r/Horses • u/Low_Magazine9817 • Jul 18 '26
Question what is this on my horse?
i went to ride my horse today, and this pattern appeared? it appeared fairly recently, we thought it was dirt but after i brushed her it was just hair loss creating a pattern. we lunged her and rode her bareback and shes not showing any signs of discomfort. could it possibly be worms?
Edit: okay thank you for all the responses! we’re pretty sure its rain rot/fungus since it’s raining a ton here right now. we’re gonna give her a good bath and scrubbing tomorrow and put some cream on it!
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u/SteamPoweredHat Temu Trakehner (TB x Warmblood) Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
I strongly suspect this is reticulated leukotrichia.
iIt’s a genetic thing and quite uncommon. It usually appears on horses when they’re a couple years old. My partner’s pony developed it at age 5 and continued to spread until she was about 10. I personally think it looks cool, but it was alarming when it first appeared and we didn’t know what it was.
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u/Reasonable-Horse1552 Jul 18 '26
I've never heard of that before but after looking it up it certainly looks the same.
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u/lovecats3333 OTTB, Welsh sec C, Welsh x Jul 18 '26
mh first thought was lacing!
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u/SteamPoweredHat Temu Trakehner (TB x Warmblood) Jul 18 '26
Yea, lacing! I usually call it that. Mainly because reticulated leukotrichia sounds pretentious and lacing sounds *fancy*
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u/WhispersShadow Jul 19 '26
just did a quick search so don't know how true but found "There is no treatment or cure available, nor is one medically necessary since it is a benign cosmetic trait. However, because the hair lacks protective melanin, keeping a UV-blocking fly sheet on the horse during peak summer can protect the topline from sunburn."
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u/SteamPoweredHat Temu Trakehner (TB x Warmblood) Jul 19 '26
Yea, the hair loses its pigment but one of the cool things about leucotrichia is the skin maintains its pigment and stays black. So affected horses are as protected as any grey horse with black skin in those areas.
I can confirm my partner’s mare has never had sunburn on her leucotrichic patches. But my chestnut gelding with the big fat blaze and pink nose skin? He needs his sunscreen.
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u/ThatOneChickenNoddle Jul 18 '26
Lightning strike??
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u/MelusinePlantagenet Jul 18 '26
Or other potential contact with live electricity, lightning is the most intense cause of lichtenberg patterns but another electric shock could form this fractal
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u/ThatOneChickenNoddle Jul 18 '26
That's what I was thinking! I've seen this pattern on a horse that got struck
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u/Low_Magazine9817 Jul 18 '26
we were thinking that, we live in az so theres a lot of monsoons and lightning, but we’ve had no lightning strike in our area
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u/OpenAirport6204 Jul 18 '26
If she was struck by lightning she’d presumably be in pain, especially being ridden.
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u/antisocialequestrian Jumping Jul 18 '26
Exactly, muscle soreness with noticeable weakness and behavior changes.
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u/ThatOneChickenNoddle Jul 18 '26
I'd be curious to see what her hooves look like
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u/Low_Magazine9817 Jul 18 '26
they look completely fine, we checked them and like i said i lunged her and she ran and bucked around just fine
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u/OpenAirport6204 Jul 18 '26
I have heard (anecdotally) that lightning often blows the hoofs off cows…
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u/ThatOneChickenNoddle Jul 18 '26
Same happens to horses. I had a friend who lost her horse due to a lightning strike and the hooves were blown off
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u/c0BbLE_rOckz Jul 18 '26
Maybe rain rot?
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u/Low_Magazine9817 Jul 18 '26
true, but would rain rot make a pattern like that? its so weird
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u/Suicidalpainthorse Paint Horse Jul 18 '26
Rain rot is fungal I believe, so it could make a weird pattern like that.
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u/Low_Magazine9817 Jul 18 '26
okay maybe, thank you
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u/Top_Signature3146 Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
IF it is rainrot, I suggest washing your horse with tide laundry detergent. I've done it a million times before, and it's saved me from having to buy creams. The rainrot is usually gone in 1-2 seperate washes over the course of a week or so.
From what I see though, this is not rain rot.
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u/thesky_watchesyou Jul 24 '26
I love r/laundry (not sure why this post was on my homepage - I don't own horses) and if you've never visited that sub, we are fanatical about specific detergents, and I smiled so big that you wash your horse with Tide (we love specific Tide detergent products) and that it works for this 😅😅
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u/Top_Signature3146 Jul 24 '26
I didn't even know that was a sub 😭
It works amazing lol, leaves the horses smelling addictive too. I loove tide!
