Electric fencing as a method of controlling sweet itch?

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Kezza

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Has anyone had success from using electric fencing round the perimeter of their paddock fencing in an attempt to stop their horse from scratching themselves raw on the fencing or gates? We already tape off the trees in our paddocks but we now have a mains operated electric unit so I was thinking about running it along thge inside of the fencing in their summer paddock including the gate so that my boy literally has nothing to scratch on? I tried a fly rug last year but he still itches his tail on the fencing whilst wearing it which results in some hair loss ...
 
Haven't tried this but had an old pony who suffered quite badly with sweet itch, rubbed herself till she bled. I found a Boett rug worked miracles. They are not cheap but really did the job. Her mane and tail grew back and although I was concerned she would be too hot she was fine in the hottest of weather. Only slight drawback was in the autumn, if it rained heavily the rug got a bit waterlogged and made her cold. All I did was put a lightweight turnout over the top. I would see if you could find one second hand somewhere and give it a try.
 
he'll still itch in one of those and rip it to shreds, he loves to itch at any time of the year if he feels hot, he just does it more in the summer as it's hotter. I don't want him in a fly rug of any sort this summer if I can help it as they make him feel hotter and more uncomfortable. thanks
 
It does work, but you will probably have to fence off the water trough too and use tubs instead, as that will be he will rub next.
frown.gif
 
ours are really quite low so don't think they'll be a problem, he'd have to sit on the floor to rub the top of his tail on those, lol!
 
Sorry...but I think that is actually a little cruel! I think you perhaps need to be treating the cause and relieving the problem for the horse by other means...such as a boett rug at all times, putting the horse in and away from the midges during the peak times of the day and putting the right lotions and potions on!
A friends horse suffers terribly but she has managed to control the situation with a boett and applying cream to any exposed bits on a regualar basis...she has even been known to ride her horse in it's boett in order to keep it comfortable.
Sorry to be blunt but the poor thing will go out of it's mind if it cannot relieve the itching and irritation!
 
I know it sounds a bit strange and it doesn’t really answer the question but have you tried Marmite in his tea? It really works for our horses! Blacks had a bit of an itchy tail but he has been 100 times better since he had Marmite in his tea. Otto stopped scratching all together and his tail grow back beautifully. We give a dollop of Marmite in the boys tea as a matter of course now.

It’s worth a try!
 
oh dear, sorry I wasn't very clear, he just rubs his mane and tail on the trees a bit during summer so we taped off the trees but he'll still scratch his bum a bit on the post and rail and I get fed up with having an almost bald patch at the top of his tail as I do some in-hand showing and it looks horrible. He doesn't bleed or anything and I thought as taping the trees off helped stop the mane getting rubbed, perhaps marking off the post and rail will help the tail remain in-tact. I have obviously tried all the lotions and potions going and even had the vet take a look. He still has the occasional rub though, usually when I'm looking at him and I swear he has a smile on his face!
smile.gif
 
I electric fencing off a mains unit for ours

He is in a boett type rug, with another light reflecting on top of this and kept out 24/7. I cannot stable him, as otherwise he rubs so much he draws blood.

I also feed brewers yeast, spray him twice and day, use nettex itch stop and sudocream
 
I agree with pottamus - a boett is realy the best thing, if you get it on early before she/she gets any bites you will prevent the problem starting in the first place. I use a boett and it is fab, oit coverd just about everything apart from the legs and they are very very robust, far better than normal fly rugs. I found that in the hot weather last june/july my girl was the only one out in the midday sun. The rug seemed to act a bit like a parasol. If you get it early you will not need lotions and potions. All I used was a little fly repellamnt for hacking out - good luck
 
Don't worry he will find a way (the YO horse who lives out spends all summer doing this
frown.gif
). Afraid I agree with Pottamus that you need to treat it and rug him too.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I electric fencing off a mains unit for ours

He is in a boett type rug, with another light reflecting on top of this and kept out 24/7. I cannot stable him, as otherwise he rubs so much he draws blood.

I also feed brewers yeast, spray him twice and day, use nettex itch stop and sudocream

[/ QUOTE ]

Echo all of that, that's exactly what I use and I feed brewers yeast but was hoping this year, to avoid any hair loss, would I be ok to just electric off the fencing and try without the fly rug? I am not toally convinced (nor is the vet) that my boy itches due to any biting insects as he will also do it in the winter if he gets too hot in a particular rug so we think it's down to being too hot.
 
