What are the little bald patches on my horse.

[Kirsty]

My horse has dandruff under his mane and little bald patches on his face and some under his tummy. He rubs his face quite a bit but I can't see any little bugs on him. What could it be and how do I help him grow his hair back?
He is out in a paddock all the time - we live in NZ.
Thanks for reading this, hopefully you can help...

[CLAUDIA]

I'm not entirely sure because I'm not a vet and I can't see your horse, but it's still possible that he can have parasites irritating him. This would make him scratch a lot causing hair loss. There are several families of microscopic parasites that can cause this, so you could try to find out by calling the vet.

[David]

Hi Kirsty,
I get the same problem here in South Africa and the remedy is really quite simple and very inexpensive,probably the only inexpensive thing to do with horses. Use lime sulphur, the liquid variety, mix it one part lime sulphur to 12 parts water and rub it into all over your horse, espially into the bald patches. It stinks like hell and watch you do not get it into your eyes or on your skin. It works like a dream and controls all these mites and strange unidentifiable skin problems that occasionally appear. A very friendly vet gave me this years ago and I guarantee that it works. Apply it maybe once a week for three weeks. Sorry about the smell.

[David]

Kirsty,
Sorry I forgot to mention, watch that you do not get it into the horses eyes, be careful on his face. Really scrub it into the mane and the tail head.

[CLAUDIA]

Just a little added info: :)

Be careful with the sulfur/lime mixture. It should be made in a ratio of one part lime and sulfur to not less than eight parts water. If you use it any stronger, it can blister the skin (1:12 like David suggested is probably suitable). The product is a fungicide that's used on plants like roses, so you can get it in a garden store. It's very effective, but the downside is that it has a very bad sulfur odor. It's commonly used to treat rain scald.