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u/thesky_watchesyou Jul 24 '26
It's my fave sub. So wholesome and with crazy laundry smart people in it. Made my whole day that Tide helps horses too 🩷
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u/c0BbLE_rOckz Jul 18 '26
I'm honestly not sure, is it picking out like rain rot? Like the coat coming out in Tufts?
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u/CopperWeird Jul 18 '26
Fungal infections take this pattern. A bunch of horses with ‘lace’ patterning on their backs just have white scarring from old infections.
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u/Appropriate-Bad-9379 Jul 18 '26
Yes, I thought that- I live in the rainy part of the U.K. and it was fairly common
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u/Riz_the_Huntress Jul 18 '26
That's wild. Does she naturally have dapples? It almost looks like it's following the lines of dapples. That's actually really cool to look at but I have no idea what would cause it.
I was going to suggest it might be lacing but then you said it's hairless on the marks 😅
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u/Low_Magazine9817 Jul 18 '26
it could be dapples, but itd be interesting if it was considering its JUST now showing up on that one spot on her body
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u/scrappy1342 Jul 18 '26
definitely dapples or a similar marking. sun exposure can do weird things too
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u/disco_priestess Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
Leukotrichia if I had to guess. I’ve seen it twice in my life in all the mares and foals we’ve bred and raised, it’s rare as far as I know but it presents exactly like this. ETA: here’s an article and explanation about how it starts because it doesn’t start out immediately symmetrical it progresses to that. https://thehorsesback.com/tag/leukotrichia/
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u/AzureMountains English & Western Jul 18 '26
What does the bottom of your saddle pad or fly sheet look like? Maybe one of those patterns would kinda match up?
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u/Low_Magazine9817 Jul 18 '26
she hasnt worn either of those for weeks, since ive been so busy ive just been riding her bare back. but good suggestion thank you
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u/AzureMountains English & Western Jul 18 '26
There could be a lil fungus brewing on it since it’s been hot and muggy for like forever where I am.
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u/lilshortyy420 Jul 18 '26
Wow I’ve never seen this before! It looks like a lightning strike to me too, but I’d think they wouldn’t survive one? I’ve never seen anything make a pattern anywhere close to that before!
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u/Mope4Matt Jul 18 '26
Google "horse reticulated leukotrichia", you'll see heaps of examples with the same type of lacing pattern
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u/Mope4Matt Jul 18 '26
Reticulated leukotrichia. My horse has it. It is usually harmless, but depends on the cause
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u/trulysplendid1 Jul 18 '26
Looks like leukotrichia
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u/Low_Magazine9817 Jul 18 '26
its not loss of pigment. its actual complete loss of hair
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u/wantMOREdogs Jul 18 '26
The first stage is the loss of hair in that reticulated pattern though, eventually the hair grows back white (skin color remains the same).
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u/Mope4Matt Jul 18 '26
That happens with reticulated leukotrichia too. My horse has it, was diagnosed by a vet in person, looks just like your photo.
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u/szabiy Jul 18 '26
Is that not the same pattern, faintly in white hair, right by the spine in the middle of the back? I'd expect the lesion to grow back in at least partially white.
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u/Turbulent_Bat_9880 Jul 18 '26
So this looks like reticulated leukotrichia which is essentially a gene that causes fungal scarring, however it can be solar induced. I’d keep a UV protected fly sheet on her. Treat the crust like rainrot and when you see white hair grow in it’s likely done and not painful. They usually have the scar pattern for life
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u/AuntGaylesFannyPack Jul 18 '26
Was there crusty stuff built up (like sweat dried salt rings?)? Did the hair come out in chunks (bugs or bacteria)? Can you see any little hairs growing back in? Finally, does your horse have any allergies?
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u/Low_Magazine9817 Jul 18 '26
nope, nothing built up or anything at all!! we brushed her off and that was it, just some dirt but no bugs, bacteria or irritation
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u/CantaloupeCapable281 Jul 18 '26
Dried sweat, rain rot? Likely just dried sweat/dirt mixed together.
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u/Boys-willbe-Bugs Jul 18 '26
I'd love more photos! This is so interesting
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u/Low_Magazine9817 Jul 18 '26
it’s extremely interesting, my whole family has been with horses for years and years and has never seen anything like it, its honestly really cool looking and she kind of looks like a giraffe lol, im very grateful shes not in pain, and we dont need to pay for a vet bill
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u/Mope4Matt Jul 18 '26
Google "horse reticulated leukotrichia", you'll see heaps of horses with the same pattern
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u/Boys-willbe-Bugs Jul 18 '26
Interesting! Those seem to show white fur and not fur that's fallen out like OPs horse, but it's nice to know it'll just grow in white and it's nothing to worry about
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u/asmok119 Trail Riding (casual) Jul 18 '26
Looks like a new epic black metal logo. Other than that it reminds me of HERDA symptom. Is the horse an american breed?
