Sweet Itch and pulling manes and tails.

[kerilli]

Just a musing really, wondering if there might be a correlation. One of my mares had sweet itch 2 years ago and also last year - manageable by keeping her in a Rambo Sweetitch Hoody and by liberal regular applications of Killitch and Neem oil to mane, tail, and belly stripe. She's been scratching less each year, and only rubbed her tail the tiniest bit once this year (just broke a few hairs, no blood no bald patch).
I only do her tail with a tail rake, and use scissors carefully, vertical, on her mane to keep it tidy, I pulled a few bits out a few times but that's all, as it's not terribly thick and I can plait it tidily enough as it is... then I wondered whether leaving it had actually helped her in her fight against the midges? No pulled/bald patches for them to get their teeth into (as it were), no blood to attract them etc..?
Thoughts, anyone? Do you have a sweet-itchy horse whose mane you pull? Do you think it makes any difference? Thanks.

 

[FfionWinnie]

An awful lot of natives with full manes have sweet itch I would have thought.

 

[Honey08]

Yes, good point FW.

My two sweet itchers hated having their manes pulled - I think they associated the mane area as a sore area.. One would let me do it in winter (luckily was a welshie, so only needed a tidy up now and again). The other would barely let me even use the solo comb to do it. Even though his hoodie prevented the sores, it rubbed half his mane out anyway, so thankfully I didn't have much to do.

 

[katherine1975]

I try and leave their manes as much as possible in the hope that a thicker mane makes it more difficult for the midges to bite them!

 

[Wheels]

My youngster has it and I've never pulled his mane or tail.