Bought a horse with sweet Itch have i any come back

Sympathise with you OP, looks like you might have been had, BUT sweet itch (as others have said here) can and does develop in a change of location or even stress of moving yards can set it off.

My boy's got sweet itch and he really isn't any bother once you've got your head around it. He'd have to wear a rug in the bright sunlight anyway, coz he's piebald and has a lot of white on top with pink skin, so burns easily. So even if he didn't have SI I'd still have to be very careful with him. He wears a Rambo sweet itch hoody; during the daytime I put on Killitch (Benzyl Benzoate) and at night he wears a fly mask with ears. I also use Avon Skin So Soft (www.avon-shop.co.uk) - fab stuff.

He's fed Brewers Yeast and Linseed; and I feed a sugar/mollassess free diet. In ridden work he wears a "Horseware" ride-on fly rug (looks like a jousting horse but who cares) and/or lots of Skin So Soft or Phaser fly spray.

So having a horse with SI isn't necessarily the end of the world, tho' appreciate you feel you've been had. But I'd have thought that if the horse had bad SI it would have evidenced already??? We had an early bit of hot weather in March and usually with a SI you need to start taking precautions as early as February when the midges are often around. So am not saying horse didn't have SI before you bought it, BUT change of location could have done it.

Again, on that subject, if you can manage it: the best place for a SI is a field/area which is as high up as possible and in the wind; bad places would be beside ponds/water courses and/or valleys and woodland areas or common land where the midges tend to congregate. So you may need to think about where you keep him.

But TBH having a horse with SI isn't, IME, any more hassle than any other horse. There's always something with every horse you get in any case......

Sorry meant to say that even if you'd had a vetting; unless there was evidence the horse had SI i.e. rubbing of mane/tail etc or rawness, which could be seen, it would be unlikely to be picked up unless bloods were taken.
 
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Sweet itch is classed as an unsoundness and should be declared when the horses is sold.

Yes, interestingly I just looked it up the law states that a seller must notify any potential purchasers if a horse is known to have sweetitch. It also says it may be considered an unsoundness.
 
Sweetitch is not a vice, it is a medical condition. It is a nuisance, but to be honest with proper rugs and a few potions you can control it. if the horse is a nice person other than this problem, I would just accept it and move on.
 
I've tried googling for Irish equine seller disclosure law etc. with no success. What search words did you use amymay? I'm assuming you got UK law. Irish law is based mainly on UK law but some areas are very different.

Really op you will need to speak to an Irish equine specialist solicitor to find out. Did the vet know? You could try asking here but it's a quiet forum, or find another Irish equine forum. http://irishnhsociety.proboards.com/index.cgi
 
I've tried googling for Irish equine seller disclosure law etc. with no success. What search words did you use amymay? I'm assuming you got UK law. Irish law is based mainly on UK law but some areas are very different.

Yes, UK law. I just popped in 'selling a horse with sweetitch'.
 
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