So that you know - I write a lot. This is not meant to upset you but asks a lot of questions. I'm not saying you are doing anything wrong. Your mare looks fantastic! Other than the "raw spots", of course. I'm really curious to know what is going on with your mare. Let us know what the vet finds on his visit on the 16th.
Yes, it could be allergies - to something in the paddock, pasture or floating in the air. It could be something in the hay.
You don't say what state you are in or what the "whole" situation is. Have you owned her long? It sounds like you board her? How long has she been at this barn? Does she get the same hay as the other horses - both when inside and out? When your mare is outside - is she on a dry lot w/ just the grass hay or on a pasture w/ some type of grass/flowers/shrubs or trees? if on pasture, is there clover in it? Is there dew on the grass in the morning? What plants/bushes/trees are pollinating? Has a neighboring farm/ranch been spraying anything? Spray herbicides (weed killer for hay & pastures) and nitrogen (liquid fertilizer) can both cause sensitivities to anyone with contact - human and animal - if blown by the wind into the paddock/pasture she's in OR on to the hay that you are currently feeding. Is your mini the only horse on the property to show this?
I DID have one pony that would get blisters on her muzzle/face on the years that we had cotton planted in the fields around the drive into our leased acreage - when they sprayed the "stuff" that "killed" the plants so they could harvest the cotton. The same spray makes me violently ill, too. I have two ponies (a mini & a 1/2 Arab/Shetland) right now that have "sweet itch" or a sensitivity to the small biting flies - but it looks different than your girls' issue. Unfortunately, I don't have pics because I've avoided taking pic when they've been displaying that . I will have to dig thru some originals that may show the issue if I crop the face/chest.
That "hardening" of the skin and the hairless, raw areas around her muzzle is similar to what I've seen in large horses that have been on frosted or dew laden pastures (with alsike Clover - considered poisonous and causes extreme light sensitivity) and then in the sun - in the spring and in the fall. The light colored horses will actually blister and burn and then slough off the skin after that funny looking "hardening"...
Are there trees & bushes right now that are blooming or pollinating? I have 4 out of 27 horses & ponies that have sensitivities to the pollen "floating" around. One of those - her eyes will swell up and look like the eyeball is ready to burst right out of the socket. Later in the year, I will have others... But they don't have the raw spots around their eyes - even with the extra drainage and "boogers", nor do they have the skin issues around their muzzles. They do have to wear fly masks - usually 24/7 and I take them off while they eat their feed and if necessary wash/rinse the area around their eyes and flush the eye with any of a variety of things depending on the situation. I also will hose off the fly masks and every so often they come in and go in the washer. Saline solution, cold running water from the hose or warm water from the house applied with a washcloth are my main treatments. A fly mask will not protect the area around your girls' mouth/muzzle.
Equine eye ointments and equine eye drops that I'm finding on line are by prescription - meaning that the vet would have to examine her eyes first and prescribe them. I've not tried Vetricin Eye Wash (not a prescription) - and the last time I checked a bottle there wasn't an ingredient list on it, so can't say anything for or against it. I favor plain saline solution until a vet checks my horse's eyes and your mare is having an issue with more than her eyes. The main ingredient in Clear Eyes? Sterilized water! Could purchase a gallon for a lot less (if you are on a budget)...
I know that there are sooo many eye drops for humans now, that it's unbelievable. But if most of them irritate my eyes, they may cause undue irritation to the horse as well. Some of the eye drops I was studying last week at the pharmacy (CVS) did not have antihistamines, but I wasn't familiar with the other ingredients. I also find that neither me nor most of our horses do well with all the preservatives in a lot of the eye products now. Horse products are different than a lot of the OTC eye products for people. I'd still have to check with the vet to find out which kind would be best to use for my horse... I've got vets that will tell me an equivalent OTC product to use for different issues - and some will REALLY do that if it means I spend more on a regular basis with them for other procedures, more often...
