Sweet itch and electric fencing

[FairyLights]

I keep seeing threads where people advocate using electric fencing so that the horse has nothing to rub on. I feel this is unkind. I have seen sweetich horses "sit"down to try to rub their tails. The poor things must itch and suffer terribly . Its like putting itching powder on someone then tying their hands so they cant scratch!
The best thing is to use a suitable sweet itch rug, starting now and keeping the horse covered until mid autumn. You need to PREVENT the midges biting the horse as the horse is allergic to the bite and this causes the itch.
Benzyl benzoate acts as an insect repellent and an insect killer and is useful too.
I have 2 sweetitch horses and this regime works best.

 

[JillA]

Once they begin to scratch, it makes the itch even worse - you must know yourself if you can resist the urge to scratch the itch eventually subsides. Mine isn't totally flying insects related, he doesn't begin to itch until June (in a normal year) and although one year I had a very comprehensive fly rug on him from February (with double layer neck and tail cover) he still begin to itch in June. He does sit down to rub but nothing other than minimal grass and electric fencing helps, with the occasional use of Nettex Itch Stop. They are all different and you need to beware of making sweeping statements - what works for one may well not for another.

 

[Gloi]

If you don't have electric fences the sweet-itch rugs are wrecked pretty quickly.

 

[Mrs Jingle]

I disagree. If I did not use electric fencing all year round my horse would soon start to itch in the bug season and start of the whole bite/itch/scratch cycle. They only need to rub themselves once and away they go for the season IMO. Plus rugs wouldn't last 5 minutes.

But each to their own. What works with one horse might not be the best management routine for another with sweet itch.

 

[Wheels]

I do take your point as it does drive them demented if they can't itch at all but I do believe they can get some comfort by using various parts of their body to scratch other bits of their body lol

sweet itch rugs don't last very long if there is no electric fencing and once they have managed to scratch a layer of skin off on normal fencing then there is no going back!

Also - some horses have a reaction to benzyl benzoate, mine is one of them - it makes him itchy and makes his hair fall out where it has been applied.

 

[WelshD]

my boy demolished a sheep field shelter with his itching so its electric fences all the way for him with nothing inside the boundary of the fencing apart from his food and water

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

I disagree. If I did not use electric fencing all year round my horse would soon start to itch in the bug season and start of the whole bite/itch/scratch cycle. They only need to rub themselves once and away they go for the season IMO. Plus rugs wouldn't last 5 minutes.

But each to their own. What works with one horse might not be the best management routine for another with sweet itch.

Agree wholeheartedly! There's nothing "kind" in letting a horse with SI scratch itself raw. My boy went off on loan eighteen months ago; and the very first weekend he was in his loan home the stupid numpty girl that had him, let him out to graze without his sweet-itch rug on, and during the course of two days he'd rubbed himself raw and bleeding all along his mane. It was awful, and when I saw him I just vapourised as I'd spent so much effort in making sure his SI was controlled. But it was a prime example of what can happen if (a) a horse with SI goes out without a rug and (b) what can and will happen if they can find something to rub on.

It really isn't doing them any kindness TBH to allow a SI something to rub on coz they'll only do it and make themselves raw and sore. The only way to control SI is to attack it before it starts by putting on a hoody (plus mask etc) or similar protective outfit, and (if the horse can tolerate it) putting on chemical barriers as well.

Also, in the stable, mine wears a light fly sheet as midges can still get inside the building and bite.

In ridden work, mine wears a "Ride On" fly sheet. Indespensable, don't know how I managed without it. Bought one for my loan mare last summer too as the horse-flies were particularly bothersome last "summer".

 

[Wheels]

Ooh which ride on fly sheet did you go for?