Itchy Legs

[lucyrostance]

My mare gets really itchy around her feathers on her back legs. I keep them clipped to try to keep them cleaner and this did seem to stop her itching before. However I've recently trimmed them down again but shes still itching and even managed to take the field gate off its hinges last night. Anyone have any ideas to stop her itching?

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Yeah, my cob gets this, lots of cobby types with feathers on their legs get it.

The horse will be seen rubbing its hind legs against the other and if they've got shoes on they will often make themselves bleed, which gives you another problem; or they will stamp on the ground very hard and repeatedly and you wonder what the heck's going on. Nasty.

Sounds very much like feather mite to me; if you look closely you may see very tiny little black thingies. The best thing to do is to clip the legs as close as you can - and keep them clipped, summer and winter - and then apply something which is an insecticide as well as a shampoo. I use Hibiscrub diluted or you can buy a special insecticidal shampoo.

I'm a big cob enthusiast but this is one of the problems with cobs innit.

The vet prescribed a double dose of wormer to treat from the inside as it were, rather than the outside. Feather mite sounds pretty harmless but apparently it is a form of chorioptic (think that's right!!) mange so you need to do something about it, and other horses in the field will probably be infected too.

The other thing could be your horse has got sweet itch coz that can also make her itch. If she's taken the field gate off its hinges it sounds like this may be a possibility, in which case you will need to treat her as for sweet itch, i.e. cover up with a fly-rug, etc etc. If you have a look at her tail you can see if she's rubbed there which will suggest she has sweet itch if so.

Another thing you could try (no success guaranteed!!) is to get some vaseline - cheap and cheeful!! - and rub that into her legs where you see the sores and where she's itching. My blacksmith suggested this coz basically what the vaseline does is to suffocate the mites. Worth a try.

 

[My_chestnut_mare]

I got front line spray 500ml from my vet.

you have to spray on clipped legs/feathers then spray leave for 2 weeks then repeat.

My poor cob had it bad when i first gor him poor old sod.

 

[sykokat]

Yes. Try Frontline. It really works!

 

[Cahill]

you need frontline.you cannot see the mites,they burrow under the skin.
frontline is not licenced for horses but the vet recommened it in the pump spray.
i treated my mare 2 weeks apart and she has never had it since.
i also use pig oil every couple of weeks now to keep the hair tangle free.