Considerations when buying a horse with sweet itch?

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We have found the absolutely perfect horse for us, we wanted something very specific and this cob ticks all the boxes (which frankly was amazing given our list!). Only issue that as a 5 year old, for the first time this year the horse suffered quite badly with sweet itch. The price definitely reflects this, and the sellers have been really honest. I've been lucky enough to never really own a horse with sweet itch, so just wanted others advice on what to consider before signing the on bottom line etc?
 
Don't do it to yourself. There must be another horse out there which fits your criteria. Managing sweet itch is a nightmare and very expensive and the poor animal suffers terribly.
 
I have 2 horses which itch. 1 has SI the other doesn't. symptoms are the same. turns out the other has a grass allergy. so make sure it is SI testing is a blood test which the vet does. SI can be managed. Beott rugs are the best rugs around £260 for the rug and hood. Mine has 2 sets so they can be washed and mended regularly. You will need to feed anti histamines they re quite cheap. that's about all there is too it. there are lotions and potions which others will say works but non have worked for us and as far as I am aware there is no scientific evidence for efficacy for feed supplements. there are several SI FB groups. A salve cuch as Nettex salve is good to have if the horse does rub they mostly rub Aug Sept and into Oct. once you get used to rugging the horse its quite manageable. just to add that my SI horse has grass allergy too. this has meant no fertilizer on the fields and weed control is by pulling by hand and not spraying with chemicals. keep feed simple and feed linseed for the skin feed as if they were a laminitic and no alfalfa, since we have followed this regime my non SI horse has stopped itching and my SI horse has calmed down and reduced the itching dramatically.
 
It can be managed successfully but it is a real commitment to do so, you need a couple of SI rugs so they can be washed regularly, turnout well away from water is best, even better if it is on high ground, you must start to rug early before the itching starts, if they are really bad it can affect their legs not just the mane and tail, I have had a few with it and generally it gets worse year on year but you do find the best ways to deal with it to suit the individual.

I would not take on another unless it was really perfect in every way, priced accordingly and I had the ideal set up to keep them, mine are at home so can be set up well, the average livery yard may not work.
 
TTK said:
Don't do it to yourself. There must be another horse out there which fits your criteria. Managing sweet itch is a nightmare and very expensive and the poor animal suffers terribly.
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Totally agree. We ended up having to put a pony down, despite all we and our vet could do. Stress-related laminitis was the final straw. Our vet felt it was triggered by years of increasing misery.
 
High ground if it's possible has really helped a horse on our yard. As everybody has said you'll need to rug too but the horse in question arrived with sweet itch but thankfully has been pretty non symptomatic since arriving here. We are very high up though and she is always rugged but it's easy to manage so far.
 
We have a pony who suffers from Sweet Itch, who when I went to view clearly showed signs of sweet itch on her tail. The seller looked dumbfounded when I asked her about it. This mare also was the right pony for us so we went ahead and bought her. In the week it took to pick her up her tail was noticeably thinner.

Having some Sudocrem in the first aid kit anyway, I started to use that immediately and it has worked a treat on her. We make sure we apply regularly and it deters the little biters and soothes (she has never rubbed her mane). Each year we do make sure we start to apply early enough.

http://www.boots.com/sudocrem-antiseptic-healing-cream-125g-10006321

It's years later now, she still catches us out with a late evening tail rub but we work the crream into the top of her tail, around and under and that settles her again.

To this day she has always had a good thick tail with us and thankfully never developed Sweet Itch as badly as some I have heard about. This works for her.

I think you might need to ask a few more questions about how badly the cob gets it, ask about its turnout routine and rugs etc. Go and look at its turnout field too, see if it is low lying/damp etc, look at the fence posts (or other potential rubbing areas), just glean whatever you can to help you make your mind up.

Good luck, hope it all works out for you.
 
