*An Introduction To The Horse Skin And Hair (Integument) System And Diseases

The purposes of skin and hair are many and equally important. They keep everything inside in and everything outside out. It grows hair and adds fat to keep us warm and it sweats to keep us cool. It senses movement and helps to feel the blades of grass that are succulent. It shakes off flies and screams for attention when it is damaged. It remains flexible around joints but firm over muscles and the face.

Skin is cleaver in that it can take care of itself. When cut it heals through an amazing and precise process. But when humans and other factors mess with this process healing becomes troubled in a process almost unique to horses. It also can become allergic to fly bites and a bed of food and a breeding site for flies when damaged. Viruses can affect the integrity of skin and may be the cause of several skin neoplasia types (equine sarcoid, aural plaques, warts). Cancer can strike which can be troublesome (melanoma) or life threatening (squamous cell carcinoma). It can react with foods that cause sensitivity to light (photosensitization). It can itch to the point of damage. It can also be rubbed to ecstasy (mutual grooming) or torn from fighting or self inflicted wounding (self mutilation).

The skin is normally covered with good bacteria and excreted oils that keep the skin healthy. Daily washing with soaps and detergents removes these protective features. And why wash a horse when they go right out and roll in the dirt? Soaps should be limited and cleaning done with only water and a scrubber. I personally have not used soap on my body and hair for years and no one has complained of any body odor and my skin is very healthy. There is a lot of research on this in humans but again, none in horses.

There are a lot of topics with images here because the skin and hair are visible. I’ll give brief explanations for each but I have found 2 things that seem to help a poor hair coat and skin. The first is to feed protein filled with all the essential amino acids. I have seen improved hair coats in as little as two weeks with the addition of all the amino acids. The second is eliminating all grain, grain byproducts and sugar treats from the diet. More on this under nutrition. You may find that daily baths with soap are no longer needed to keep the horse shining. Saving money AND time is a treat for most horse owners.