B vitamins - are supposed to be good for skin, hence brewers yeast and marmite working well (marmite is yeast extract). Simple systems do a yeast supplement - would probably work out cheaper than marmite.
 
Ahh - if the vet thinks its not insects than that is a different matter. My littlest girlie starts to itch at this time of year, she tends to do her neck and mane. I try to groom her daily to help get rid of the winter coat. If we have an odd hot day I do an arab plait for her, She has the most spectacularly big mane! Not quite sure what you could do to a tail.
 
I shouldn't have put sweet itch in the message title should I!!! Sorry!! We cannot prove if it is or isn't sweet itch but he does do it in the winter as well, one particular stable rug I had made him itch and it wasn't until it happened the second year in a row that I put 2 and 2 together and he's not worn that one this year ...
 
I would not rely on it nor would I condone doing it. I had a pony that was very adept at sitting on her bum like a dog and rubbing her dock till it bled. She was in an electric fenced paddock. They always find ways and means of rubbing. And as somone else said - it is cruel to keep an animal clearly in distress and unable to do anything about it.
As a way of protecting property/fencing from damage due to rubbing it works very well but should not be used as a way of controlling sweet itch.
 
It doesn't make me feel any happier to see a horse rubbing itself on a fence either to be honest! My boy rubs if he can and not if he can't, he doesn't do it much, just the odd itch which amounts to a little hair loss over the summer when it's at its hottest as he only tends to do it when he's hot (including during the winter) so I try to keep him cool. I'm surprised at how many people think that keeping them within electric fencing is cruel as when I rang the sweet itch helpline (who also sell the boett rug) they suggested this as part of the maintenance of a horse with sweet itch, especially as it stops the rug from being torn.
 
Can't speak for anyone else, but personnally I think it is cruel if nothing else is being done to keep the horse comfortable (which I don't believe is the case with your horse now you have added further comments). However also think that electric fence can help protect the horse from protentially hurting himself by rubbing against sharp/inappropiate object and if rug letting him get caught up on things.
 
seems to be a difficult one, how about those horses who are in a barbed wire paddock and therefore don't rub? my boy never rubbed when he was in a paddock with only barbed wire round the edge ...
 
Used in conjunction with other methods of controlling the problem i.e. boett rug/lotions etc it is IMO fine - but used on its own with no other treatment is cruel. You need to address the cause of the itching.
 
yeah we think my boy is down to overheating ... trying desperately to keep him cool but without letting him get cold, not always easy!
 
Used to be at a yard with barbed wire and the horse there with sweetitch did rub along the barbed wire and on the fence post, que one bleeding horse.
frown.gif


Sounds like either your boy doesn't have sweetitch or has it quite mild.
 
[ QUOTE ]
yeah we think my boy is down to overheating ... trying desperately to keep him cool but without letting him get cold, not always easy!

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Have your vets done any tests to rule out allergies to feeds/materials etc?
 
nope, they did give him anti-histamine for a while but made no difference, nor did the fly rug, he itched worse in that. He hates to be in a stable rug with a tail flap, that makes him rub in the stable so I only use ones without, if he sweats I clean it off thoroughly, especially between his back legs, otherwise he'll rub his bum on the stable wall. If he's in the paddock and is in any way close to sweating, he'll start rubbing on the fencing ... I hose him off a lot during the summer to keep him cool but then if he has any drips it'll make him itch so I have to thoroughly sweat scrape him off. it's funny as he also never grows a winter coat (he's a welsh section c) so I guess he's pretty hot blooded??
 
[ QUOTE ]
Sorry...but I think that is actually a little cruel! I think you perhaps need to be treating the cause and relieving the problem for the horse by other means...such as a boett rug at all times, putting the horse in and away from the midges during the peak times of the day and putting the right lotions and potions on!
A friends horse suffers terribly but she has managed to control the situation with a boett and applying cream to any exposed bits on a regualar basis...she has even been known to ride her horse in it's boett in order to keep it comfortable.
Sorry to be blunt but the poor thing will go out of it's mind if it cannot relieve the itching and irritation!

[/ QUOTE ]

I do admit I have to agree with you here. even before opening the post I though "OMG...what??".

Personally I would be trying to do whatever I could to stop the cause, as isnt it a bit torurous to have a pony who is itching but not allow it to scratch, a bit like you having chicken pox and having your hands tied behind your back....

OP...have you looked into the new vaccination trial? It does cost about 200 pounds, but well worth for the chance it might work on your pony.
 
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