TTK said:
Don't do it to yourself. There must be another horse out there which fits your criteria. Managing sweet itch is a nightmare and very expensive and the poor animal suffers terribly.
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I'm afraid I would agree. My first pony had SI, she was perfect in every other respect and we were total novices at the time but it broke my heart even as a child to see her so itchy. I knew then that it would have to be a totally exceptional horse for me to take on another :(
 
Don't do it! This would be the biggest deal breaker for me. I would take something with sarcoids, windsucking, cribbing over SI.

I've not met a SI horse that I haven't thought would be better put to sleep, to be in that much discomfort is just horrible (I appreciate there are milder cases than the ones I have experienced)
 
The environment I could offer and the time I could commit to looking after a SI sufferer would influence my decision

A yard high up with plenty of breeze or by the sea, yep
A low yard with streams nearby, dirty trough water, puddles, dung heap almost next to the stables and grazing/yard surrounded by trees, nope
 
Batgirl said:
Don't do it! This would be the biggest deal breaker for me. I would take something with sarcoids, windsucking, cribbing over SI.

I've not met a SI horse that I haven't thought would be better put to sleep, to be in that much discomfort is just horrible (I appreciate there are milder cases than the ones I have experienced)
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I think I would also prefer to accept a small sarcoid that didn't look like it was going to be a problem, over a horse with SI. i accept they can be managed with a lot of effort and in some areas of the country it's probably less of an issue (I live in an area with lots of woodland and rivers etc, hopeless.). I'm allergic to anything and everything and frequently itchy so I think it must be similar! *scratch* *itch*
 
I have looked after a few horses with varying degrees of SI. Boett rugs are the best, don't bother with traditional fly rugs or knock offs of the Boetts. As mentioned further up by Downton Dame you'll probably need two. The flymasks are brilliant too.
Management is key, you need to take into consideration whether your yard is midge prone or not. To put it into perspective two of the horses I used to look after had moderate to sever SI in the UK, have now moved to Portugal in an open breezy spot and they seldom need the rugs now. Although I appreciate that moving abroad isn't probably an option.

I would disagree with the comments that people would rather have a windsucker - possible stomach problems, ulcers, acidosis - some livery yards won't take them due to damaging doors/ fence posts etc. Plus I hate the collars that are used. Or Sarcoids, at least SI is a season problem. Sarcoids are there all the time and it's a minefield treating them. If you get one where tack sits it's a whole new world of pain.

I wouldn't discount especially if the price reflects, but be prepared to have to plan a new management routine.
 
Signal said:
We have found the absolutely perfect horse for us, we wanted something very specific and this cob ticks all the boxes (which frankly was amazing given our list!). Only issue that as a 5 year old, for the first time this year the horse suffered quite badly with sweet itch. The price definitely reflects this, and the sellers have been really honest. I've been lucky enough to never really own a horse with sweet itch, so just wanted others advice on what to consider before signing the on bottom line etc?
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Having previously said I would never ever have another horse with SI, I found the perfect little mare for me, except she had SI. She was just so perfect in every other respect I took the chance. It's paid off she's been brilliant and her SI is more or less manageable, but it is a time consuming/expensive commitment. I've got more mane and tail this year than I did this time last year so hopefully what I'm doing is working.

She lives out 24/7 in winter, when the midges start up, she comes in at nights. She has a fly rug on from around the start of April to the end of Oct, under a lw if required. She gets various lotions and potions on almost every day to keep the flies from biting and help manage any itchiness from any flies that have managed to get her. She also gets supplements to help her skin repair etc.
I go through around 2 fly rugs a season, thankfully my sewing machine will easily help me patch them or it would be more.

Things to bear in mind should you buy this horse, every horse with SI is different, what helps one horse may have little to no effect on another. You will not know how bad or not the SI is until you move the horse to where it's being kept. Other allergens may be at play making things worse, if things get really bad you may want to put money aside to have an allergen test run so you know exactly what you are dealing with (thankfully I never had to do this). You must use a form of protection on the horse, be it fly rugs, potions or both, EVERY SINGLE DAY, one day off and you're back 15 steps.

