rest of his body. Keeping the horse out of the mud and wet is preferred but may not be practical. However, keeping this area clipped and brushing the mud off when grooming using a stiff “mud” brush is important