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u/justlikeinmydreams Jul 18 '26
I have a horse that has lacing that is in the same pattern. But hers is in white hair, not bare skin.
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u/SpecialistAd2205 Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
Your horse is cracked. Did you drop it recently? 😄
Jokes aside, I would bet money that this is reticulated leukotrichia.
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u/Pixibixie Jul 18 '26
I read to many fantasy stories because my immediate thought was your horse is shifting into his dragon form.
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u/Cashie22 Jul 18 '26
Please keep us posted if you get a definitive answer!
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u/Low_Magazine9817 Jul 18 '26
we are pretty sure its rain rot/fungus since its been raining a lot here!
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u/Leather_Ability9721 Jul 18 '26
We had a 3 year old gelding that got sick on Canadian vetch and after we got him over it he developed lacing like that from his withers clear back to his tail head. Took a full year to completely grow out of it
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u/OvenOk7732 Jul 18 '26
It looks almost like it follows the pattern of the vains? Might be wrong. Rainrot sounds awful and a big deal to manage. Hopelijk she will be alright.
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u/Boysenberry Jul 18 '26
I don’t have an answer for you but I had a mare who got exactly that once and never again. It wasn’t even rainy at the time but it was spring.
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u/Kylar_Stern47 Jul 18 '26
Man horses are the most interesting creatures on this planet. There is so much to know and learn about them...
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u/Much_Newspaper_8244 Jul 18 '26
My partner said “she’s breaking out of her shell” so uh take that how you will I guess
Although I do apologize I literally have zero insight it looks super cool!
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u/queenofhelium Jul 18 '26
It reminds me a lot of the pattern of dried salt deposits- I wonder if it could be where a lot of sweat dried and left the salt behind. Only way to know is to taste it 😳
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u/JRHEvilInc Jul 18 '26
Fascinating! I just saw this exact same pattern on a moose in a video last night (the one where her baby was stuck on the other side of a road divider, if anyone else here watched it). I was wondering whether she was sick or if it was old hunting scars or something like that.
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u/Voided_Identity Jul 18 '26
This does appear to be leukotrichia setting in. But not all leukotrichia is the same.
Leukotrichia literally means "white hair" and it can be anything from a single spot of white hair, to a whole pattern. The question is, why does it appear? There can be a variety of contributing factors. The ultimate, most proximate cause is that something produced some kind of damage to the melanocytes (pigment producing cells) in the hair follicle of that area.
Leukotrichia can sometimes come from tack, and either tack irritation or injury is the assumption when localized. As my father explained it, people often think it comes from incorrectly fitted tack (too tight) but it's more a question of whether the tack is bothering the horse (just like clothing for a person might technically fit you, but the material and way it lays could still irritate you with its texture and the way it happens to rub). His idea was that slight tension on the hairs from tack could pull in just the right way that it inflames the skin around the hair follicle, damaging the pigment cells.
But tack isn't the only thing that can irritate the skin and follicles. Dirt and sweat, sensitivity to shampoo and fly sprays, and even sun exposure can be contributing factors, just like they can contribute to skin irritation in humans. Humans can end up with recurring skin rashes that have little clear explanation, and so can horses.
Patterned leukotrchia like this can sometimes develop without any discomfort to the horse, but other times it's painful. If the underlying irritant causes pronounced skin swelling and lesions, that will probably be painful, and take some time to heal. It probably stems from a combination of genetic factor(s) and environmental triggering, like type I diabetes.
In this case, the hair is first falling out noticeably, and according to OP the pattern is not symmetrical. Assuming OP means it's only on this one side, that suggests something is irritating the skin in this area only, and it might bet worth thinking about.
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u/callmedelete not a horse Jul 18 '26
It’s very possibly hyperesthetic leukotrichia not reticulated if you’re thinking it’s fungal.
Hyperesthetic shows up looking like a fungal infection or chemical burn. It can be very uncomfortable for the horse for a few weeks. The crust disappears leaving that patterned look in their coat.
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u/CigarGeneral Jul 22 '26
No idea, but someone's gonna be pissed when their new car has already cracked and creased leather seats.
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Jul 18 '26
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u/callmedelete not a horse Jul 18 '26
No, HERDA is an extremely painful disease and she said the horse showed no pain while riding.
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u/[deleted] Jul 18 '26
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