Horse so upset by midgies

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AWinter

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So I had a colic scare last night when I watched one of my geldings on the cameras spin and paw and then drop to the floor on my concrete barn floor trying to roll. Cue me frantically calling the vet as I flew out the door and drove the 25 mins to the yard expecting to find a thrashing mess. When I got there he was just stood quietly looking a bit sad, offered him hay and water which he started eating with gusto. No sweating, bright and happy, occasional tail swish/headshake and I realised he had probably just been insanely itchy and irritated. Why he decided to throw himself down onto the concrete and not the lovely, massive bed in the corner I'm not sure, but I often see him stood alone in that corner of that barn early evening/dusk times so I assume its the best place to get away from the flies.

He's not classic sweet itchy, he doesn't rub his mane/tail anymore but this could be because I keep him well rugged in a Boett. It's definitely his sheath that causes a lot of irritation for him. Its so strange because I actually left him unrugged through the day yesterday as it was so hot and he wasn't tail swishy at all, covered in fly spray etc. Very happy boy when I left him at 5pm and put his Boett and copious amounts of Biteback Neem cream and spray on his exposed bits. Checked the cameras at around 7:30 and he was stood in the back corner of the barn alone. Checked the cameras at 9pm and he was pawing, head shaking, trying to go down on the concrete and eventually did go down and just sort of laid there for a few seconds probably because rolling on concrete feels horrible.

When I got there I spent an hour with him, I feel he was pretty hungry as he probably hadn't left the barn for hours and there's no food in there. He ate all of the hay I gave him, ate carrots and treats very enthusiastically and had a little drink, I'm fairly confident this wasn't a colic at all and just him being insanely irritated by midgies.

I don't really know what to do with him. I'm going to leave hay and water in the barn every night now so he has something to eat if he doesn't want to go outside. This is not unusual behaviour for him at dawn and dusk, he quite frequently seems reluctant to leave the barn but will eventually, just the dropping to the floor was alarming, but maybe he's done it loads of times before and I just haven't seen it.

I feel like all the fly products work on other types of fly but don't seem to touch midgies? Does anyone have any miracle recommendations? I'm really reluctant to use anything really strong/chemically as his sheath is sensitive and he goes at it with his mouth and will ingest it. He's fine again this morining, outside with the other horses just having a little tail swish as normal. I feel so bad for him I'm not sure how to help things. I thought about a fan in the barn but I wouldn't be allowed unfortunately.
 
The midges aren’t out in the day so leaving the rug off then is probably fine, but sounds like he will need it back on for evenings/ mornings. You can get sheath protectors but they need daily washing (obviously!) and some don’t like them
 
Biteback products are the best for midgies. Im in midgie country 🤣 it is heaving with them and I swear by them. I actually put it on twice a day but one of those times I mix some with the phaser but midgie spray for night time always.
We have lots of trees and the midgies are out all the time, they dont go away at all here, there is just more at night.
 
TheMule said:
The midges aren’t out in the day so leaving the rug off then is probably fine, but sounds like he will need it back on for evenings/ mornings. You can get sheath protectors but they need daily washing (obviously!) and some don’t like them
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Sorry I probably wasn't clear he did have his rug back on at 5pm. I really don't think he would like the sheath protector I'm worried he wouldn't pee with it on.

Barton Bounty said:
Biteback products are the best for midgies. Im in midgie country 🤣 it is heaving with them and I swear by them. I actually put it on twice a day but one of those times I mix some with the phaser but midgie spray for night time always.
We have lots of trees and the midgies are out all the time, they dont go away at all here, there is just more at night.
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Which of the biteback products do you use? Also stupid question but how do you use them? I've got a tub of the strong sweet relief cream that I haven't tried as I was worried it would be too strong for his sheath but I might just give it a go. I've currently got the neem fly spray do you recommend a different one?
 
The cream will be similar to what is in the spray I imagine. I concentrate on putting this near his winky and belly and inside of legs, neck and face.
I have used it for two years now.

For fly spray I like phaser for the pungent smell. I buy a 2.5l tub and make a mix, And sometimes ill add extra citronella and tea tree into it.
 

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Barton Bounty said:
The cream will be similar to what is in the spray I imagine. I concentrate on putting this near his winky and belly and inside of legs, neck and face.
I have used it for two years now.

