Sweat? Discharge?

[Grace O'Malley]

I took my son out to ride Morocha today. He is a teenager and likes to go fast, and so does she, so I thought a bit of a blast would do them both good. We warmed up well, and he rode her at trot and canter for maybe a half hour to 45 minutes.

Anyway, she worked up a good sweat, not a lather. But as he rode around me I could see white foam under her tail, sort of between her "cheeks". I just assumed it was foamy sweat and made a mental note to clean her well there after we were done.

So, as part of her post ride groom, I dampened a towel and wiped her carefully. Amazingly she didn't object to this, as she's generally pretty sensitive--but that's another story. Anyway, as I was cleaning, it almost seemed more like a discharge rather than normal sweat. No odor, just white and foamy looking.

Is it normal for mares to sweat in that area like that (I've mostly cared for geldings, so this is a bit new )? She's not obviously in season, but then (apart from when she was first introduced to the mixed herd ) she's not dramatic about these things so I don't find it easy to tell.

Should I be worried?

Thanks for any help

 

[equestrian3241]

I don't think you should be worried, I have worked around alot of mares and this often happens. If the mare you are talking about isn't in season then my guess is that this "foam" is just sweat that got lathered up from chafing. The skin under horses tails can sometimes chafe. Nothing to worry about, just make sure it gets cleaned up.

 

[Grace O'Malley]

I don't think you should be worried, I have worked around alot of mares and this often happens. If the mare you are talking about isn't in season then my guess is that this "foam" is just sweat that got lathered up from chafing. The skin under horses tails can sometimes chafe. Nothing to worry about, just make sure it gets cleaned up.

Thanks! That does make me feel better that my instincts were correct--gently clean it off her so it wouldn't dry there and chafe. And she seemed to be glad to have to removed (for a mare who generally tolerates gentle grooming but clearly would prefer to go without ).