Help with itchy horse

[loisb501]

My mare was fully clipped about a month ago, but over the past week or so whenever i take her rugs off she's really really itchy. I have her rugs off her every day for about two hours when i'm riding and she gets a good groom every day also. I've had horses all my life but never one that gets this itchy, she cuts herself by itching on anything she can find! Has anyone else any experience with this? She did have a lightweight rug on with a 300g full neck turnout rug on-top as her clip was growing in very fast, but i took the lightweight off as i thought it could maybe be she was too warm but she is still super itchy. Is there anything else i can do to help cut out the itchiness, and what are the likely causes? I thought it could maybe be her clip growing in, although none of my previous horses were like this when their clips were growing in?

 

[laura7981]

Are you sure she doesnt have lice? its the right time of year for it.

 

[Perissa]

My horse get very itchy if he's too hot. Even fully clipped he is only in a medium rug and only has a neck cover on when the temp reaches Zero.

If you've ruled out lice etc, my guess is that she's too hot.

 

[eggs]

Don't know where you are in the country but it is possible she is too warm. It is still pretty mild where I am and the clipped horses are in 200g rugs with neck covers.

One of my horses always seems to be itchy and my vet advised to give him a glug of cooking oil in his feed and he is definitely less itchy.

Is the itching a recent thing? Have you changed anything in the feed/hay that could be causing the itching?

 

[TigerTail]

She sounds like she is very very hot to me tbh. 300grams is a lot when its not dropping below 8.

A clip growing out can also be very itchy for them so could be a combination of both. Have you changed her feed at all?

 

[Becki1802]

Feed allergy?! Have you changed his diet at all? My horse was allergic to Alfa-A and Barley. There are feed companies that can help you cut stuff out his diet to experiment with this. e.g. Allen and Page. If you have lots of money Equi-feast do some supplements and are v helpful if you ring for advice:

http://www.equifeast.com/Home/Products/Itch_Magic/itch_magic.html
http://www.equifeast.com/Home/Products/HypoAllergenic_Ess/hypoallergenic_ess.html

Oil might help if it is just dry skin - is he scurffy? Also, my scurffy horse would have a wipe over with a damp cloth dipped in hot water with a cap full of dettol (the skin safe stuff used in first aid). It helped him as he was a v itchy boy!!

 

[loisb501]

Ive checked her coat and can't see anything. I also thought possibly mites but she isn't stamping her feet, biting at her coat etc. As soon as her rugs are on she's fine, doesn't itch or scrape about. Her skin/ coat is smooth and in good condition with no signs of irritation, just four little cuts that she caused by itching along her wall. I'm so confused by it, is it over reacting to call the vet? Going to be clipping her again next week so if the weathers nice i might try and give her a bath with hibiscrub to see if that helps?

 

[Pidgeon]

too warm? Have you checked how warm she is when wearing her rugs? My boy is fully clipped ISH and out 24/7 in a sheet and plenty warm enough.

 

[chestnutmarelover]

My clipped tb gets too hot (& irritable!) in just 180g combo so alot of the time I just have no fill combo on him which he is far happier with!! Try Neem oil (buy as Neem wash then dilute with water & use in a spray bottle) it is anti-inflammatory amoungst other things & the mozzies & midges HATE IT I have used it summer & winter for past few years & swear by it, it is fabulous stuff (ebay best place to buy)

 

[loisb501]

Im on the east coast of Scotland. she's quite a fine horsy, and her field she's in during the day doesn't have much in the way of shelter, when i was checking her temp under her rugs she feels warm, but not hot?? Her diet hasn't changed, she just gets a scoop of speedibeet and 2 scoops of coolmix with a little oil and garlic?

 

[loisb501]

Oh where can i get this neem oil?? it sounds useful! I've always used citronella (sp??) oil to scare off the little buggers.

 

[Tr0uble]

Is she on alfalfa? My boy got very itchy on alfalfa. Took him off it and no more issues.

 

[Perissa]

Cut the garlic from her feed. It really isn't good for horses that itch as it stimulates an already over stimulated immune response.

Don't wash with Hibi as it really dries the skin. Use something like Malasab and then add a spalsh of baby oil to the final rinse water. Or better still use something like Lavender wash.

 

[TigerTail]

She should only feel warm between her legs and at the base of her ears, not up on her shoulders or back - that would mean too warm to me

 

[loisb501]

Ok i will try cutting the garlic and see if that makes a difference. Will my local tack shop sell these shampoo's or am i best searching the interwebs for them? Thank you all for all the advice! I was asking around at my yard and nobody was really sure!

 

[Pidgeon]

Did you feel her skin as that's not supposed to feel warm to the touch? Best way to gauge the temperature is the base of the ear or where their front leg meets their chest, equivalent of our arm pit if that makes sense?

 

[TigerTail]

Just get a bottle of lavender oil and a bottle of tee tree and wash first with teetree, kills loads of bugs and creepy crawlies, then rinse out with a lavender wash to soothe afterwards.

I dont like babyoil myself its a bit clogging.

 

[loisb501]

yip i was checking her ears and top of her front legs (Armpit bit) they felt average, not too cold and not too warm that's why i was sure she wasn't too hot. I have removed her sheet that was underneath to see if this helps, will find out tomorrow when i get down! Her clip has grown in really quickly too that's another reason why she had the extra rug on, within two weeks she was already turning into a fuzzy bear again.

 

[Pidgeon]

Hopefully taking that off may help her, I remember on the last yard we were at the horses that were over rugged and therefore too hot, some were soooo hot to touch under their rugs , were the only ones who would itch and scratch like mad when in their stables!
The other thing I've thought of if she's not too hot, did you hot towel her off after clipping to get rid of the grease from the clippers as that along with little bits of hair can make them a bit itchy?
ETS: Pig always grows his coat back quite quickly and I'm contemplating a third clip already, but I know he's not too cold or hot as check his temperature every day.

 

[loisb501]

eek i didn't hot towel her after clipping. I did give her a really good groom and she was washed about two weeks ago after a sweaty schooling session, so hopefully if there was any grease it was removed then?? For next week, what is hot towelling? Just getting a bucket of hot water and dunking a towel in it wringing it out then wiping the horse down?? If that's right then is it a good idea to add either some tea tree or lavender oil to the water before hot towelling??

 

[Perissa]

Ok i will try cutting the garlic and see if that makes a difference. Will my local tack shop sell these shampoo's or am i best searching the interwebs for them? Thank you all for all the advice! I was asking around at my yard and nobody was really sure!

http://www.barrier-biotech.com/product.php?pid=LW

 

[chestnutmarelover]

Oh where can i get this neem oil?? it sounds useful! I've always used citronella (sp??) oil to scare off the little buggers.

Ebay! the one i'd recommend is a 250ml bottle (think seller is pure neem uk or neem uk) £7.00, this will last you at least a month. Even my vet asked where I got it because its so brilliant at stopping 'no apparent cause' itching

 

[Pidgeon]

that's right, warm water but not hot. Dunk your towel in it and then wring out thoroughly and rub over your horse, repeat lots of times and change water when necessary - it will get yucky works a treat at getting and oil/grease off and doesn't leave your horse wet. Wouldn't bother putting anything in the water as the warmth gets the grease out.