Any tips for horse bothered by rape fields?

[Julia0803]

Hello all,

I was wondering if anyone else’s horse has a bit of a reaction to rape (the pollen I’m assuming)?

We were out at an endurance ride yesterday and had a brilliant time, but the 24km course was round A LOT of rape fields.

He clearly found it very uncomfortable, head shaking/snatching reins, and then trying to stick his nose on the floor/rub it on his legs.

Luckily, we don’t have much of it around our local hacking, the odd field to go past, but not like this when most of the ride was alongside yellow fields.

I’m just wondering whether something like a nose net might be helpful? Or any other tips?

Thanks in advance

 

[Patterdale]

Nose/eye net and cetirizine tablets for hayfever should help

 

[cauda equina]

I have no experience of this but have heard it said that feeding local honey might help, the reason being that it contains the sort of pollen grains the horse will meet in the environment and might lessen the immune response through desensitisation

 

[splashgirl45]

When I moved my mare to a different area she started head shaking quite badly, I discovered it was rape and a nose net did help but didn’t stop it. I moved her to another yard and the head shaking stopped completely and I never needed the nose net again ..

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Nose net or antihistamines.

 

[spacefaer]

I had a headshaker whose annual trigger was pollen instigated. (A different pollen or pollens) one year was hawthorn blossom for instance, another was OSR.

He had a combination of homeopathic tablets prescribed by the homeopathic vet Chris Day. Each year, a different combination. He was unrideable without them, twitchy if I ran out of one of the selection but perfect with them.

 

[ownedbyaconnie]

Nosenet and hayfever tablets. You can get loads off amazon for relatively cheap.

 

[conniegirl]

Vasaline in thier nose, a good dollop of it. Stops the pollen irritating the mucous membrane of the nose.

Helped my lad during rapeseed season

 

[Mrs. Jingle]

He has my utmost sympathy as a fellow rape seed pollen sufferer! I hate the stuff and it developed one year when our farm neighbour in Norfolk, grew it in every field surrounding our property. But I look dreadful in a nose net so just avoid going anywhere near the stuff these days, which is grand as I now live in cattle country.

On a more serious note, what helped my allergic to everything horse was wipe a ring of vaseline just inside her nostrils before a ride as well as using a nose net.
Edited to add just cross posted with conniegirl!

 

[Julia0803]

Thank you all.

I did really feel for him, even as a person my nose and eyes were feeling really itchy- there was just so much of it!

I’ll give all those a try and see how we go. I will look it up but I don’t suppose anyone knows offhand whether antihistamines are banned during competition?

Thank you.

 

[conniegirl]

Thank you all.

I did really feel for him, even as a person my nose and eyes were feeling really itchy- there was just so much of it!

I’ll give all those a try and see how we go. I will look it up but I don’t suppose anyone knows offhand whether antihistamines are banned during competition?

Thank you.

Yes quite a few of then are, check with your vet but some have quite long withdrawl periods too

 

[Fransurrey]

Second the vaseline. Be careful with the antihistamines. Cetirizine can still induce brain fog in humans, so it may affect his way of going. I used it with some success on my sweet itch pony, though (non-ridden).

 

[GreyDot]

Thank you all.

I did really feel for him, even as a person my nose and eyes were feeling really itchy- there was just so much of it!

I’ll give all those a try and see how we go. I will look it up but I don’t suppose anyone knows offhand whether antihistamines are banned during competition?

Thank you.

It is a controlled substance, so you wouldn't be able to compete with it. Vaseline should go a long way to helping though.

https://inside.fei.org/sites/default/files/2023%20Controlled%20Medication.pdf

 

[Barton Bounty]

Nose/eye net and cetirizine tablets for hayfever should help

This to a t!

 

[poiuytrewq]

My horse is quite bothered by rape and we have a lot around. Unfortunately he’s far more bothered by a nose net!
A net helps my friends horse who’s similar massively though.
I tried antihistamines but didn’t seem to work.
I’m going to try nostril vet this year.