Anyone else's horse suffer with the Rape!

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canteron

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The rape is in flower and its so dry that my horse's cough is so bad that I can't do anything with her. (Out 24/7 with grass/soaked hay diet so its not the food!). Ventipulin is not helping just hoping for some rain to calm the situation down.

Any one else have this problem and any good solutions, apart from sitting it out?
 
Yep! My mare has suffered for the last couple of years and never sure if its the hay or the rape! However she's fine until about end Feb/March and then coughs so much and struggles to breathe and is then on Ventipulmin! She's been better since we've had some rain!

My TB is very head shakey with the pollen too!
 
Stenners said:
she's fine until about end Feb/March. She's been better since we've had some rain!

My TB is very head shakey with the pollen too!
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Mine is the same. Started getting snotty and a little more coughing around Feb/March, was bad all through March and April but has started to get better recently funnily enough as the rape near us has started to die off!
 
My share horse gets a bit snotty and wheezy during fast work around Feb/March. Interestingly, he's been on a low sugar diet the last two years due to a different issue and he's been much better. It still happens a bit but nowhere near as bad as it used to.
 
My boy started coughing in March (same time as last year) and vet put him on ventapulmin and sputapulmin which has helped. I found that soaking/steaming hay made no difference at all and realised it must be the rape. Might be worth having a look at Newmarket Equine Salt therapy as they recommend this for coughs/skin conditions. I tried one session when they came to my friend's pony and my boy really seemed to enjoy it, so if his cough continues I'm going to book the recommended three sessions.
 
Yes!!
My poor pony developed a dry sounding cough just over a month ago, and sounded very wheezy when in fast or Hill work, which was very surprising as he was very Fit beforehand. I called out the vet as I was hoping to get it resolved before our first event of the season, and he told me it was allergenic bronchitis caused by the extremely high levels of pollen this year :(
He said he's had hundreds of call outs for it - pony had 10 days of ventipulmin and Bute which really helped, and an inhaler for the days when it's particularly bad!
He has recovered really well, and evented this weekend with no problems. He seems to have some good days and some worse ones, so we're just taking it easy until the worst of the pollen is over. All the rape near us seems to be done flowering, so I'm really hoping they'll harvest it soon!
In the meantime he's out at night, fed soaked hay from the floor and is wearing a nose net in the field and when ridden. Currently trying to investigate some supplements to help him too- it's so frustrating timing wise, luckily he will recover and will be back to full health soon !
 
Mine too.

Got a new cob at the end of last year and she started sneezing and head tossing. At first I thought it was head shaking but after a few hacks out we worked out it was the oil seed rape. I bought a nose net but when it came it was too small and made her sneeze even more.

I've ordered a new one so we will see what happens. Flowers are starting to die here too so hopefully she is over the worst.

Anyone tried Global Herbs for this?
 
I had a horse that had problems when he was in the North East of England with lots of rape around, he was scoped and found to be severely ulcerated in his trachea. He moved to me in the West of Scotland where we don't have any rape and from day one didn't cough or have any issues.
 
EventingMum said:
I had a horse that had problems when he was in the North East of England with lots of rape around, he was scoped and found to be severely ulcerated in his trachea. He moved to me in the West of Scotland where we don't have any rape and from day one didn't cough or have any issues.
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OMG - thats awful to hear. I'm in the north east and we do have a lot of it around. :(
 
Try feeding a little locally produced honey with your feed. It works a treat for pollen allergies. Ideally you need it to be made within ten miles of where your horse is kept. It works like a vaccine building up a natural resistance to the local pollen.
 
Ladygrey, I've heard this before, any ideas how I could source it? Google didn't help! I have a very snotty, coughy north east horse ☹️
 
Best to go to your local farm shop and ask them who makes honey locally - but it needs to be within ten miles or so of where your horse lives. It sounds bonkers but ive done it for me and my horse for the last three years - i used to live on antihistimines for half the year - and never had a problem since.

It works better if you feed it in early spring to build up resitence before the pollen is out. you dont need much just a spoon a day id say.
 
Mine have all suffered a bit for the first time this year. Just mild coughs and occasional snotty nosed when it was properly in flower. I knew it was the rape as it worsens riding through it. (We are allowed on tram lines) one in particular starts head shaking and snorting close to rape. Weirdly I'm fine with it and I'm usually allergic to anything!
 
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