[mselizabeth]

My boy has these weird looking orange "crystal" looking things in his mane and tail. About the size of sea salt, at the base of his mane and tail. He had them before I bathed him about 3 months ago. They went away, and now their back again! I'd rather not bathe him again. His coat is already looking pretty dull still.

I think i've seen them on horses before. I just never paid much attention.

Anyone know what they are? And how to get rid of them?

 

[clippityclop]

Sounds like his skin is leaching serum or some other type of fluid probably due to knats or flies or some other pesky pest - check closely for lice, too! Anyway, if that's what it is, then he's being bothered by some sort of insect. If it's gnats, then you won't see them during the day - they hide out in shady areas daytime and come out to feast (blood-suckers) in early am or late eve and all during the night.

Try a good wash down with some dawn soap - get all the stuff out (so it won't attract and more bugs - IF IT IS bugs/just a guess) and drench him good with fly spray in those areas. Keep those areas covered with repellant and see if it pops up again. If not, then you know it was pesky bugs.

Something to try, anyway....!!

 

[mselizabeth]

Sounds like his skin is leaching serum or some other type of fluid probably due to knats or flies or some other pesky pest - check closely for lice, too! Anyway, if that's what it is, then he's being bothered by some sort of insect. If it's gnats, then you won't see them during the day - they hide out in shady areas daytime and come out to feast (blood-suckers) in early am or late eve and all during the night.

Try a good wash down with some dawn soap - get all the stuff out (so it won't attract and more bugs - IF IT IS bugs/just a guess) and drench him good with fly spray in those areas. Keep those areas covered with repellant and see if it pops up again. If not, then you know it was pesky bugs.

Something to try, anyway....!!

It's not liquid. They are hard, like a little rock.

Would skin-so-soft repel bugs for the mane and tail?

Like I said, I'd rather not use soap. Anywhere on him unless I have to.

 

[aforred]

The serum dries and can look a lot like crystals.
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[clippityclop]

Serum will dry into a pinkish/orangish hard little crystals. The tint is from blood. The only thing I know is that if it is a blood sucking insect, the existing crystals will act as an attractant, and adding water will only make it more inviting - Dawn breaks the oil barrier and will let you get the skin super clean, then perhaps SSS
might work but as long as the stuff is still there, the bugs will keep coming back.

An example would be something like flea dirt - which is just flea feces and dried blood - flea larvae feast on that on their way to adulthood - vicious cycle. Getting the area clean is the only way I'd know how to start - minus soap? I don't know how to proceed...maybe someone else can help you there... Good luck, tho!

 

[Sharpie]

If his coat is in poor condition, that's not a 'soap' issue, especially if it's been so long since he was bathed last. If you want his coat in better condition, usually better nutrition is necessary. Maybe he just needs some more fats, omega threes, etc. Bathing isn't going to make a horse's coat dull unless you're using some harsh shampoos on a regular basis.

 

[roosevelt]

Grooming a horse is not an easy task unless you are dexterous in this field. It is an art that you can cultivate with time and in case you are looking for any kind of extra help, you can visit the World Wide Web.