Hi! Your horse has one of 2 things. An allergy to a caustic or toxic plant/bush in his hay or grazing, or he has Herpes 1. The FIRST thing is tear the hay apart and look for nettle, horse tail, and about a dozen other weeds that will show up in the last cutting for the year. That is my first guess. If you horses lips are pale in color, or white, he will me even more sensitive to toxic plants. Look in his mouth to see if you see any sores on his tongue or gums, there is your answer. IF this is NOT the case, then he has Herpes and this is also getting more common in horses, especially if you are sharing grooming tools or not cleaning your bit after each ride. Treat this with oral gel, blixtex in a tube or campho-phenique. I guarantee you horse will hate the smell of all three and raise hell, so give him a treat in his mouth and work fast. You could also ask the Vet what he would suggest. I have never had a horse with Herpes, just read about it with all the STDS coming out in breeding. This is harmless to you and a pure annoyance to your horse. There are other topical meds you can use, but for the most part he will just lick them off. If he hates those, ask your pharmacist for the latest in children's mouth care for sold sores. New stuff comes out each year, and I still find Blistex and Oral gel Extra strength will numb the area for a brief time and help it heal. If you have any other questions, please ask.
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