# Getting Rid of White Spots?



## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

They're there forever. It's where her skin was damaged, and the hair grew back white. You can't get rid of it.


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## MN Tigerstripes (Feb 20, 2009)

They _might_ go away, but it's unlikely. There's nothing you can do about it but wait and see.


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## SkyeDawn (Mar 31, 2011)

They won't go away, think of them like scars. The hair itself isn't damaged, but it shows where the tissue was damaged.


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## its lbs not miles (Sep 1, 2011)

Well, there is way if you could find someone with the ability and willing to do it. But would you really want to spend the money and is it really worth it.

As everyone has pointed out, it's the damage done to the skin and hair follicles at those points. It is possible to remove that section of skin and stitch the none damage sections together, but you'll be left with scars. The other option isn't much better. You can have the "now" white follicles individually removed and replaced with follicles of the normal color hair harvested from another location.

Neither would be something to recommend. The damage to the follicles is done. Just don't add any more and the horse will be ok. Look at it as constant reminder of why a proper saddle fit is important.


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## Britt (Apr 15, 2008)

They're there forever. My mare has them as well on the sides of her wither from an old synthetic saddle that stretched out during her pregnancy and on her girth-area from an allergic reaction to a girth.

Just get used to them, lol... They really aren't -that- bad...


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## usandpets (Jan 1, 2011)

Agreed. They're there for ever. If it really bothers you, you could try hair dye or maybe shoe polish as a temporary fix
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## minihorse927 (Aug 11, 2008)

They could possibly, and this is rare, go away IF they are not severe. I have a stallion here that had two on his back, just behind the withers, from a ill fitting harness and they did go away after the harness was no longer being used. These were something that showed up in a very short period of time and the harness was used a lot but not for a lengthy period of time. They went away by the next summer when we clipped him again.

This is not common for the skin to repair itself, but it is possible. They are no big deal if they do not go away.


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## KaleylovesCharm (Feb 15, 2012)

They won't go away, this isn't neccessarily from pressure; but from the saddle/saddle pad rubbing.


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

minihorse927 said:


> They could possibly, and this is rare, go away IF they are not severe. I have a stallion here that had two on his back, just behind the withers, from a ill fitting harness and they did go away after the harness was no longer being used. These were something that showed up in a very short period of time and the harness was used a lot but not for a lengthy period of time. They went away by the next summer when we clipped him again.
> 
> This is not common for the skin to repair itself, but it is possible. They are no big deal if they do not go away.


I agree with mini horse. 

They MIGHT go away if the spots aren't that bad and haven't been caused for a huge period of time. The reason I know is that I had a heck of a time getting a western saddle to fit my short backed wide mustang. (In a lot of ways he is built like a Haflinger). Every 6 months to a year I would get a new saddle, think it's a good fit, and by the end of the riding season white "roaning" would start showing up in various places. One saddle would cause hairs at the back of the tree, the other at the withers, one at the rigging, etc. 

But the cool thing is, when I got rid of the offending saddle and his summer/winter coat shed out, the white hairs would shed out with it. The only white marks that stayed were there when I bought him, from a cinch gall. But his back is fine.

So, no promises, but if the damage isn't too bad you might be pleasantly surprised this summer when he sheds out. 

However, I do have a friend whose saddles caused permanent marks. :-(


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## traildancer (Oct 27, 2010)

My dark bay horse got white rings underneath the cinch rings. I changed saddles and cinches and sprayed the area with Schreiner's after every ride and rubbed it in hard. The rings went away leaving only a few white hairs. Nobody believed it would happen.


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

Just fib and tell people your horse is "breeding stock" paint...with a couple of random spots.


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## Casey02 (Sep 20, 2011)

my horse had them from his previous owners and they are gone


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

minihorse927 said:


> They could possibly, and this is rare, go away IF they are not severe. I have a stallion here that had two on his back, just behind the withers, from a ill fitting harness and they did go away after the harness was no longer being used. These were something that showed up in a very short period of time and the harness was used a lot but not for a lengthy period of time. They went away by the next summer when we clipped him again.
> 
> This is not common for the skin to repair itself, but it is possible. They are no big deal if they do not go away.


I also agree with this. Some of them will fade over time if the ill-fitting tack isn't used anymore. It doesn't happen all the time, but it does happen occasionally. The thing is, there really isn't anything you can do about it beyond just making sure that the tack _you_ use fits. They'll either fade away on their own or they won't.


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## Hunter65 (Aug 19, 2009)

Hmmm I have been wondering this too. I got a new saddle for Hunter last June and the pad I was using wasn't thick enough. White areas showed up on his sides and back in August/September. I have since started using an awesome theraputic pad and he is hairy as a yak right now so will be interesting to see if they go away or not. At least you cant see them when he is tacked up.


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## mselizabeth (Oct 29, 2011)

My horse has had them for over 8 years. Since the day I met him. 

His old owners said they were from an ill fitting saddle.

I had an old friend tell me that they could be shaved down to the skin during fall when their winter coat was growing in, then with help of some vitamin E oil they _should_ grow back it's normal color. 

Personally, I would not do this to mine. We ride too much and shaved spots would make riding uncomfortable. However, it may be something to look into if they bother you that much. 

How big are the spots? Pictures?


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## LoveHaflingers (Feb 11, 2012)

Oh, well, never mind everybody. They are nearly gone this shedding season! Yay!


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## Hunter65 (Aug 19, 2009)

Well thats good news. Hunters are going away as well.


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## JaxesMom (Oct 24, 2016)

LoveHalflingers - Did the 'roan' spot ever go away?


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## Knave (Dec 16, 2015)

It seems that some horses get them extremely easy. My colt is a little odd colored with a beautiful sorrel coat and a perfectly roan hind leg. He had a spot on his nose and a perfect white spot on his cinch line when I bought him. Any bit of damage on him seems to come back either roan or white.

I rode him bareback with his winter coat and he developed large white spots. Then I really wanted to try one of those tacky reinsman pads and I noticed a little pulling so I bought a different pad. He has really dramatic white and roan spots now from that pad. My daughters horse has used the pad since and it hasn't even pulled a hair. I worry that there will always be something marking him up, but I don't think of him as any less for the spots. I just worry people will see them when he is old and think he was rode to death. Lol Or maybe I could do like the previous poster said and call him a paint. Lol


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