There is a really good Facebook group for SI support. https://www.facebook.com/groups/210003972362738/?ref=br_rs

Good luck if you choose to buy!
 
It would depend if its true SI or an allergy, and what were the causes and if you can control them.
In some respects if it really is SI caused by midges its a known quantity, you control the midges access to the horse and that should stop the rubbing. If its an environmental allergy, moving yards may help anyway or changing the feed.
I know of two horses who were supposed to have SI who are now symptom free with no treatment. I have a pony that I bought at three that is now a really bad head shaker to the point he can not be ridden, he was normal when I bought him. Everything is a gamble.
 
TTK said:
Don't do it to yourself. There must be another horse out there which fits your criteria. Managing sweet itch is a nightmare and very expensive and the poor animal suffers terribly.
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Completely agree. I wouldn't take on any horse with known medical issues as there are so many healthy horses out there which would fit.
I knew a SI pony who was so itchy to the point of aggression. You'd also have to think about the insurance and whether the horse would be covered as has a pre-existing condition.

I say keep looking
 
Frustrating. My filly developed sweetitch as a yearling, watching her manically itch herself ever time she came in to the stable was upsetting, despite being rugged 24/7. We've managed to bring it under control with Biteback Products and sticking her on a windy hill, but you can kinda give up on them having a nice mane/tail/face, as they'll itch it all out and bald the day you forget to apply whatever lotions and potions you're using!
 
There's so many variables with SI, that's if it even is sweet itch. Some allergies present the same and can be just as hard to deal with. Whichever it is, it can be a nightmare to manage. We've coped with a fantastic power cob with SI for the past 14 years. Some years are worse than others. At best he has a full mane and tail, at worst he has a bog brush tail, no mane and is unrideable if he has scrubbed out his withers.
All the damage can be done in minutes. In his case, he had very mild symptoms at 5yrs old and it hit full blown at 8yrs old.
We have tried everything. One year will be successful, we have a happy horse, and the exact same treatment will fail the next.
It's hard to watch your loved and cared for horse. throw himself around on the floor in desperation. Some summers he can't travel due to his urge to itch on the lorry.
Don't underestimate the cost involved either. Although I would give any amount to end his torment when at it's worse.
In all honesty, I wouldn't knowingly take on a SI horse again.
If you are lucky, it may be a mild case and never change. On the other hand, it could get worse with age and hit hardest when they have age related health hiccups as well.
 
If you can take on board all the warnings as set out above and it is perfect in every way - but price wise it should be give away money. It is for sale now, in the autumn, not in the spring or summer.

I knew a lovely little cob, I used to go riding with him in the winter, but in the end his owner had to have him PTS as his quality of life was so bad.
 
You need to know before you buy that you have suitable facilities to keep him. You need absolutely everything electric fenced off so there is nowhere to rub. If you can do this and be scrupilous with the rugging and applying creams to the unrugged bits it's managable. If you can't do this then steer clear.
 
I've taken a pony on loan this year-he's pretty perfect in every way-apart from quite bad sweet itch. I knew him last year and he was quite badly rubbed. I've made sure he has good rugs - Premier Equine or Horseware. These are washed and changed regularly to keep them as clean as possible. If the summer had been better he'd have been bathed more to keep him clean. Also has the Horseware fly masks with the rigid rim which help to stop him rubbing. He has a variety of lotions and potions applied every day- this takes all of 5 minutes. I also feed him Brewers Yeast as I read that helps to deter the flies. If I could get rid of the sweet itch I would but I've had a horse that was prone to laminitis and I found that much more stressful.
 
