Itchy horse, advice please!

[junglejane]

My horse is a very hairy itchy cob. He doesnt suffer from sweet itch but due I think to the thickness of his coat and the fact that he is black so feels quite hot when the sun is out even on a coolish day he is a total riff bag would really like some advice as to what I could use to stop him from feeling so itchy. I was thinking of trying Neem oil but it seems its more for sweet itch and it encourages hair growth apparently, definately dont want to encourage it hes like a woolly mammoth at the moment any advice would be great, thanks

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

Encourages hair growth means in bald places, to grow back. Not that it will magically make him look like a yeti!

Horses are often itchy when they're moulting. He is probably getting too hot during the day because he still has his winter coat. If you have use of a stable try bringing him in during the hottest part if the day, if your stables are cooler than outside that is, and assuming your yard allows horses to stay out overnight.

If he's rugged, now is the time to remove some/all of them. A chance to have a naked roll whenever he likes will help the coat to shed and also help to control the itchyness, as will a daily scrub with a plastic or rubber curry comb.

If he is usually kept in at night then the occasional bath on a hot enough day (so that his winter coat dries before the sun goes down and it gets chilly again) won't do him any harm. Don't bath him if he lives out though, because with no natural waterproofing he will get wet through and cold.

If he's still struggling, getting sweaty just wandering round grazing in the field once his winter coat is shed, you may need to clip him for the summer. Hope this helps.

 

[junglejane]

Encourages hair growth means in bald places, to grow back. Not that it will magically make him look like a yeti!

Horses are often itchy when they're moulting. He is probably getting too hot during the day because he still has his winter coat. If you have use of a stable try bringing him in during the hottest part if the day, if your stables are cooler than outside that is, and assuming your yard allows horses to stay out overnight.

If he's rugged, now is the time to remove some/all of them. A chance to have a naked roll whenever he likes will help the coat to shed and also help to control the itchyness, as will a daily scrub with a plastic or rubber curry comb.

If he is usually kept in at night then the occasional bath on a hot enough day (so that his winter coat dries before the sun goes down and it gets chilly again) won't do him any harm. Don't bath him if he lives out though, because with no natural waterproofing he will get wet through and cold.

If he's still struggling, getting sweaty just wandering round grazing in the field once his winter coat is shed, you may need to clip him for the summer. Hope this helps.

Thanks for your advice its much appreciated

Is clipping for the summer a good thing? I wasnt sure if it would make his coat grow back a little funny as have been warned of this before.

He wintered out this year so I didnt rug him as he wasnt clipped because we werent riding at all so he was au natural. He is truly the hairiest beast I have ever come across, 8 inch long beard, handlebar moustache, 8-10 inch long belly hair and bum hair in places, its just shocking really but obviously fabulously well protected for a horse living out through the winter in fact I think its his favourite time of year as hes the least sweaty then! Now as we're coming into spring/summer he still has alot of his winter coat so on sunny days hes dreadfully warm and the irritation of sweat is making him itch on things taking out fence posts etc (makes us very unpopular with YO ) and driving himself mad. As hes wintered out his coat is so thick and strong that its putting up a real good fight every time I try to groom it out of him!! Clipping him certainly would be the easiest thing to do in some respects but as hes a full feathered cob I think maybe it would look a bit daft to be entirely clipped apart from his hairy legs. I'm also considering showing him this year so wouldnt be an option at all then. I'm going to give him a good bath this weekend early in the day so that he'll have time to dry out and see if that helps. But may need the back up of a lotion or potion too!

 

[Carojo2010]

I think most people in the same boat this year. The weather has been so up and down, one moment natures telling them to shead their coats next its saying no not yet.
My natives have been all very confused by it - and also been as itchy as hell, in the space of 2 days they went from not shifting a hair to hair coming out by the handful. My TB not been much better, and now looks half horse half woolly mammoth.
I really feel for our poor equines at the moment as the daylight length is saying its spring and to shead but at times the temps are still like mid winter.
Lets hope this weather makes its mind up soon what its doing as all nature is baffled as to what season it is xxx

 

[weebarney]

OH wow this thread has sort of been a light bulb moment. I have a pony who is itchy when ridden, i tried vet, supplements, different saddle, no saddle and nothing worked but i've never tried clipping. Thank you!