No expert, but understand this is a fungal condition that causes sores and raw spots on the hocks, and fetlock of horses. I understand too that the small sores can bleed and be unsightly, even giving the appearance of abuse. I've not had the problem, but this is what I have been told.

Good Luck with the problem if that is what it is, fungal thingy's can be tough in a moist climate, and while not life threatening, very uncomfortable.

Steve, on the Grey Arabian

Check out the following website, it pretty well describes it.

http://horses.about.com/od/commonproblems/p/greasyheel.htm

I have had to deal with scratches on allot of my horses. I find that it is most common on horses that like the water and mud and that have white socks. I think it is a combination of the wet and then the heat of the sun that causes the fungus to grow. It is very unsightly but can be easily treated. I use a liquid Athletes foot treatment on my filly. It will hurt a little at first but it clears her up in about 3 days. When I move her to her summer pasture I just put the stuff on every day and seams to keep her healthy. I do not have the option of putting her in a dry area all the time. I have never had a lameness issue with it. I have heard that if left untreated it can get so painful for them. Hope it helps.

I had to deal with scratches a few years ago having never seen it before. oddly enough, it was a rather dry spring when my gelding had some dry sore spots on his ankles. Even during the summer, they never went away. I have heard of dozens of different treatments. I used some Utter Butter mixed with DMSO and the healed up. The trick is to keep them moist so they don't crack open much like a scab. When another younger gelding started developing some scabby spots, I left it alone and it pretty much ran its course,helaing up without any interevention.

You can also use diaper rash cream, anti-biotic ointments and yeast infect creams. Some people clip the hair aorund the sore spots, others have left it aone. I did both at one time or another and cannot say which is better other than clipping the hair makes it easier to apply treatment to.

I have read one needs to remove the scabs but I tend to disagree as the scabs are painful, it irriates the skin.

Scrathes isn't lethal just a annoying problem that will go away.

My last yearling had them for a few weeks, the farrier diagnosed it for me.  Moving him to an inside stall and out of his muddy paddock worked.  I washed his legs with iodine shampoo and a topical fungal liquid for horses(same stuff treats ringworm and rainrot)...I think I found it at a feed/tack store.  It never came back, but I washed his legs after he got muddy from then on.  None of my other horses caught it, even when released into the same muddy paddock.

I have been told that dirty stalls can be a factor in this condition and that Geldings are more prone than Mares because geldings splash pee on their front pasterns.

Well I went to visit this horse a day earlier than I was suppose to, kinda snuk up on her. I wanted to see the horse before she had a chance to prep him, if ya know what I mean. He is awesome. True registered Medicine Hat Paint. Two blue eyes, just a real looker. He is still a little silly but he is only 4. She rode him and he did a rockying horse kinda buck, but I thought that was exceptable for his age and the fact that she hasn't ridden him for a year, his legs were shaved but no physical scars from the scratches, but now that I know what causes it I understand why he developed them, the boarding stable she is at is a swamp, the barn area is nice and dry and it is a nice place, just wet all over. They have some major drainage issues. She said that they just moved here from Arizona and he never had scratches out there. Anyway, I told her to take her time and make sure this is a decision she can live with (giving her horse away) and call me. By the way she is not preg, like I was told, she just had a baby and is having to come and clean stalls 2X a day at the stables to cut her board fee and so her horse can stay in the barn and not go out into the wet pasture. Her horses are extremely clean and well cared for.

Thanks for all the info and replys

one more remedy - we had two mares that were prone to this on their white hind legs and they got it in the front area.

Vaseline coated on real thick - yes it will get dirty and be messy, but leave it on for a couple days.  Then wash the area and the scabs will just flow off with the soapy water and the area underneath is nice and pink.  Be sure to keep this area clean and as dry as possible and if it starts to get coated looking - put the vaseline on again.  Just another inexpensive, easy method that worked for us.

We use this product. Fast , easy, and inexpensive.

http://www.belumedx.com/trainers/scratches.htm