Best sweetitch rug?

Wagtail

Horse servant
Joined
2 December 2010
Messages
14,815
Location
Lincs
Visit site
My boy doesn't have classic sweetitch but is allergic to mosquito bites and comes up in lumps up to 8 inches in diameter. He has a good flyrug (weatherbeeta airflow) which he seemed all right in last year but this year, just at night he is racing round and going mad. I took off his rug and shook it out and he had lots of mossies under his belly biting away. My mare is not bothered in her airflow rug. So, any suggestions? I don't want to have to bring them in as we only get a few months of 24/7 turnout and they have a field shelter. Thanks.
 
You could also look at the Pagony, again very similar to a Boett but much, much cheaper, google Solva Icelandics, they recommend them and it is the one I would be buying if I still needed one. Apparently they are best if there is nothing to rub on but that is pretty much the same with the Boett.
 
Dolcé;10736995 said:
You could also look at the Pagony, again very similar to a Boett but much, much cheaper, google Solva Icelandics, they recommend them and it is the one I would be buying if I still needed one. Apparently they are best if there is nothing to rub on but that is pretty much the same with the Boett.

Thanks. I will take a look. He is not really a sweet itch horse but is very thin skinned and the mosquitos just love him. They mainly bite his belly and between his front legs so something that covers the belly and goes between the front legs would be a relief to him I think. He doesn't rub his mane and tail, thankfully.
 
mine has a Rambo sweetitch hoodie. I think its excellent. Highly recommended. I Am considering buying my other horse one too even though he doesnt have classical sweetitch he just rubs when there has been a big midgy attack.
 
We also used pagony rugs when we had a sweet itch pony. Excellent rug at an excellent price. Was about 4 years ago, remember their advice line was really good. I will have their phone number somewhere if it hasn't changed. Let me know if you want it.
 
I use the equitheme one it's as good as the De Meulenkamp one I had which was twice the price! Only thing is they come up small my pony has a normal 5 ft 3 rug but is in a 5ft 9 equitheme!
 
Dolcé;10736995 said:
You could also look at the Pagony, again very similar to a Boett but much, much cheaper, google Solva Icelandics, they recommend them and it is the one I would be buying if I still needed one. Apparently they are best if there is nothing to rub on but that is pretty much the same with the Boett.

Um........ I bought a Pagony rug several years ago as thought the Boett was a bit pricey and this apparently is the "cheapie" version of it.

I personally wouldn't buy one again. The quality was inferior; basically the stitching around the seams was done in single stitch like you'd use on your sewing machine, so I was always having to repair it, and the bits around the neck which is elastic have all come undone as well!!!

Also there's a separate head cover hood thing - again the quality and finish left a lot to be desired, and again, I had to sew the flippin thing up again myself.

:( Blimmin thing, seriously not impressed, not worth the money IMO. Seemed to spend all my time mending it. Wouldn't buy one ever again, would go for the Boett next time and hope the quality & stitching is better.

Am using a Rambo Sweet Itch hoody on mine at the mo; seems to do the trick. Also you could try the Performance Equestrian ones - have had one of theirs for ages and its fab.

Also.... if you can find somewhere that sells them - the Pessoa Sweet Itch hoody is fantastic, as good as the Rambo. But don't know who's selling them now??? (if anyone knows, please PM me!! - thanx).
 
I've got a Pagony on my Welsh D. He doesn't have sweet itch but we have a lot of standing water, made worse recently because we flooded before the heat wave!! I've found it to be quite good, I alternate between using that and a Snuggy hood sweet itch hood & rug to try and avoid rubs in the same places. Yes its cheaper but for the price I've been pleased.

The only problem I have is that it doesn't stay in place very well when he rolls, but thats seems to be the case with all the sweet itch rugs I've used so far, I think its his overenthusiastic rolling!!
 
I use the equitheme one it's as good as the De Meulenkamp one I had which was twice the price! Only thing is they come up small my pony has a normal 5 ft 3 rug but is in a 5ft 9 equitheme!

Oh no. I have just ordered one and ordered his normal 6 ft 3. Might try to email them to see if I can get it changed.
 
Update:

I bought the equitheme sweet itch rug and it seems to have made a big difference to my boy. For the first evening in over a week, he is grazing peacefully, rather than charging around. I managed to get the rug order changed to the larger size (6' 6" rather than 6' 3") and it fits him perfectly. There was only one problem, and that is the rug has to be put on over the head, whch freaked my boy a bit, and so I brought him into the stable in case he suddenly charged off with the rug caught around his head. I also thought that it didn't look very comfortable, but he is completely content in it.
 
Are the flies more vicious this year? Our TB mare wasn't really bothered last year but tonight her belly is absolutely covered in bites and they are HUGE!
 
Are the flies more vicious this year? Our TB mare wasn't really bothered last year but tonight her belly is absolutely covered in bites and they are HUGE!

Yes, I think they are. My boy wasn't that bothered last year, but this year he looks deformed due to the massive lumps all over his body. :(

Hopefully, this rug will put an end to the new bites. He doesn't like sprays so I am waiting for some gel to be delivered that I can wipe over his sheath and insides of his thighs.
 
Top