How All Wounds got started
All Wounds & Scratches cream - Large size
I would like to share with all of our friends how “All Wounds & Scratches” came to be.
My experiences with draft horses taught me a lot about how prevalent and nasty scratches can be. If you’ve never had a Clydesdale (or similar) with long hair on their lower legs also called “feathers”, you’d be surprised at how much of a problem this is. The long feathers traps the moisture and is a feeding ground for fungal skin issues. Additionally, if you own horses, you know that some horses are more susceptible then others to get them. It wasn’t until about seven years ago I started having to deal with scratches among a couple of my horses who were sensitive to certain dirt compounds when training and at events on foreign ground such as desert sand.
This got me tinkering and experimenting with different ingredients until I came up with a formula to both heal and prevent “scratches” for both my work and personal horses. Once I did, I made it a part of our regimen for those horses who were susceptible to scratches, putting it on before every training and endurance ride, and during the event.
Over the years I learned that One Sun requires protection from scratches in both training and competition. So to combat it, I have gotten into the habit of applying my scratch cream before and during any ride as a preventative measure.
Taser on the other hand only seemed to require it when competing at desert rides. I learned while at a race in New Mexico. We were entered into the 50 mile competition and had just come into the vet check after our first loop. I did the required trot out and was surprised when he was off. Upon inspection, we could see that he had developed some serious irritation in the heal/pastern area, which was raw and painful. You could actually see little pieces of skin peeling away. I’ve been told desert sand has components in it that are harsh over time and can cause serious skin irritation. So I used the only thing I had with me, Desitin, and applied it generously over the red area. Upon representing, Taser trotted out sound so we were allowed to continue. For the remainder of the ride, I made a point to apply it every five miles (this was a real chore). It was really messy, held all the dirt from the trail, stunk, came off too easily, and the mess it made on my hands, clothes and tack was criminal. However, we did get our completion. Going forward, I made it a point to always have my wound/scratches cream in my saddle and insure Andy did too!
Having said all that, you’d be surprised that I forgot to bring my scratch cream as a back up to Tevis 2022. It wasn’t a priority in my mind as I didn’t think our horses would get it on that trail since they never had in the past.
Morning of the Tevis 100-mile ride, 2022. Andy was set to ride One Sun, and I was on Taser. It was truly an epic feeling to start this race with my husband who was attempting to complete his first Tevis. What made it even more incredible was he had double knee replacement surgery only one year prior.
Our plan was to stick together to at least Robinson Flat vet check. As we were leaving Red Star on the trot out, I noticed that Taser was reluctant to move out, which was unusual. He trotted sound, but it had me concerned so early in the game. As we got on our horses and continued down the six-mile road leading to Robinson Flat, Andy noticed Taser’s reluctance, and informed me that the back of his pasterns looked “red and irritated.” That is when I realized what I forgot! Believing Taser wouldn’t get scratches at Tevis, it hadn’t crossed my mind to bring any of my All Wounds cream, and I was out of Desitin. I asked Andy if he had any with him for Sun, and he did not. Dang…. How could I be so careless I asked myself. But despite the evidence in front of me, I was still not believing it could be scratches. I was clearly in denial.
We rolled into Robinson Flat, and once at the vet line, I trotted Taser out and noticed he wasn’t quite right. The vets took my card and told me to return after the hour. I immediately started going down the list of what could be wrong: was it the rock we stumbled on? Was it the new pour in pad? Still I didn’t blame it on scratches quite yet. I did ask my crew to get me some of my All Wounds cream, but all we could find was a nearly empty bottle of Desitin. I spread it on his pasterns and let him eat. We did our recheck and he was magically healed. Still my brain was stuck on other reasons why (I cannot say why other than there were so many other things I was focused on). When we were at the out timer, I told Andy to go on without me as I was planning on slowing down to make sure Taser was okay.
Taser and I walked for many miles before he felt better and wanted to trot, which wasn’t until Dusty Corners. I eventually squeezed out the last of the Desitin prior to Chicken Hawk. Amazingly we had caught up to Andy and Sun, who at one point were an hour ahead of us. We pulsed down right away, and during our trot out I saw lameness again. I knew it wasn’t good, and the vet gave me the same requirement to come back after our hold to represent. We went to work icing his foot in case of the “boulder” or “pad” issue. I asked my crew to search for more scratches cream, but they couldn’t find any.
This is where you can make mistakes so many hours and miles in. This ride demands both physical and mental strength, and at 68 miles this can be a challenge. It was at this point I still wasn’t thinking scratches was to blame. Unfortunately, Taser was pulled for lameness.
Just a few a days after the dust settled, I discovered Taser’s heel & pastern area on the leg he was presenting as lame was covered with scarring from scratches! Blow me down and call me stupid… there it is, my rookie mistake, my “aha” moment, while at the same time the realization of how much my stubborn refusal to see what was in front of me and the simple oversight of assuming he wouldn’t need the cream caused him to be pulled. I cant describe how mad I was at myself! Worse yet, I had to tell Andy he was “right!” Within a couple days of coating his pasterns with All Wounds cream, they were dried up and gone.
With that knowledge in hand, and humbled by my mistake, Taser and I went on to finish strong with our other two horses Shai Anne and Sun at the Red Rock Rumble 100 eight weeks later. I made sure to put the All Wounds crème on before, during and after the ride on all three horses. We came in 3rd, 4th, and 5th right behind 2nd. All three looked amazing the next morning for Best Condition showing. Best Condition went to Taser, which was the icing on the cake.
It was at this ride that a friend of mine urged me to start selling this cream so that it would be available to everyone. It took me some time to get around to the idea as I was already overwhelmed working at a full-time job in southern California, commuting on weekends, and trying to help maintain our ranch, horses, and Airbnb. The last thing I wanted to do was add another component to the mix.
What changed for me was finally making the decision to retire at my job of 28 years, thereby ending the full-time work commitment, long commute, and stress on my family. It finally seemed like the right time to get my cream out there.
This cream has been a game changer for us. After a couple years of successful use, we started putting it on other types wounds with the same miraculous effect! The best thing about it is how it stays on, turns into a dried, clay like paste that resists water and dirt. That success led me to believe if it worked so well on horse wounds, why not start using on my own? I started applying it on my rubs and burns after a ride. It had the same affect, staying on and keeping my clothes from sticking to the wound, providing a protective coating. I also learned it kept the dreaded “burn” from happening when getting into the shower, and it stayed on during and afterwards. So when deciding on a name, it simply named itself.
I truly hope you love it as much as I do. I am confident it will make all the difference for your horses too.