My husband has a 3 yr old draft cross that has odd marks on both sides of his cheeks. The halter and his bridle don't run there. We pitch hay into a tire feeder so nothing really to rub on there. Their water is in an open tank. What could it be from? I'm not sure if he is just rubbing on something or if its a skin thing. What do you guys think?

And I can't get the pictures to upload

if you want to you can send the pictures to me and I will post them for you, I will pm my email address, just let me know.

That would be great!

I sent my email address to ya,, I'm curious about those spots myself, lol. So I will check on you tomorrow.

heres the pictures,,

 Have you seen horses playing with each other and they are nipping at one another, thats what it kinda looks like to me. Or, she is rubbing them because shes got itchy cheeks. But it really dont look like rubbing if so she would have more hair rubbed off, so I'm thinking another horse may have been nipping her thats why the hair looks cut instead of rubbed off, LOL, (Just thinking to myself out loud here), 

I can see crusty spots all over. Maybe fungal or insect bites if you have active insects. Possibly external parasites. 

What's it feel like?  

That's what we were thinking also. Poor guy is with two crabby mares so maybe they are nipping at him 

It does look a little like bug bites but we are in North Dakota, so no bugs here. Could it be worms?

Oops, I dont know why I thought mare when you said it was a gelding , I just think maybe the mares are nipping him, maybe hes trying to sneak a bite of their food and thats where they are getting him on the cheeks, you can see where new hair has come in in little areas of his cheeks, I blew up the pictures when I got them and it looks to me hes being nipped I dont really see any signs of bugs are worms I would think if it were bugs or worms there would be some oozing sores with pus or a clear/yellow liquid like stuff coming out of sores. I dont see sores I just see where the skin has been pinched looking.