[drafts4ever]

Beginning of December I was washing Caleighs legs and feathers and felt some scabby bumps. Since her feathers were so thick I just tried to get my fingers in there and clean her as much as I could. The barn owner had a look and both of us decided they might be scratches however neither of us could really see how bad they were. We called the vet who was coming out to do some therapy on a lame horse and she had a look and said it wasn't too bad but in order to get in there and clean up the feathers on the back needed to go.

We clipped the feathers to about a centimeter length and I cleaned them every day and put a topical ointment/spray on them. They went away by the beginning of January and her feathers have since grown out to about an inch long in back (we didn't trim the front). Anyone have any idea how long it might take for her to be long and flowy again? I've heard anywhere from 3 months to 18 months and longer so I'm just curious if anyone has any ideas. Anyone clipped feathers before? How long did it take them to grow back out? I know not every horse is the same, I'm just curious how long it took others.

 

[smrobs]

Oh, poor girl. I have no idea how long it might take to grow back but I hope the scratches don't come back.

 

[Nutty Saddler]

I don't know how long feathers take to grow back - but I will say keep a very close eye on the skin under the feather area - heavy horses are prone to several skin conditions that can result in ' scratches ' , we have two cobs here that suffer really badly if it is not noticed early enough, and it can be really awful to get rid of.

 

[drafts4ever]

I read about them and everything else before making the final steps into purchasing a Clyde, her previous owner said she's had them before normally in the winter and they went away with cleaning every day and spraying, it was never bad. I'm so anal about having clean feathers when riding though (I take her out a lot) they only really get dirty and muddy in the pasture. This is the North "Wet" though so she is walking through a lot of puddles. I towel her feet off when we get back to the barn, she doesn't like the sound of the blow dryer.

The vet said it was a very mild case only about 4 total and my obsessive cleaning is probably what minimized it. She was very good about the spray. It contained aloe and it was made by Mane and Tail. Worked great.

The vet also said that because of the mud she's obviously a bit itchy and the scratching she does against the fence is probably what opened them up. None were infected, she wasn't hot or sore really just scabby and now she's fine. I'll be keeping an eye out. I feel around every time I wash her feet.

 

[iridehorses]

Feathers should grow about as fast as any other part of her coat but you can help it along with MTG (you should be able to get it at any tack shop or Tractor Supply Co.). It will also give you the added feature of being a topical ointment.