I opted to give him the following week off, only linimenting his back, buting for a couple days, and shoving food in his face.  BM's hypersensitive about the weather right now, while trying to keep the new foal comfortable.  So I've found myself pulling extra blankets off of Archie periodically.  While we're out of town, she sends me a text photo of his shoulder, which is bald.  I ask if he's been bitten or if his blanket rubbed him raw.  She initially thought it was his blanket, but, you know, it actually looks like rain rot.

Secretly hoping that the Kid just got bit.  :(

By the time I got out to the barn on Sunday and pull the Kid out of his pasture, he is covered in rain rot.  All over his shoulders, under his mane, down his spine and along his ribcage, on the top of either side of his butt and on either side of his tail.  He's just lost chunks of hair.  I very, very gently worked some of the scabs free with my SleekEz, took off his extra blanket and sent him back out.  All I can figure is that he's been sweating under the extra blankets, as the Kid really hasn't been rained on.


When the vet came out on Monday, he almost didn't believe that it was rain rot until I showed him how well the SleekEz worked.  Turned the man into a believer.  I already have Malaseb and was directed to treat as normal and to get back on him as soon as he's no longer tender.  Kid needs to work.  Vet made a comment that stabbed me in the heart:  he's losing his topline and starting to look his age.  THE HORROR.

We discussed the ringbone and my thought that he needed another injection, but the vet felt that he looked too good in the ring to warrant it.  But he looked like shit on the grass.  So the new verdict is that we can walk in grass, but all of our "hard work" needs to be in the ring.  Maybe that'll change when the ground softens a bit.  Trail rides are still okay, in fact, advised due to the potential for straightness.  This is all getting really exciting, right?