Scratches: Keep This Condition From Turning Chronic

developed scratches after spending too much time in wet turnout areas you may need to find him a drier paddock or pasture. Also consider longerterm solutions such as laying down gravel in chronically wet areas or taking other steps to improve drainage. It may take some detective work to discover the cause. Scratches may develop when a horses skin is chronically irritated by bell boots that dont fit or environmental conditions such as coarse arena footing. In other cases the skin is irritated by chemically treated bedding materials.
What NOT to do
Do not use home remedies on scratches. Bleach antifungal sprays meant for plants and other caustic chemicals can injure the skin and make the inflammation much worse.
Do not try to pick off the scabs. They are very painful to the horse and tugging at scabs may get you kicked. The scabs ought to soften and slough off on their own within a few days as the skin heals.
Call your veterinarian when 
the scratches infection grows worse despite treatment or does not heal within two weeks. Your veterinarian will want to rule out other conditions such as vasculitis or mange which can look very similar to scratches. In addition a prescription medication or a different treatment may be needed if the infection proves to be fungal rather than bacterial in origin.
the affected legs start to swell. If pathogens penetrate the outer layers of the skin a serious infection of the deeper tissues may result leading to painful swelling. Youll want your veterinarian to begin treatment promptly.
the scratches infection recurs persistently despite treatment and changes in the horses living conditions. Some horses are just more prone to scratches. But if yours seems to be constantly affected when others around him are not your veterinarian will want to
investigate the reasons why. One possibility is that your horse has an underlying disorder that affects his immune function.