I bought one with sweet itch this year. She arrived with a fairly scrubby tail and a slightly rubbed mane but I was able to get on top of the itching using biteback cream and neem oil. I feed brewers yeast and linseed now and she wears a Shires sweet itch rug 24/7. Her tail has grown back beautifully and she is not rubbing at all now. I rub neem oil through her mane and tail every few days before I take her out as we ride mostly in woodland. I'll keep the sweet itch rug on and just swop it for an ordinary rug once the weather gets colder. The trick seems to be to soothe the itching, which then will stop the rubbing. I'm guessing that her sweet itch isn't too bad compared to some though
 
Cecile said:
The environment I could offer and the time I could commit to looking after a SI sufferer would influence my decision

A yard high up with plenty of breeze or by the sea, yep
A low yard with streams nearby, dirty trough water, puddles, dung heap almost next to the stables and grazing/yard surrounded by trees, nope
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I have almost exactly the "nope" set up here (except the dirty trough water!). But My SI horse is managing very well. He has a SI rug March-Oct, a stable he can bunk into whenever he likes, deosect every 3 weeks, benzyl benzoate on mane and tail every few days. Also fed linseed, brewers yeast, no alfalfa....and it's working well. He's not scratched AT ALL this year, I think I finally have it right for him. Boy, I'd love a high breezy yard, but I think for the right pony and with the right management, it's doable.
 
Don't do it, it's heartbreaking to watch, expensive and time consuming to treat. Every day is filled with concern which overrides the actual pleasure from having the horse. I would NEVER have another one. Yes it's doable and people do manage but I wouldn't put myself in that position again.
 
Landcruiser said:
I have almost exactly the "nope" set up here (except the dirty trough water!). But My SI horse is managing very well. He has a SI rug March-Oct, a stable he can bunk into whenever he likes, deosect every 3 weeks, benzyl benzoate on mane and tail every few days. Also fed linseed, brewers yeast, no alfalfa....and it's working well. He's not scratched AT ALL this year, I think I finally have it right for him. Boy, I'd love a high breezy yard, but I think for the right pony and with the right management, it's doable.
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I done the same years ago but the SI pony who came to stay at mine, she was actually living in a place called *Midgham* and I was told its not called Midgham because of its lack of midges, she did improve at my yard but it was certainly a learning curve for me at the time

I don't have dirty water troughs either :)
 
One of my Shetlands has sweet itch, and living on a grouse moor in Scotland means we get plenty of midges :( Fortunately we are also high up and fairly cold/breezy most of the time and so can manage it - but it is not something I would ever want to deal with again so would walk away.
 
my area is very midgy lots of trees and water. my youngster developed SI. I was very upset. we manage it well with Boett rugs piriton and topical application of fly repellent for when ridden. I have friends with SI horses and we all seem to manage ok. PTS seems very very extreme to me . would I buy another with SI?. if it ticked all the boxes then yes I would. Am hoping that a vaccine will be available in 2 or 3 years they were mooting it last year hopefully it will come to the market and work well.
 
My old pony had sweet itch, his however was quite serious so he had to have a steroid injection once a year. Don't let sweat itch put you off, as long as you put in the time to apply cream and fly spray, tape off anywhere in the field they can itch and mind what you feed (NO garlic) and get a decent sweet itch rug (recommend the Premier Equine Bug Buster or Rambo) then it really isn't much of a problem and easily managed x
 
Charlie Horse had SI, but it was fairly easily managed. He had a Boett, a Horseware Sweetitch Hoodie, and latterly a cheaper one (forget the brand) that was still a hoodie.

He was rugged up from end of Feb until end of November in sweetitch hoodie rugs, with face masks on top, and sometimes extra material sewn onto the bottom of the rugs to make a skirt or shorts! He was only ever turned out after dusk and in for dawn, which made for late nights and early mornings in mid summer. He still had fly rugs on in the stable, with necks and possibly a mask, but when in the stabke they could be cheaper fly rugs.

All fencing was electric and he had a grid in the stable.

I know that sounds faffy, but once the yard was set up and the rugs bought, it was just the turning out and fetching in during the dark that was any faff at all.

Because it was so controlled, the symptoms actually seemed less bad year on year, although that could just be that we were more alert to have the conditions correct. He even rode out in a fly rug and face mask. The only time we bothered with potions was when he was competing and could not wear rugs.

The biggest shame of it was that Charlie horse was quite handsome, but you could never see him in summer!
 
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