Rug linings/itchy horse

[dotty1]

My old mare is sooo itchy, as soon as you take her rug off shes biting her sides and if you touch or scratch her she is beside herself with joy!!. It happened last year and we never got to the bottom of it. She is starting to get scabby lumps on her back like rain scald which she loves being picked. Her feed is the same all year, tiny bit of dengi hifi lite and handful of maintenence nuts. I am now wondering about her rugs. They are both nylon lined, one she has had for years and one was new last year.
I was wondering if I bought a rug that was cotton lined would that help.
She isn't clipped, no signs of lice. I have some fungatrol shampoo to trywhen it gets a bit warmer.

Any ideas???

 

[Tinkle]

Could she be getting too warm under her rug? I know we had one at the yard who got too warm with her stable rug and a fleecy hood and was very itchy. She ended up with funny lumps and scabs on her back.

x

 

[scotsmare]

We had a pony who was quite 'itchy' we used to use 4horse tea tree body spray to soothe it - seemed to work

 

[lannerch]

my young chap is the same.

He also is not clipped and has a thin tb coat, however if he wears anything more than a lightweight rug he comes out in a bumpy scabby rash like youd describe and tears off huge portions of his coat with his teath.

I tried to put a heavier rug on him at the beginning of this cold spell, it took one day for the rash to start to appear and for him to start to itch, changed the rug back to the lightweight problem dissapeared.
Both my lightweight and heavy weight rugs are amigo, so the lining is exactly the same, so it must be due to the fact he was overheating.

Luckily he does not seem to feel the cold and is always toasty warm under his lightweight whatever the weather

 

[dotty1]

Her rug is a medium weight. She is a bit of a fatty good doer (arab x) , maybe I should be brave and change her back to her lightweight. I liked to think I was keeping her cosy as shes 23 years old now.
I have had her 18 years and its only been in the last two winters that its happened, but as shes old maybe her metabolism has changed. (Maybe she has hot flushes)

 

[saddlesore]

My boy is like this too, loves to get his rug off for a good old scratch!! I posted on here about this before and general consesus was too warm - now less 'well rugged' and seems happier - altho still enjoys the odd nibble at his sides!

 

[martlin]

My little mare is very itchy too, but there is absolutely nothing abnormal on her skin, had a word with my vet, thought it might be due to rug lining so bought one with this silver thingy and guess what - no difference whatsoever! She is not to warm, just rainsheet for turnout and not clipped.