Getting Rid of White Spots?

Before we bought my horse, she was being ridden with a saddle that was too narrow (being a Haflinger, that isn't hard to do!), and now she has two white spots on either side of her withers, because that is where the pressure was. It's more like a lot of white hairs, so it looks kinda like a tiny patch of strawberry roan. They look really bad, especially since she is flaxen chestnut, they just stand out. Is there anyway I can get rid of them? Like, clipping there, or a lot of grooming, or what? She is loosing her winter coat now, so will that help? Or are they there forever? Thanks!

They're there forever. It's where her skin was damaged, and the hair grew back white. You can't get rid of it.

They might go away, but it's unlikely. There's nothing you can do about it but wait and see.

They won't go away, think of them like scars. The hair itself isn't damaged, but it shows where the tissue was damaged.

Well, there is way if you could find someone with the ability and willing to do it. But would you really want to spend the money and is it really worth it.

As everyone has pointed out, it's the damage done to the skin and hair follicles at those points. It is possible to remove that section of skin and stitch the none damage sections together, but you'll be left with scars. The other option isn't much better. You can have the "now" white follicles individually removed and replaced with follicles of the normal color hair harvested from another location.

Neither would be something to recommend. The damage to the follicles is done. Just don't add any more and the horse will be ok. Look at it as constant reminder of why a proper saddle fit is important.

They're there forever. My mare has them as well on the sides of her wither from an old synthetic saddle that stretched out during her pregnancy and on her girth-area from an allergic reaction to a girth.

Just get used to them, lol... They really aren't -that- bad...

Agreed. They're there for ever. If it really bothers you, you could try hair dye or maybe shoe polish as a temporary fix
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They could possibly, and this is rare, go away IF they are not severe. I have a stallion here that had two on his back, just behind the withers, from a ill fitting harness and they did go away after the harness was no longer being used. These were something that showed up in a very short period of time and the harness was used a lot but not for a lengthy period of time. They went away by the next summer when we clipped him again.

This is not common for the skin to repair itself, but it is possible. They are no big deal if they do not go away.

They won't go away, this isn't neccessarily from pressure; but from the saddle/saddle pad rubbing.

I agree with mini horse.

They MIGHT go away if the spots aren't that bad and haven't been caused for a huge period of time. The reason I know is that I had a heck of a time getting a western saddle to fit my short backed wide mustang. (In a lot of ways he is built like a Haflinger). Every 6 months to a year I would get a new saddle, think it's a good fit, and by the end of the riding season white "roaning" would start showing up in various places. One saddle would cause hairs at the back of the tree, the other at the withers, one at the rigging, etc.

But the cool thing is, when I got rid of the offending saddle and his summer/winter coat shed out, the white hairs would shed out with it. The only white marks that stayed were there when I bought him, from a cinch gall. But his back is fine.

So, no promises, but if the damage isn't too bad you might be pleasantly surprised this summer when he sheds out.

However, I do have a friend whose saddles caused permanent marks.