For fly spray I like phaser for the pungent smell. I buy a 2.5l tub and make a mix, And sometimes ill add extra citronella and tea tree into it.
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And you think this works for you even in Scotland? That's a pretty strong review 😅. I'll definitely give it a go, I've never known a horse be so bothered, the other guys are just outside tail swishing away and happily eating and he just cannot cope. Thanks so much
 
They’re awful aren’t they. Make sure you patch test any product you’re putting on first in the place you’re going to use it! I patch tested on my gelding’s nose thinking exposed skin would be the same as his sheath and his sheath blew up 😞

I just slather mine with Vaseline now to make a barrier!
 
when we had a pony gelded in the heatwave last year (behavioural and needed doing asap unfortunately ) vet gave me a huge tub of an antiseptic cream with fly repellent in.

one of our current stallions is really bothered by the midges and i have been slathering this round his balls and sheath and inside back legs and its formed a super greasy barrier and really helped settle him.
 
I’m based in SE Scotland, only thing I think that actually works is Phaser. It’s horrible chemically stuff but does seem to help keep them off. That plus a decent fly sheet - and honestly, there’s good scientific evidence that zebra patterned ones have fewer flies land on them, so I’d get one of them!
 
I have a sweet itch pony, I rug him and lather on the Nettex Summer Freedom cream over his sheath and inside his back legs. It's gentle enough that it doesn't cause any irritation but the midges don't like the greasy layer so stay away from biting him. It's the only thing that seems to make a real difference for me - a few years back I turned him out in a field with a tree in it and he rubbed a big raw spot on his face :confused: I won't put him in a mask/hood because he once rolled while wearing one, managed to slip it over his eyes, panicked and ran through 3 lines of fencing and cut himself to shreds 😭 (he's pretty high maintenance....) anyway, in desperation I plastered his face in this cream and he stopped rubbing completely and the wound on his face healed in a week 🤓
 
I like the Nettex as well, I use it for exposed ears and face mostly and biteback everywhere else. Nettex is DEET based like power phaser, where all the biteback stuff is benzyl benzoate (and therefore cheaper for doing large less vulnerable areas that are mostly covered by rugs).
 
Thanks everyone I've patch tested the biteback stuff on part of his sheath this morning, I can see its formed a barrier rather being absorbed like all the other stuff I've been using so fingers crossed he doesn't react to it. Great to have another option in the nettex if it doesn't work.
 
I would never turn out without the boett on, can confirm midgies are most definitely out during the day! I also fight biteback products the best, although a layer of sudocreme is always a good option 😃
 
Well I lathered his sheath and thighs up with the Biteback cream and I've just checked the cameras and he's happy as larry outside eating with the other horses and barely tail swishing, success!
 
saddlesore said:
I would never turn out without the boett on, can confirm midgies are most definitely out during the day! I also fight biteback products the best, although a layer of sudocreme is always a good option 😃
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I'm not sure if he's actually got sweet itch as he doesn't do the classic rubbing his hair out. I left it on through the day the day before and he was absolutely lathered in sweat with it being so suddenly warm. I try to leave it off when its windy enough or when we have really bright sunny, hot days and the horses aren't tail swishing at all. I'll see how he goes its so difficult when it gets warm. Thanks!
 
I use the biteback sweet relief lotion around my mares itchy bits and it seems to be helping. I had my neighbour say she was struggling to get up one year - she wasn’t she was itching her belly on the floor sat up! 🙈 I never take the fly rug off when she is out - if it’s too hot she comes in and has it off or I cold hose her and her rug in the field and let her drip dry if she is out. I think it’s a bit like prickly heat in that if they have been exposed to them then they will be more itchy later on sadly so maybe taking it off has made him have more of a reaction?!
 
spotty_pony2 said:
I use the biteback sweet relief lotion around my mares itchy bits and it seems to be helping. I had my neighbour say she was struggling to get up one year - she wasn’t she was itching her belly on the floor sat up! 🙈 I never take the fly rug off when she is out - if it’s too hot she comes in and has it off or I cold hose her and her rug in the field and let her drip dry if she is out. I think it’s a bit like prickly heat in that if they have been exposed to them then they will be more itchy later on sadly so maybe taking it off has made him have more of a reaction?!
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That's a really good point, I wonder if that's what happened. I'm considering getting him fully clipped so he's not so hot but I don't know if that will make him easier to bite on his exposed areas?
 
I’ve thought about clipping my mare to keep her cooler but I think the same - the hair protects them a bit from the bites. She has also had the insol injections from the vet so this might something you could look at for him?
 
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