Sorry, another sweetitch rug question!

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iveywillow

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Hi, I am new to this forum and have had a look at lots of posts/threads on sweetitch supplements, rugs etc but I was wondering whether you would be able to help or give me some advice.

My mare suffers slightly from sweetitch and wears a fly rug 24/7. She has, however, ripped all of them! I think I must have bought her 4 or 5 new fly rugs this year alone so I am thinking that maybe next year it would be better to go with the more expensive sweet itch rugs rather than simply fly rugs/sheets.

I was wondering which sweetitch rug (that isn't too expensive!) to try? I have looked at the Z-Itch Sweet Itch Rug, Premier Equine and Masta Bug Rug along with the originals (i.e. Boett and Pagony). Anyone tried these?

Do these rugs rub their shoulders? Sorry for asking this but I quite often have to put chest expanders on her rugs to make them broader in the chest and as these rugs are more like an "all in one" rug I have this fear that they will be a bit tight for her (she is a 14.3hh cob with very broad shoulders).

Anyway thank you for taking the time to read this post and any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. :)
 
iveywillow said:
Hi, I am new to this forum and have had a look at lots of posts/threads on sweetitch supplements, rugs etc but I was wondering whether you would be able to help or give me some advice.

My mare suffers slightly from sweetitch and wears a fly rug 24/7. She has, however, ripped all of them! I think I must have bought her 4 or 5 new fly rugs this year alone so I am thinking that maybe next year it would be better to go with the more expensive sweet itch rugs rather than simply fly rugs/sheets.

I was wondering which sweetitch rug (that isn't too expensive!) to try? I have looked at the Z-Itch Sweet Itch Rug, Premier Equine and Masta Bug Rug along with the originals (i.e. Boett and Pagony). Anyone tried these?

Do these rugs rub their shoulders? Sorry for asking this but I quite often have to put chest expanders on her rugs to make them broader in the chest and as these rugs are more like an "all in one" rug I have this fear that they will be a bit tight for her (she is a 14.3hh cob with very broad shoulders).

Anyway thank you for taking the time to read this post and any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. :)
Click to expand...

My YO has tried everything under the sun for her sweet itch horse. Only thing that makes any difference is a GOOD sweet itch rug, they are a different league of hard-wearing to fly sheets, and a good one should cover as much of the horse as possible.

She uses the 'bug rug' types that pull on over the head and cover most of the belly too (Boett are the best but the Masta ones aren't bad, though rip easier). You will still have to be prepared to stitch a lot, my YO has four and alternates them so she can keep stitching, but they last so much better under the punishment a SI horse gives them. Her horse is a Welsh cob cross, short but wide, and doesn't rub him.

Don't bother with garlic, the supplements etc, we haven't noticed any difference at all with her horse on them. Just rug up in March and dont take them off til late October, electric fence around the inside of the field so they can't rub on fence posts, make sure you have no trees etc available to rub on, and try not to have them in for too long, as they can rub harder in a stable in a short period of time. She also kept him hogged so as to be able to treat the rubbed patches easier - they can be hard to spot in a big mane and can go nasty.
 
I have had a horsewear sweet itch hoody that's still going strong for the last 6 years on a rug ripping cob, has been repaired over the years but they well worth the money.
 
My conni worn the Masta Bug Rug this year and worked well. I still put on the net tex stop itch salve on once/twice a week (we have bad midges) but I was impressed with it but he is 'penned in' by electric fencing so he can't itch on anything.
 
Another vote for the Rambo sweet itch hoody. I used them on both ponies we had that had reasonably mild sweet itch. Regular fly rugs got ripped PDQ (by the sweet itchers and the non sweet itchers!) but they usually did two or three summers. I find it best to have two if you can, so one can always be drying if the weather is wet. I got quite a few cheaper on ebay second hand. They do have anti rub bits on their shoulders and I used them on all my horses and ponies, who have all had good chests on them.
 
My pony has a few...

The Masta one is very good, it takes a bit of adjusting of straps and fiddling around to get it right at the start but then becomes very easy to put on thereafter

The one I like the best and that I feel works the best is a Snuggy Hood one, you often see them selling odd ones on ebay quite cheaply and of course they come up secondhand which can help
 
Rambo sweet itch hoody for me ...very very tough compared to any others especially the Boett type one which I find a waste of time.
I use it on a very square cob..fits beautifully with no rubbing
 
Another vote for the Rambo sweet itch hoodie. I pair it with an equilibrium fly mask.

I did have a Boett, and it was fine for a few years. My horse does not tear the rugs as he is encased with electric fencing, but as the rug got older the elastic gave a bit and one horrible day the face mask turned into a blindfold, the horse was distraught. At this time we had a couple of mishaps with saggy leg elastic too.

The Equlibrium fly mask seems better as even if it does slip (very rare) he can still see out. The Rambo Hoodie is 3 years old and still looks brand new.

I start to use them at the end of Feb so the "itch" does not take effect, hence less inclination to rub.
 
Something my vet said.. Dont even start to use a rug until the itching is under control

So start to use it before the itch kicks in as Red says above

Or use one after the itch has been treated and is under control

The latter is so much harder

I do believe any treatment needs to be multi stemmed though so I combine supplements with creams and regular washing as well as a rug
 
Red-1 said:
I start to use them at the end of Feb so the "itch" does not take effect, hence less inclination to rub.
Click to expand...

Part of the rubbing is psychological though. My YO's horse will rub even in winter, although not to the same degree... it is ingrained now. So yes, completely agree rug them before the bugs come out, stops the reaction getting hold, but it won't necessarily stop rubbing...
 
Thank you so much for these suggestions. I will have a look at the Rambo Sweet Itch Hoody - it looks way easier to put on!! Size wise - are they a generous fit around shoulders? She should be in 5'9 but have been putting her in 6'0 ones purely for her shoulders - but these are then too long in the body.

I do try to get the rugs on at the start of February, if not late January, so that she is covered before the midges come out - she is still wearing it now as there are still midges around. I was told recently that if the wind was above 12mph or the temperature was below 4 degrees then midges can't land or survive.

She got a bath every couple of weeks with Forever Living's MPD multipurpose detergent (diluted) during the summer months - it really worked as the aloe vera soothed her itchiness. I know, it's a multipurpose detergent but a friend was told to bath her itchy dog in it and it worked so we tried it on my cob and it works - she's not too happy about the water going up her neck but she loves the rubbing in of the MPD and the deep massaging she gets when it's being washed out (she almost purrs!!)

I tried the Bye Bye Itch supplement this year and saw no benefit to it. I've read that you shouldn't feed garlic as this doesn't work and then I've read that linseed oil is good but can also aid weight gain (I don't need my big boned girl gaining any more weight!). I might try marmite next year!

I can't imagine how our horses must feel being so itchy and not being able to scratch it - especially when we fence them off from rubbing posts!!

Thank you again for your advice/suggestions.
 
My old mare had 2 Boett rugs, one to wear one in the wash, but start on the creams etc, come Feb, unfortunately for me, my mare would not tolerate anything near her but mostly good as gold having the rugs put on, if you use anything with Benzol benzolyte in it do not put on skin that has been rubbed raw as it burns like hell!
 
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