sweet itch potions

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samp

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SO come on guys what do you use for sweet itch other than a rug. I refuse to keep my horse rugged up whilst I exercise and want to use a lotion that actually works! i.e. stops my horse insisting on itching when she returns to the yard.

Also what fly spray is evil and keeps the buggers off? I was thinking may be Deosect?
 
Benz Benz is ok - but I wouldn't use on any open wounds cos it really really stings (have you ever got any in a cut - is painful!)

My loan horse had sweetitch and we managed it last year with this:

Boett Rug on 24/7 - except for riding
Homemade fly spray (Theresa F's recipe) but added a little Bog Myrtle too - which is known for warding off midges - worked really well!
But the best stuff for any bits that did get rubbed (another horse ate hole in his boett and he managed to get his tail one day till we fixed it
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) is Net - Tex itch stop salve complete - it is soothing and is a fly repellant - lasts for ages and REALLY works
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I use Barrier fly repellant. and Nettex Itch Stop and tons of sudocrem

His sheath was all swollen last night and sudocrem worked wonders. Have now upped the brewers yeast in his feed!
 
Can you tell me about the bog myrtle you added - how much - I am always trying to improve my spray - this year have upped all the oils from 1 - 1 1/2 teaspoons and 2 of citronella, and it works a little better but so far no signs of any problems with the extra oils. I will then add bog myrtle it into the mix.

I also use 1 tablespoon of sudocream mixed with 1 teaspoon of sulphur and 5 drops of teatree oil in front of Chancer's sheath and the sides. It soothes and works well at keeping bites at bay. Also great for mudfever, grease and everyday skin cracks and cuts.
 
I added the same amount as the other oils
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The reason I tried it was that I bought the oils from a man who had a stall at a market just selling essential oils - he had thousands! So when I asked him for the ones I needed he asked me what they were for and told me that in Scotland they often add Bog Myrtle to homemade fly sprays to particularly target midges
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You can google it
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Is a great recipe though - did really work.
 
Thanks every so much, will try adding this into the mix - then test it on OH and then the horses (have to get order of testing animals right
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Avon are doing skin so soft on offer at the moment
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My horses are heavies, so they have to have full manes and tails for showing.

I have 2 sweet itch sufferers and I have grown their manes back from nothing... they used to scrub themselvs till they bled...... to 2 foot long manes. I have got it totaly bossed and not a rug in sight.

I use Avon Skin So Soft Dry oil spray (the one in the blue bottle.) I put this on them every day. I divide the mane every inch or two and spray once each time. It comes out in a very fine spray so a bottle lasts ffor 2 weeks. It is £2.50 a bottle (it is always part of some special offer with Avon.)

Same with tails.

Once a week I use killitch which I put on with a syringe, right at the base of the mane. 100ml per horse per week. This is after I have washed the manes and tails which I do every wek. I use "head lice repellent shampoo" which I get from the discount chemists, it contains teatree and neem oil.

For fly repellent I use...

1 100ml bottle of citronella.
1 cup of meths
1/2 cup of washing up liquid.
500ml of white vinegar.
1 gallon of cold tea.
1 gallon of water.

This does one horse all summer and costs a fiver. I spray it on with a plant sprayer ... and it works.
 
yorkshirelass,
you sound like youv'e got it sussed!
i shall def try your recipies!!
has anyone used the 'defy the fly' collars? ,....my farrier recomended it to me yesterday, i'd not heard of it before, have looked it up and sounds mostly as though stocked in the states.
i will try ANYTHING!
neem oil is realy good i know...i use it on the dogs for fleas.
i think we should keep this thread going....the season has begun...i caught little man rubbing this morning and my heart sank
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- it's such a crul thing.
 
Some great ideas. I tried brewers yeast last year and I swear she was worse than ever. I had been using net tex stuff but the pot at over £20 doesn't go very far and is so messy. Oil sounds a good idea to me - let the midges slide off. I got up extra early to try and avoid the midges today - still about though
 
YOu know on cows they have those ear tags attached? well the clearish ones are for flies the plactic has to be touching the skin and i dont know how but goes into the fat allover the body and repells the flies, we plaited these into ours manes last year (so they were touching the neck) worked amazingly! they cost about 80 pence and last about 2 months or something, we just gave them a quick sprits of fly spay in the morning and some concuction on capella's mane that the vets gave us and they wernt bothered all season. Deffinatley going to try them again this year

Get them from the country store or cattle market.
Caz. X
 
I've just made up fly spray and added 4 cloves of chopped garlic, a hand full of chopped eucaluptus leaves and a hand full of elderflower leaves to the tea bags when I poured boiling water over - it smells absolutely foul - it will keep the people away if not the flys. I have done a patch test on him this morning and will check it tommorow.
 
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