The scurfy grossness (no photos, promise)

Sorry for the long radio silence everyone. I'll do another photo recap of the last few weeks soon (including details on the car...). They were ... long. But finally things are back on track.

Luckily for Guinness, his workload barely dropped through my disastrous long weeks. I say lucky because the last month has given us some of the most consistent and workmanlike rides we've ever had. Who is this horse who takes up contact immediately, works into the bridle most of the time, and actually tries to contort his body into the difficult bending and suppling exercises I'm asking him? He's been a solid rock to depend on, and months like this truly give me hope that we're on the right path to succeed at 2nd level and above.

Of course, there are always setbacks, and last week was no exception. I showed up at the barn to find an advanced case of the "gross and scabby" developing along Guinness' belly and into his girth area.

Nasty.

Surprisingly, Guinness stood (mostly!) still while I scraped and scrubbed off the offending scurf, skin, scabs, and hair, and treated the whole area with a heavy dose of hydrogen peroxide. (I prefer to use betadine for stuff like this, but I am all out!) Later, I scrubbed him with straight iodine, and called it good, but I decided to ride him bareback that night, to avoid any irritation.

Here's the question... why can I sit the medium trot so nicely without a damn saddle?

Are you serious, lady? You wanna practice canter departs on The Shark? Good luck...

A few days later, and the scurfy grossness is healing nicely. It's in the girth AREA, but not actually where my girth lays. It doesn't look or act like rain rot. I'm totally flummoxed. Any ideas?