Re: dry spots and white hairs

[Sue Brown <sbrown@wamedes.com>]

> From: "Barbara B. Peck"
> <bpeck@together.net>
> Sue:
>   I've seen alot of horses, where if the damage is not
> severe, will
> not retain the white hairs.. (damaged is not
> permanent)
>  depends on whether the horse is repeatedly
> sored
> or not.
> Barb

Thanks, Barb.  It's good to know that if they show up,
they may not necessarily be permanent.  I have two horses in custom
saddles now because their saddles got too tight as their muscles got more
beefed up -- and an increasing amount of downhill trotting added to the
problem.  I noticed what was happening when one horse developed
welts after a long stretch of downhill trotting at a ride (more than we
had ever done by quite a bit.)  He got his saddle ordered the next
week.  (He also has a dippy back so not much "off the
rack" even came close to fitting him.)

The other horse who has them got them over a long period of time in
which, as his body and back got more fit, the saddle got tighter...there
was never one particular time and he didn't have much in the way of back
soreness but did have some dry spots near his withers -- primarily what
alerted me to the problem.  Needless to say, he also got a custom
saddle (another hard-to-fit back.)  His white hairs show up the most
when his winter coat comes in.  

Both horses are fine now, but the white hairs still show up...mostly with
the winter coats...less so with the summer coats.  And no sore
backs...even with a fair amount of downhill trotting.  

Which brings me to a question...what is the physiology behind the hairs
turning white?  What actually happens to the hair follicles that
causes the hair to turn white and not just die and fall out, leaving a
bald spot?  Why then can some hairs grow out white and then go back
to their normal color?  I was told (apparently incorrectly
<g>) that once you had the white hairs, you would always see them
when that particular coat grew in (the one present when the damage
occurred.)

Sue

sbrown@wamedes.com
Tyee Farm
Marysville, Wa.