I have read lots of “What Do I Do if My Horse Has
Scratches”, on many forums over the yrs.
I have had horses for 35 yrs (in Illinois – easy soft but wet trails,
& now AZ for 14 yrs) & have never had scratches (knock on wood).
But, this is just my personal observation, but I think why is
because:
I clip (ie: shave) my horse’s
fetlock hair off religiously – ie: show clip
I groom my horse with a curry,
dandy brush, body brush, then a slightly damp wet towel to pick up the
remaining dust before every time I ride, in that order. This takes about
30-40 minutes each time. I ride 5 times a week (blame it on my old Pony
Club training, but I can’t get it out of my system, LOL!)
I do not brush wet dirt on the
fetlock area, I wait until it dries, then brush it off (another Pony Club
pearl).
This is why I think I’ve never had to deal with
scratches.
I ride western, team & ranch rope, & have been
teased by the cowboys for my meticulousness, as they say “Oh, the horse
needs fetlock hair for protection in the desert”. Well, I ride in the
nastiest rocky, cholla, spiny junk for “trails” here hunting cattle
out of the brush (one section is like Cougar Rock in the Tevis), &
protection has been an issue 3 times in 14 yrs (so I just take the multitool
pliers & pull out the cactus). In fact, I’d rather have a clipped
area there so I can actually see the cactus spines because one is going to pick
them up anyway, sooner or later…
