itchy cob - can i clip him now????

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darkhorse123

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My cob is so so itchy - was same last year but this year it seems worse - hes itchy all over, not just maine and tail so ive been told it cant be sweet itch?
I do know he hates being hot and yestereay when i brought him in i hosed him off on advice of another livery, he loved it - though he was bangign his hoof while i did it - not to kick me but like to hurry up!
He has no "visitors" ie crawlies - and is itchy all over. Once i hosed him he settled down, previous to this he was going frantic trying to itch on gates, bar - nearly pushing his stable partition through!
So liveries at yard and me have decided he is too hot - he hasnt lost all his winter coat so this weekend ive got him booked for a full trim
Do your horses itch due to heat - he has no lumps or bumps that i can feel x
 
You can clip at any time of the year. If your horse needs it, do it! I clipped Jasper out last year when it got really hot and would have no qualms about doing it again this year.
I think it might be worth getting a vet to have a look at him though. You can always see creepy-crawlies and some burrow into the skin (yuk!).
Good luck!
 
JustJasper said:
You can clip at any time of the year. If your horse needs it, do it! I clipped Jasper out last year when it got really hot and would have no qualms about doing it again this year.
I think it might be worth getting a vet to have a look at him though. You can always see creepy-crawlies and some burrow into the skin (yuk!).
Good luck!
Click to expand...

Sorry, that should have read "you can't always see creepy-crawlies"!
 
``hes itchy all over, not just maine and tail so ive been told it cant be sweet itch?``

how strange to be told that?
sweet itch can affect the body as well as the mane and tail.
 
Hi I clip my irish cob all year, because he is black and gets really hot and sweaty. Have absolutely no problems at all. He just sweats, doesnt itch, so I cant offer any useful comments on that part of your question tho.
 
Sweet Itch can affect the whole body. I clip according to the horse's requirements not the calendar so if you feel he needs it then go for it!
 
Before resorting to clipping him try giving him a good bath with Nizerol shampoo - good for itchy skin.

You can buy it from the chemist. Dilute with hand hot water and lather up well working well into the skin - I use my plastic curry to get it down to skin level - also helps relieve the itching while you wash.

Leave on for at least 10 mins, scrape off any excess, you can rinse but I tend to leave it to dry and wash again a few days later, leaving to soak, then rinse and condition.
 
ty evelyen -ive not heard of that before so will try it - ty also to everyone who said he can be clipped now - least ive more chance of seeing whats going on xxxx
 
We clipped our cob mare a couple of weeks ago and since then she's itchy all over her body - not mane (hogged) or tail. Poor thing has rubbed so hard she's taken some skin off her shoulders. Thought it might be clipper oil so bathed her - no effect. Bathed her again and applied benzyl benzoate all over which seems to really help but have to re-apply every 48 hrs. Still don't know the cause but she is a warm mare and we've got her in a lightweight rug as it's still cool at night and the days are so changeable and her paddock is quite exposed. Maybe we should leave her naked?? We've ony had her 5 months and previous owner said she didn't suffer from sweetitch (no cause to doubt her). Would love ANY advice. Sorry to hijack your post darkhorse!!
 
I used to full clip our previous gypsy cob and clydesdale apart from below the knees several times over the summer months or they would sweat and get very itchy. Our present cob and clydesdale have finer silky coats so are ok. They are full clipped in January so have summer coats by end of March.

SI can effect the whole body. Mine get it to a degree, Farra will rub her bum, mane, head and sides, Stinky's will rub his tail and go down and rub his belly raw unless I look after him.

You would never know my have SI to look at them. They wear the Snuggy Hood SI bodies with the udder/sheath covers so their whole body is covered and they are so much better with them on and don't get stressed by midges and flies. Stinky has not had a raw belly since using them.

I do not use the hoods unless very midgy, as they have very long and very thick manes and got hot. Instead I spray them twice a day with my home made spray which has a lot of Avon SSS and various essential oils on anything not covered up which does the trick. They are also in a field with the fence taped off so they can groom each other but not rub themselves. If they have to come in, they wear a hood and a cotton tail guard which stops them rubbing and starting off a reaction.

Avoid rugs if you can at this time of year. Keeping them cool really helps, which is why I used to clip and now unless very wet and cold, they just have their bodies on. However if it is sunny when first clipped, do use a summer sheet to avoid sunburn.

Always hose down if they get sweaty and I then give them a final sponge rinse with water with peppermint, tea tree and lavender oil added which they really enjoy and I have to watch Farra who will drink it if I don't keep it out of reach.

They are bathed regularly and I can very much recommend EQyss Micro-Tek shampoo and spray. I used them this year on Farra before she was able to live out 24 x 7 and for the first time she did not rub her mane and tail when in. You can get these from tailgator.co.uk.

Finally Equidermis from Feedmark is excellent for itchy horses and gives a great coat, I used to give it to Cairo from March to October. I feed mine linseed, brewers yeast and clivers which are in this product, but as I have two large hairy beasts, mixing my own version works out cheaper.

Last thought, mites can travel. Cairo used to rub his sides badly and I frontlined his legs all the way up, tail, belly and his sides on the advice of my vet which reduced him to one that just rubbed when he was hot.

Hope the above is of use to you.
 
That's VERY interesting as we think she may have had mites and so removed feathers and applied benzyl. So possibly the mites have travelled but would have thought the benzyl would have cleared them. Will definitely try the products recommended by Theresa.
 
You can get them travelling and often in the sheath area which is why I first tried spraying Stinky with FL, again on vet's advice when he was rubbing his sheath and belly bare and then covered in sores. However, it turned out he reacts to midges, hence the sheath cover and body.

If you use pig oil and sulphur in winter and sulphur in summer every few weeks it is very effective at preventing mites. You can use it on the mane and tail as well if you wish. If you want to know more, send me an email address and I will send you a copy of the huge note I do on hairy beasts and keeping them healthy.

All of the EQyss products are excellent as well as the Micro-Tek, I use megatek for hair growth and their survivor detangler is the best on the market and with two very hairy beasties, I probably have tried the lot. Finally they smell wonderful and megatek is great for your nails and when I was a bald eagle after chemo, helped my hair come back very fast and really thick.
 
If you do decide to clip and your horse is pink skinned, best to use a flyrug (as most protect from UV rays) afterwards to protect from burning.
 
excellent advice here, im still digesting it all lol so will let u know how we get on but for now im thinking clip then bathe with diluted benzyl then put fly rug on - ty all so so much x
 
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