Beetle's hindquarters

No buts about it, it's been a rough winter!

I could finally give Beetle a bath last weekend, and I was horrified by the state of his butt! Horses don’t have access to toilet paper or bidets, but normally when they poop, it clears their body and plops on the ground. Beetle had some, shall we say, runnier stools this winter, which meant it was dribbling down his butt and hind legs. As I washed it all off on Saturday, I realized he had lost large patches of his coat.

Poor Beetle, I feel so bad! This is a classic case of ‘manure scalding’. (Who knew that was a thing.) Once we got him all cleaned up, my instructor recommended Skin So Soft (is there nothing that miracle elixir can't do?) followed by diaper rash cream to prevent further issues.

We’re also adding a supplement to his feed to settle his tummy.

I’m going to the barn four times a week to follow this protocol. He’ll be the cleanest horse there! Of course a tube of diaper rash cream is sized for a baby, not a horse, so I’ll be getting this stuff in bulk. Maybe I'll buy some stock in the company!