Gracie gets mallenders a little from time to time and in her case I'm convinced it is exacerbated by what she consumes. I don't feed her anything that contains biotin (which is why I went for the FP balancer) and it's definitely worse when she eats lots of sugary grass. She's been muzzled this spring/summer so far and all I've seen is a bit of greasy dandruff in her feather, she doesn't seem to have any sores this time And she's not stamping her feet at all either. From a diet and nutrition perspective, supplying a balanced diet that provides adequate good quality protein plus vitamins and minerals are all important for general skin health and support. In addition, a small amount of a high quality oil rich in essential fatty acids such as omega 3, can also help skin health and suppleness.

Therefore I should continue doing what I am doing. I would do better in treating the condition if I removed the excess skin/scabs and treated with an antibacterial, but this would hurt and sting and, as the vet said, "end up with you on the roof of your stable and Sid up the other end of the field". She thought it wasn't worth the trouble for a mild condition. It is therefore an infection that can lie dormant in the horse's skin and only becomes active when the surface of the skin is damaged, which usually happens through prolonged exposure to damp conditions. Brewers yeast is very good for digestion with the added bonus that it's very good for skin and hooves too, you should see a difference within a month. The skin should be supple and shiny at al times even with a winter coat if she is healthy and that will show in the state of her mallenders too. You could add oil to her feed but being what she is that might not be good for her waistline. Also, being what she is she might be finding your grass to rich for her which will all have an effect on the skin; gypsy cobs are bred to be hardy and do well on the cheapest ground, by bringing them out of their comfort zone to richer grazing and diets let alone being molly coddled (not saying you do, just generalizing!) with rugs and all sorts it's not surprising that their bodies and systems sometimes react differently.

What is mallanders and sallanders?

I felt alone for 4 years, nobody knew what he had nor did they know what to do except for oiling. Now it’s all past history cause of you.” Often, attempts to remove the mallanders and sallanders in horses can do more harm than good. Usually, they are just unsightly but in some more extreme cases, they can become infected. Trying to keep them soft by using aqueous based creams can be beneficial if they are prone to becoming chapped. Link to nutrition Head and shoulders shampoo - yes this is really good on scurfy skin. Do a patch test first though as it’s quite a harsh shampoo. Owner-recommended treatments: https://forums.horseandhound.co.uk/threads/mallenders-best-treatment.708427/

I injured my knee and didn’t put any cream on his legs for 6 weeks. They became a mess and when a friend tried to put cream on them, he wouldn’t let her get anywhere near. He was due a sedation to get his teeth done, so I asked the vet to clean them for me, which he did using warm water and hibiscrub once the scabs were off, there was only a bit of pink skin, no bleeding, so the vet thought that he was sore simply because the scabs were pulling on his hairs. the vet was happy for me to continue with the Cetreban cream and as I am now a bit more mobile, I am managing to keep on top of them. This for me was confirmation that the routine I have is working well for us. Chorioptic Mange is caused by the feather mites Chorioptes equi that live on the surface layer of the horse’s skin. They are only about 0.3mm in size so can’t be easily seen by the naked eye. The mites feed on the skin debris and can live for around 70 days after hatching from eggs laid on the surface of the horse’s skin. The lower legs are the most common place for the mites to live and although feathered horse breeds seem to be most affected, they can be found in any breed of horse or pony. This condition is more common in breeds with this genetic characteristic How to Treat Mallenders and Sallenders The term mallenders covers a variety of skin conditions that are actually known as tether dermatitis. It can be caused by a variety of bacteria that thrive primarily in muddy, wet conditions.

Symptoms of feather mites in horses

Although nutrition and diet are frequently discussed on forums and linked to mites, mallanders and sallanders in horses, there isn’t any scientific evidence to support this information. For example, there is often talk, particularly on social media, of biotin making mallanders and sallenders worse however, there is no scientific evidence to support this. Biotin is a naturally occurring vitamin present at low levels in grass and forages and is produced internally by the horse itself as it breaks down fibre. It is therefore impossible to provide a diet which is completely free from biotin. There is no benefit to removing biotin containing feeds or supplements from horses with this condition and long term this may actually make it worse. The only effective treatment is either with off licence moxidectin or ivermectin leg wash from your vet. At the moment I'm thinking I'll wash in T-Gel once a week to get rid of any sort of build-up that may have occurred and apply a moisturising cream of some sorts (now thinking Vaseline?) 4 times a week (can't do more than that as he's only loaned out 4 days a week and on his non-loaning days I can't really expect yard staff to traipse down the field to rub a bit of moisturiser onto a couple of scabs!). Pig oil - didn’t do anything for the itching but made the feather REALLY soft and silky. My horse was horrendously allergic to sulphur so pig oil only.

Ivermectin and Doramectin, both active ingredients in wormers, as well as Fipronil which is in flea products, are all options which may be used to treat feather mites. Pig oil and sulphur is a traditional treatment which may also help. Clipping feathers off can help with applying treatments but is unlikely to resolve the issue on its own. Mallanders and sallenders treatmentWashing and drying - Horse was stabled at night. If I left his legs muddy they would still be soaked the next morning. If they were hosed off, his legs would be dry within the hour. I know the jury is still out about hosing but it was definitely the best thing for my lad.

I will try the brewers yeast too. I had wondered about feeding her oil, although she is difficult to keep the weight off so this might be a problem. Mallenders & Sallenders, what? Most horse people have never heard of these funny sounding and antiquated names, and unless you have a Gypsy, Shire, Drum, Friesian or horse with heavy feather, you're likely to never see it. Brush or leave alone? Some swear by brushing the feathers out and lifting the scabs, others feel they're better left alone. What's your view? I had a visit from my vet yesterday to discuss Sid's mallenders, which have flared up and dropped off during the summer. She was helpful. Her view was:

Dectomax - this by far was the most effective treatment and I knew within hours when another jab was due because the boy would trash his legs terribly. My vets also did a topical Dectomax solution. Scurfy, flakey skin is another common symptom of chorioptic mange and is believed to be the skin’s natural defence to shedding the mites. Often, even when the mites have gone, the horse’s skin continues to flake. What is mallanders and sallanders? Biotin (vitamin B7) is a water soluble vitamin and essential for several metabolic processes in the body – a deficiency is often linked to brittle hair and nails in humans and similarly in horses who have poor hoof quality. Some horse owners believe that supplementing biotin or feeding concentrate feeds with added biotin, could cause an over stimulation of keratin and thus lead to the formation of mallenders and sallenders, however there isn’t any evidence to indicate that removing biotin from the horses diet will improve the condition and potentially could make it worse.