WHAT IS MALLENDERS & SALLENDERS?

Mallenders & Sallenders, what? Most horse people have never heard of these funny sounding and antiquated names, and unless you have a Gypsy, Shire, Drum, Friesian or horse with heavy feather, you're likely to never see it. Sallenders occurs in the crease of the knee on the front leg and Mallenders is present in front of the hock on the hind legs. You'll recognize it by the thickened, crusted scale and scabs on the front and hind legs of horses. Sallenders and Mallenders can become extremely uncomfortable for your horse and if left untreated can cause secondary fungal and bacterial infections that lead to lameness. The cause of Sallenders and Mallenders is the overproduction of keratin, the building block of hair, horn and that beautiful, luxurious feather. There is no cure for Sallenders and Mallenders but it can be managed easily. Equiderma Skin Lotion will gently soften the waxy buildup in a couple of days and the scabs will start to drop off. Equiderma Skin Lotion will also help prevent and address any infections associated with this condition. It is a simple, safe and natural treatment and will have your horse's legs smooth and free of scabs, cracks and pain in a very short time. Though they describe the same condition, Mallenders and Sallenders are different in where they occur on your horse's body. Mallenders shows up on the back of the knee on the forelegs, and Sallenders in front of the hock on the hind legs. While the names may sound funny the condition is not. You'll recognize Mallenders or Sallenders as hard crusts and scale in both locations. It is caused by excess keratin exuding from the skin and drying there. Keratin is the key structural protein that makes up hair, horns, claws, hooves, and the outer layer of skin. In horses with feather the body produces more keratin than in non-feathered breeds. This is what accounts for the lush feather, but in the case of Mallenders and Sallenders, too much keratin and allowing it to remain, can cause big problems.