Mysterious Skin Scrapes

[Maria]

I've also posted this on the Enlightened Equitation Website Forum, so apologies for the cross post.

My cob mare has been on part livery at a local yard since January. Earlier this summer she scraped a 1 inch area on her near side flank - superficial scrape that took the hair off and bled a bit. The yard thought she'd done it on the field gate when turned out as she was was objecting to the new electric yard gates being erected. It healed up and then another similar scrape appeared that couldn't be explained by colliding with gate.

Tuesday last week I went down in the evening and found a 2 inch scrape in a similar place - again on her near side flank. Walked the field but couldn't find any obvious source at the height of the wound. Yard reported that there was a smaller scrape alongside the re-opened 2 inch scrape on Monday morning. No obvious place for her to be doing this in the stable. As a temporary measure she's got a summer sheet on overnight.

Any ideas as to the source or reason for these scrapes?

She is a typical itchy scratchy cob but she's never had this type of wound before - and I'm concerned it's happening regularly.

[entreat]

Are there other horses in the field? Particularly ones with shoes on?

My boy got a scrape about 2" long & 1" wide on his rump from a shod horse who was holidaying in our paddock for a week or two. It took the hair & a bit of skin off, but it's growing back now. It's always a risk when turning out with shod horses, but one I accepted. Our boys like to play alot, but when one of the horses is essentially 'armed', something is bound to happen!